GATT/AIR/3457 24 JUNE 1993
SUBJECT: GROUP ON ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
1. THE GROUP ON ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE WILL MEET ON 5, 6 AND 7 JULY 1993. THE MEETING WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY, 5 JULY AT 3 P.M. IN THE CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD.
2. THE AFTERNOONS OF 5 AND 7 JULY 1993 WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE AGENDA AS ADOPTED BY THE GROUP AT ITS FIRST MEETING (TRE/1). IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE AGENDA ITEMS BE TAKEN UP IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER AND WITH THE FOLLOWING FOCUS:
AGENDA ITEM 3: THE GROUP COULD CONTINUE ITS EXAMINATION OF THE TRADE EFFECTS OF NEW PACKAGING AND LABELLING REQUIREMENTS AIMED AT PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, FOCUSING ON LABELLING REQUIREMENTS, ALTHOUGH PARTICIPANTS WHO MAY WISH TO DISCUSS PACKAGING ARE NOT EXCLUDED FROM DOING SO. THE GENERIC TYPOLOGY OF LABELLING REQUIREMENTS CONTAINED IN TRE/W/3, ADD.1 AND ADD.2 MAY BE USED AS THE BASIS ON WHICH TO IDENTIFY THE TRADE EFFECTS OF LABELLING REQUIREMENTS AIMED AT PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT.
AGENDA ITEM 2: THE GROUP COULD CONTINUE ITS EXAMINATION OF THE MULTILATERAL TRANSPARENCY OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS LIKELY TO HAVE TRADE EFFECTS. THE CHECKLIST OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY INSTRUMENTS CONTAINED IN TRE/W/4 MAY BE USED AS A BASIS ON WHICH TO IDENTIFY MORE CLEARLY THE TRADE EFFECTS OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING GAPS THAT MAY EXIST IN EXISTING GATT AND PROSPECTIVE URUGUAY ROUND PROVISIONS RELATED TO TRANSPARENCY. IN THIS CONTEXT PARTICIPANTS MAY ALSO WISH TO CONSIDER THE QUESTION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF OR COMPLIANCE WITH THE EXISTING GATT PROVISIONS.
AGENDA ITEM 1: THE GROUP COULD CONTINUE ITS EXAMINATION OF TRADE PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN EXISTING MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS VIS-A-VIS GATT PRINCIPLES AND PROVISIONS, FOCUSING ON BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE TWO ISSUES OF NON-PARTIES TO MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND EXTRATERRITORIALITY.
3. THE AFTERNOON OF 6 JULY AND, AS NECESSARY, THE MORNING OF 7 JULY WILL BE DEVOTED TO AN EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON THE UNCED FOLLOW-UP. THE EXCHANGE MAY COVER ALL OF THE UNCED FOLLOW-UP ISSUES DESIGNATED TO THE GROUP BY THE CONTRACTING PARTIES AT THEIR 48TH SESSION IN DECEMBER 1992. THE CONTRACTING PARTIES HAD AGREED TO THE PROPOSAL BY THE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN THAT:
THE GROUP ON ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOULD BE CLOSELY INVOLVED, WITHIN THE SCOPE OF ITS TERMS OF REFERENCE, IN WORK IN GATT ON THE UNCED FOLLOW-UP WITH RESPECT TO MAKING TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT POLICIES MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE (AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION AND SECTION B). KEEPING IN VIEW THAT CHAPTER 2 OF AGENDA 21 RELATES TO ACCELERATING SUSTAINABLE
./.
93-1038
- 2 -
DEVELOPMENT, AND GIVING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OBJECTIVES SET OUT FOR GOVERNMENTS IN CHAPTER 2.21, PARTICULARLY SUB-PARAGRAPH 2.21(B), THE GROUP SHOULD EXAMINE AND TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PROPOSITIONS AND PRINCIPLES ENUMERATED IN CHAPTER 2.22 OF AGENDA 21, BEARING IN MIND THAT THE COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN DISCHARGING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES BETWEEN SESSIONS, IS THE RESPONSIBLE GATT BODY FOR MATTERS RELATING TO INTER-INSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER EXTERNAL RELATIONS (CHAPTER 2.22(A), (B), (H), AND (K) OF AGENDA 21).
4. GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WITH OBSERVER STATUS WHICH WISH TO BE REPRESENTED AT THIS MEETING ARE INVITED TO INFORM ME OF THE NAMES OF THEIR REPRESENTATIVES.
A. DUNKEL