Standards and Trade

Geneva, 16 and 17 May 2002

UNCTAD

TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Environmental requirements/SPS measures

Key questions

• Effects, both positive and negative, on exports from developing countries

• Constraints, costs of compliance• Perceptions (protection/protectionism)• Responses at national/regional levels• Recommendations to mitigate adverse

trade effects and strengthen capacities to respond to these standards

(a) national/regional (b) bilateral/multilateral (c) multilateral trading system

Sectors

South Asia Fishery productsPeanuts, rice, spices, teaOrganic products

Central America

Fishery products PoultryOrganic products

Africa Fishery products Horticulture Organic products

Outputs

• Research in three developing regions

– South Asia– Eastern Africa, Mozambique– Central America

• Three regional scoping papers• Overall scoping paper• Scoping paper on organic agriculture

http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/openF1.htm

Objectives of this meeting?

• Review scoping papers • What conclusions can be drawn?• Enhance co-operation and co-

ordination• Discuss possible follow-up

activities

Agenda, day 1

• Environmental requirements/SPS measures

• Regional experiences– South Asia– Africa– Central America

• Fish and fish products• Organic agricultural products

Agenda, day 2

• The Impact of Standards and SPS Measures in Selected Food Sectors

• Strengthening capacities• WTO aspects• The way forward

Environmental requirements

Environment-related NTMs

• Technical standards and regulations– Product content (limit values for certain

substances) – Banned substances– Recycled content– Emissions– Energy efficiency– Recycable, degradable

• Packaging regulations• Labelling

– Mandatory labelling– Voluntary labelling (e.g. eco-labelling)

Environment-related NTMs

• Certain SPS measures• Licenses (MEAs)• Quantitative restrictions (MEAs)

– CITES– Basel Convention– Montreal Protocal– International Commission for the

Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

• Taxes and charges

• Informal requirements (non-government)– Buyers requirements– NGO actions

Notifications to the WTO, 2000

Source: WT/CTE/W/195

Area Total Env. Examples

TBT 639 97

SPS 468 27 Food safety

Subsidies 133 32 Investm., regional aid, energy

Agriculture 229 40 Env programmes (green box)

Licensing 70 17 Basel, CITES, Montreal Protocol

Safeguards

87 1 Import of wheat gluten

Cust. Val. 36 3 Dangerous products, wastes

RTAs 16 Almost all have env. provisions

TRIPS 328 5 Non-patentability living beings, negative env. impact, compulsory licensing

QRs ? 5 CITES, Montreal ProtocolUsed vehicles

WTO, 2000

No environment related notifications under

• Anti-dumping• State trading• GATS• Balance of Payments• Textiles and clothing• Preshipment inspection• Rules of origin• Government procurement• Information technology

Source: WT/CTE/W/195

Notifications to the TBT Agreement

Year Number of environment-related TBT notifications

Total number of

TBT notification

s

Percentage of environment-related TBT notifications

1991 35 358 9.7

1992 36 394 9.1

1993 42 487 8.6

1994 35 508 6.9

1995 41 365 10.6

1996 53 460 11.5

1997 89 794 11.2

1998 98 648 15.1

1999 84 669 12.5

2000 97 639 15.2Source: WT/CTE/W/195

Africa

Pesticide residues

Standards for maximum residue levels for pesticides

Packaging requirements

Has created some concern

Eco-labelling May become more important in the cut flowers and fisheries sectors

Timber Exports may be affected by consumer boycotts and/or timber certification.

CITES Ivory trade

Montreal Protocol

Methyl bromide, used in agriculture