You are reading the 12th edition of the Green Trade Network's newsletter, coordinated by IEEP; this monthly digest acts as a nexus for information and key happenings within the world of Green Trade. If this is your first time receiving it, you can find out more here and follow us on Twitter.
Returning from the balmy and sun-kissed shores of Abu Dhabi to Brussels' cool winds while awaiting the outcome of the Ministerial Conference was a pretty uncomfortable experience (to which veterans of WTO negotiations – amongst our readers - might be more accustomed than I am)... Setting aside frustration and disappointment, I have gathered some thoughts in this policy brief published just yesterday, which looks back at the key outcomes of the last World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference. I am doing my best to see the glass half full, emphasising the positive prospects for the green trade agenda at the Centre William Rappard in the short to medium term.
To help me look at these positive prospects, I have recorded video interviews with three leading voices of the trade and environmental sustainability nexus at the WTO level in the margins of a round of post-MC13 meetings in Geneva.
We are very proud to unveil our first video content in a GTN newsletter, bringing you insights from Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the WTO, Aik Hoe Lim, Director of the WTO’s Trade and Environment Division, and Professor Ilaria Espa, Professor of International Economic Law at the World Trade Institute of Bern.
At the European level, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was finally adopted by the EU Council, marking the end of two months of postponements and political arrangements. The end text is a largely watered-down version of the initial Commission’s proposal. One could of course deplore, the exclusion of the financial sector, a narrowed-down scope, to companies having over 1000 employees instead of 500 in previous versions (bringing the number of EU companies covered by the new rules from 13,000 to 5,400) and a restrictive understanding of “supply chain”, excluding intermediary contractors. One could also choose to focus on the good news that represents the adoption of pan-European legislation on sustainability due diligence, which companies will now have three years to adapt to. The directive will impact the daily operations of large global companies in the textile and tech industries, which were the main target of these new obligations, and one should not underestimate the significance of this new reality.
I wish you a pleasant read,
Pierre Leturcq, Coordinator of the Green Trade Network
Upcoming Events
Event | April 15, 13:00-14:30 (lunch buffet from 12:30) - Strategic prioritisation for EU climate policy in 2024–2029
The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Future Matters, invite you to join the launch of the new research report “8 EU Policy Priorities for Global Decarbonisation. Pathways to European Climate Leadership”, a systematic prioritisation identifying the EU’s best climate policy opportunities for the 2024-2029 mandate.
In a landscape filling with recommendations and policy options, Future Matters introduces a novel approach to assess and prioritize those policies with the greatest untapped potential to mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions. Based on data analysis, extensive literature reviews, and interviews with over 100 experts and EU policymakers, the study evaluates policy options across ten criteria and recommends eight strategic policy opportunities. Join us on April 15 in Brussels or online as Future Matters and IEEP introduce this methodology, the policy recommendations, and the new report—along with a message from Jos Delbeke, former Director-General at the European Commission’s DG CLIMA.
Event | Partnerships for circularity – Tackling the critical raw material value chain – World Circular Economy Forum 2024 Accelerator Session
This WCEF2024 Accelerator Session explores the role of strategic partnerships and strategic projects between the Global North and the resource-rich Global South to ensure a reliable external supply of critical raw materials (CRMs) as part of the EU’s 2023 Critical Raw Materials Act.
Blot, E., (March 2024) Sourcing critical raw materials through trade and cooperation frameworks
This briefing examines existing frameworks for trade and cooperation on Critical Raw Materials with key partners such as Chile, Canada, Kazakhstan, Namibia and the US. It highlights the role of trade and cooperation approaches in achieving a just and clean global transition yet finds that no existing trade or cooperation agreement for raw materials incorporates strong language or meaningful incentives to add value in a trade partner country. This briefing provides the building blocks for a mutually beneficial CRM Partnership agreement should look like to accelerate a transition to a more circular global economy.
The Green Trade Network (GTN) is a group of policy experts from 25 research organisations, ranging from think tanks to NGOs and academia, conducting evidence-based research and outreach activities on the trade and environment nexus. GTN member organisations are based in 9 EU Member States and the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. The GTN aims to collectively promote a European agenda for a better alignment of trade policies and trade-impacting measures with critical environmental and climate objectives.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them
The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) is an independent sustainability think tank with offices in Brussels. As a not-for-profit organisation with over 40 years of experience, we are committed to advancing impact-driven sustainability policy across the EU and the world.
Institute for European Environmental Policy, Rue Joseph II 36-38, 1000, Brussels, Belgium, 022111097
