Press Release: EU in joint launch of WTO negotiations for green goods agreement

On 24 January 2014, in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos the EU, together with a dozen other World trade Organisation members, pledged to launch negotiations in the WTO on liberalising trade in so-called 'green goods'. The initiative builds on the ground-breaking success of the 9th WTO Ministerial in Bali in December 2013.

The aim of this initiative is to eliminate tariffs on a broad list of green goods. The discussions will not start from scratch but will build upon the APEC list of 54 green goods. Talks will first focus on goods, but the WTO members behind the initiative hope to create a 'living agreement' that will grow and evolve according to future needs, thereby making it possible to address other barriers to trade in green goods and services.

'Green goods' are seen as a vital component in sustainable development and cover areas as diverse as tackling air pollution, managing waste, or generating renewable energy like wind or solar.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference (Bali, Indonesia, 3-6 December 2013) http://www.europeansources.info/record/ninth-wto-ministerial-conference-bali-indonesia-3-6-december-2013/

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