Mandelson to reject ‘green’ tax proposal

The European Union's Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, has dismissed French proposals for a 'green' tax on goods from countries that have not ratified the Kyoto treaty as not only a probable breach of trade rules but also 'not good politics'. He said that the levy, aiming to cancel the competitive advantage of countries that are not cutting carbon emissions to fight global warming, would be 'highly problematic under World Trade Organisation rules and almost impossible to implement in practice'.

European Commission: DG Trade: Press Release, 18.12.06: Trade and Climate Change: Mandelson calls for WTO zero tariff agreement on key green goods http://ec.europa.eu/trade/issues/global/environment/pr181206_en.htm

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