On Thursday 19 January, the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate was officially launched in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. The EU is leading the initiative, together with Ecuador, Kenya and New Zealand, and it includes 26 countries in addition to the EU. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, but also less developed countries such as Angola and Mozambique.
The aim of the coalition is “to identify the ways in which trade policy can contribute to addressing climate change”. To do this, it will need to promote trade and investment in ‘green’ technologies and services. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis named solar panels, wind turbines and hydrogen, but also efficient irrigation systems that could be useful for least developed countries (LDCs).
Supporting LDCs as well as vulnerable developing countries is indeed one of the coalition’s priorities.
An “inclusive” coalition
In Davos, EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and the Australian and Ecuadorian trade ministers reported meeting with representatives of the private sector, NGOs and academics. “This is really important that it is inclusive, that we don’t leave anyone off”, insisted Damien O’Connor, Australia’s trade minister.
The coalition is open to any country that wishes to join. Its ministers will meet for the first time in 2024 in Abu Dhabi, on the margins of the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)