Three groups of World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries issued three ministerial declarations on Wednesday 15 December on trade and sustainable development, plastic pollution, and fossil fuel subsidies, respectively.
These agreements on joint initiatives, which were to have been announced at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, are binding only on the countries that support them and are not binding texts. The EU is a participant in all three cases.
Trade and sustainable development
The Ministerial Declaration on Trade and Sustainable Development (https://bit.ly/3m9RlvY ), initiated by Costa Rica and Canada, is supported by 71 WTO members. These countries account for over 80% of world trade.
WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the fact that more than half of the declaration’s supporters are developing countries. “I encourage you to continue your efforts to further increase the number of developing countries in your initiatives”, she added.
The text provides for discussions to be launched on trade-related environmental measures and policies. In particular, it will “explore possible opportunities and approaches to facilitate trade in environmental goods and services”.
To this end, participants called for the adoption of a roadmap and committed themselves to reporting on progress after one year, with a view to adapting the work programme.
Plastic pollution
The declaration on plastic pollution (https://bit.ly/3E1Vs34 ) was initiated by Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco in 2020. It is now supported by 67 WTO members.
They are committed to sharing experiences and approaches to move towards a more circular and sustainable plastics trade.
Technical assistance to developing countries is part of the actions to be taken to tackle the plastic problem.
The participants commit themselves to finding concrete results on the actions mentioned for the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.
Fossil fuel subsidies
This third joint initiative (https://bit.ly/3s98sS8 ) is supported by 45 WTO members and clearly demands an end to “inefficient fossil fuel” subsidies with a clear timetable.
Participants called on other WTO members to join this effort. However, they recognise that the specific needs and conditions of developing countries must be taken into account.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis welcomed the three ministerial statements and expressed his support. “These statements are only a starting point. And we have a long way to go. [...] As trade ministers, we have a shared responsibility in this respect. That is why I recently initiated the idea of a Trade Ministers Climate Coalition. I believe this could make a big difference in building political momentum and helping to support the work we launch today”, he said. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)