WTO Negotiations on Environmental Goods: Ensuring a Meaningful Outcome for Developing Countries

Sugathan, Mahesh, International Trade Forum

Negotiations on liberalizing trade in Environmental Goods and Services (EGS) began with the launch of the Doha Round. Paragraph 31(iii) of the Doha mandate, agreed by all WTO members in 2001, calls for a reduction or elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on EGS.

Progress within WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE-SS) has been slow, The challenges arise from two sets of issues: what to liberalize (i.e., what goods could be defined as "environmental"); and how to liberalize (the actual modalities hi liberalization).

Failure to successfully conclude negotiations on agricultural and industrial goods has been prejudicial. Given the "single undertaking" nature …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: WTO Negotiations on Environmental Goods: Ensuring a Meaningful Outcome for Developing Countries. Contributors: Sugathan, Mahesh - Author. Magazine title: International Trade Forum. Issue: 1 Publication date: January 1, 2010. Page number: 32. © 1998 International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.