Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 2 • 2nd February 2007

WTO Members Discuss Information Exchange with MEAs

Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say

WTO Members met on 23 January to discuss the relationship between the secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the WTO. Sources report that the politically contentious discussions did not go far.

Paragraph 31(ii) of the Doha Declaration mandated Members to negotiate on observership status for MEA secretariats at the WTO as well as procedures for regular information exchange between them and the relevant WTO committees. One trade delegate said that informal consultations this year started on the issue since it had largely been neglected during the previous year, and many felt that a breakthrough was more likely than on the other two issues in the negotiations, that is, the relationship between WTO rules and trade obligations in MEAs, or environmental goods and services. Nevertheless, Members have agreed to discuss all three in parallel in 2007.

The Secretariat introduced two papers at the meeting. The first was a synthesis of Members’ submissions on mechanisms for information exchange, such as WTO information sessions with MEA secretariats, document-based information exchange, and joint technical assistance for developing country Members (JOB 07/2). The second was an update on the existing forms of cooperation between UNEP/MEAs and the WTO Secretariat (TN/TE/S/2/Rev.2).

The US announced that it would table a proposal on the issue in the coming weeks. The EU reportedly favoured an institutionalised procedure for information exchange, saying, as it has in the past, that details on how to operationalise such processes could be worked out later (see TN/TE/W/66) Countries including China and Thailand, on the other hand, would prefer information exchange between the WTO and MEA secretariats to be needs driven. The US also reportedly favoured a flexible approach. Some trade delegates suggested that these differences could be easily bridged.

No dates have been set for the next informal consultation, though some delegates expect it to be in the second half of February. Chair Ambassador Toufiq Ali (Bangladesh) reportedly announced that he would come up with a meeting notice for informals.

ICTSD reporting.