WTO negotiations on trade and environment – the dangers of protectionism in disguise

Abstract

[Conclusion]: It has always been clear that if the EU is to gain ground on Trade and Environment, it would have to pay on agriculture. In my view, the recent CAP reform proposals, even if they do allow some limited progress on agriculture, will simply not translate into sufficient WTO negotiating coin for the EU to take home a win on Trade and Environment. Which is a very good thing. Because if the final deal in the Doha Round does include new environmental carve outs, it will expose the multilateral system to enormous protectionist risk. Clearly, with Agriculture and “civil society” both so high up the political priority list, the cluster of issues at the interface between Agriculture and Trade and Environment could well be the issues which determine the fate of this Round.