India opposes environment deliverable at WTO ministerial conference

In Norway's view, the MC13 should drive further progress on the WTO's contribution to tackling common environmental challenges

World Trade Organisation, WTO — World Trade Organisation (Photo: Reuters)

4 min read Last Updated : Oct 05 2023 | 11:18 PM IST

India has strongly objected to the efforts of developed nations to expedite an agreement on environment-related issues at the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC13) scheduled in Abu Dhabi in February next year.

“India believes that WTO members should not hastily embark on rulemaking concerning environmental matters, and any discussions related to MC13 should be grounded in this understanding. In this context, we also acknowledge the statements made by certain members during the last Trade Negotiations Committee meeting, advising caution on pursuing specific outcomes on the environment for MC13,” India stated during a meeting of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE).

“It appears that there is a need to first clarify the role that the WTO can and should play in environment-related discussions,” India added.

A recent paper presented by the European Union (EU) aimed at enhancing the deliberative function of the WTO, as part of the ongoing WTO reform discussions, has garnered interest from several WTO members.

At the CTE meeting, the EU emphasised the growing interest among members in placing environment and climate issues more prominently on the WTO agenda due to the urgency of climate and environmental challenges.

“The objectives would be enhanced transparency, coordination, and policy dialogue on trade-related environmental measures. We suggest early exchanges of information on these measures and discussions on their design that maximise climate and environmental benefits while minimising trade-restrictive impacts. We also suggest the discussions should continue once measures enter into force and also look at ways to facilitate trade,” the EU outlined.

Japan supported the EU’s stance, expressing the desirability of preparing for these points so that potential elements could be implemented even before MC13, and suggested organising thematic sessions before the year’s end.

Switzerland acknowledged climate change as an integral part of the WTO agenda, advocating for the recognition of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution as global challenges that must be addressed at the upcoming Ministerial Conference, marking a significant step forward.

In Norway’s view, the MC13 should drive further progress on the WTO’s contribution to tackling common environmental challenges.

“These challenges cut across global issues, impacting trade and WTO in areas such as subsidies, market access, least trade-restrictive measures, technology transfer, and trade and development. The entire membership must collaborate on green solutions, identifying respective comparative advantages through WTO negotiations," said a Norwegian representative.

The representative of Maldives stressed the urgency of initiating discussions now on concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes related to trade and environment matters.

Australia expressed its commitment to a reinvigorated WTO’s deliberative function, with a focus on the intersection between trade policy and the environment, in particular, climate change.

“We firmly believe that trade and the multilateral trading system must be part of the solution to environmental challenges, including climate change. We need to reinforce and reinvigorate the deliberative function of the CTE and foster deeper engagement through information sharing and thematic discussions," Australia added.

In contrast, the US argued that it is premature to discuss specific outcomes on the environment for MC13 at this stage.

“MC13 is less than a year away, and we already have a full scope of work based on instructions from the ministers received at MC12. In the CTE, our focus should be on revitalising this Committee and engaging in important discussions about the way forward, rather than focusing on deliverables for MC13,” the US added.