WTO Environmental Goods Agreement Negotiators Pledge To Conclude Deal Ahead of G20 Summit
Officials from Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. met in Paris on June 2, and reiterated their commitment to a “high-standard, ambitious” Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) to eliminate tariffs on a wide range of environmental goods before the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement (here). The officials pledged to find common ground on the World Trade Organization-sponsored agreement in order to boost global trade of environmental goods, thereby improving environmental protection, promoting economic growth and creating green jobs, and they encouraged other WTO members “with a similar level of ambition and interest” to join. There have been 13 EGA negotiating rounds so far.
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The National Foreign Trade Council lauded the ministers for committing to that schedule. “All EGA negotiators must double down on efforts to land an agreement ahead of the G-20 Summit this September in Hangzhou," NFTC Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin said in a statement. "Letting the agreement languish would delay the economic and environmental benefits of a deal. We urge negotiators to finalize a pathway for conclusion during China’s host year.”
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of Colvin's statement.