The last-minute conclusion of a free trade pact for information technology goods – the ITA2 – is lifting the mood at the ongoing WTO Ministerial in Nairobi. By Iana Dreyer. (Photo: WTO. During press conference at Nairobi, 16 December 2015). ***
Tag: EGA
Analysis: Elusive environment and ICT ‘plurilaterals’ – can the trade negotiation machinery deliver at all?
Hopes that the 10th WTO Ministerial conference in Nairobi next week would seal the comeback of multilateral trade talks are waning. Is the WTO having a ‘China problem’ rather than a DDA format problem? Recent troubles with plurilaterals like the ITA-2 and Environmental Goods Agreement would indicate so. That complicates …
In brief: Next week – new round of Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations
Parties to the Environmental Goods Agreement will be holding a new round of negotiations over the liberalisation of tariffs on “green goods” next week (July 27-31) in Geneva. The aim of the seventeen WTO members parties to the talks is to conclude a deal ahead of the UN Paris climate summit in December …
‘Environmental goods’ trade talks: EU settles for limited ambition for December deadline
EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström outlined the EU’s current approach to the ‘environmental goods agreement’ under negotiation among seventeen World Trade Organization members. Realism in what can be achieved by an initial December deadline for concluding talks has set in, as Brussels aims for a two-step approach and a “living agreement” that can be updated over …
WTO Environmental Goods Agreement product list shaping up
Efforts to finalise an agreement for eliminating tariffs on so-called ‘green goods’ among 17 countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO) gathered momentum after the participants zeroed in on an initial list of 600 products that will be subjected to intense – and challenging – negotiations early May. Ravi Kanth …
EGA: EU, US want to conclude EGA for Paris climate summit, China tabled no proposal
Last week’s negotiating round towards the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA), also known as the ‘Green Goods’ agreement, were held far away from the media limelight, as Washington and Brussels focus on their respective ‘mega’ trade deals TPP and TTIP. Ravi Kanth found out some details about the talks for us in Geneva. …
Green-goods initiative launched this week to underpin EU climate, energy goals
[sh_light_text ]The EU and 13 other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) including the US, China and Japan wrapped up the first round of talks on the Environmental Goods Trade (EGA) today in Geneva. The EU hopes the deal will help it meet its climate and energy security targets. But major …
Doubts arise on whether WTO ‘green’ initiative can deliver the goods
[sh_light_text ]The world’s biggest trading powers will begin talks next month aimed at clinching a global agreement to spur trade in environmentally-friendly goods as part of efforts to combat climate change. The initiative was launched in January 2014. While the US trade chief has said he expects negotiators to reach an …
