[Peace-discuss] Fwd: media advisory: Full scale of WTO challenge to health andenvironment revealed

[Alfred Kagan]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Fiona Hunt" <Fiona.Hunt at zu.ac.ae>
> Date: May 25, 2005 2:51:31 AM CDT
> To: "<"<mai-list at moon.bcpl.gov.bc.ca>
> Subject: Fwd: media advisory: Full scale of WTO challenge to health 
> andenvironment revealed
>
> MEDIA ADVISORY
> Friends of the Earth International
>
> *Full scale of WTO challenge to health and environment revealed*
>
> AMSTERDAM, LONDON, BRUSSELS, MONTEVIDEO, WASHINGTON DC, May 23, 2005 -
>
> Friends of the Earth International today publishes a revised analysis
> of
> the World Trade Organization's newest threat to national laws
> protecting
> the environment, social well-being and health [1]. An increased number
>
> of governments [2] are now understood to be using the the WTO's
> non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations [3], to make a
> breath-taking total of 212 challenges to the laws of other countries.
>
> This sweeping attack on government policy-making is now known to also
> include challenges to the following measures [4]:
>
> * Policies that promote energy efficiency in household appliances, air
>
> conditioning units and heating (China, which lists a range of EU
> directives);
>
> * the European Union's CE Marking scheme (which ensures imports comply
>
> with the essential requirements of EU health, safety and environmental
>
> protection laws) (China);
>
> * the Australia Heart Foundation's 'Tick' Scheme which approves
> healthy
>
> food products (Malaysia);
>
> * requirements to label canned and processed seafood products if they
> have more than 1% genetically-modified ingredients (Thailand);
>
> * restrictions on trade in wild animals and products made from them
> (China, but India also says /"These [animal rights] campaigns could
> have
> various motivations not necessarily based on truth");
>
> * measures used to implement International Organization for
> Standardization's ISO 14000 and ISO 8000 standards - on environmental
> management systems and working conditions respectively (India);
>
> * in relation to forestry, building codes and safety standards,
> measures
> designed to assist small farmers, government subsidies for education,
> training and forest research (New Zealand);
>
> * restrictions on the use of heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead and
> chromium in the production of electronic appliances (Thailand); and
>
> * certain trade measures used to implement the Convention on Trade in
> Endangered Species (CITES) (the Philippines) and the Montreal Protocol
>
> on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Malaysia).
>
> "It's quite incredible that WTO members could have spent three years
> quietly developing this wish-list of national laws that businesses
> would
> like to see swept aside, seemingly oblivious to the public outrage
> that
>
> will inevitably result. The NAMA negotiations finally expose the WTO
> for
> what it is - an institution set up specifically to promote a corporate
>
> development agenda."/ said Ronnie Hall of Friends of the Earth
> International.
>
>
> [1] The original FOEI analysis focused on government notifications
> made
>
> in 2004 and 2005. The updated analysis includes government
> notifications
> from 2003. Full details can be found in FOEI's /Analysis of
> Notifications of Non-tariff Barriers in Non-agricultural Market Access
>
> (NAMA) negotiations of the WTO/ can be viewed at:
> www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/ntbsanalysis.pdf
> http://www.foei.org/trade/NTBsanalysis.doc
> and the /Database of Selected Notifications/ which can be viewed at:
> http://www.foei.org/trade/NTBs.xls (search the database)
> www.foe.co.uk/resource/evidence/non_tariff_barriers.pdf (print the
> database)
>
> Please note that this analysis is not exhaustive. Furthermore, it does
>
> not indicate FOEI endorsement of all specific listed non-tariff
> measures. Rather, it is intended to illustrate the scale of the
> current
>
> corporate challenge to health and environmental legislation and local
> economic development in a wide range of sectors under the NAMA
> negotiations
>
> [2] Governments formally challenging environmental and health
> standards
>
> so far include Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, European
> Communities, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico,
> New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea,
>
> Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, Uruguay,
> Venezuela and the ACP countries.
>
> [3] The WTO's Negotiating Group on Market Access is scheduled to meet
> in
> Geneva on June 6.
>
> [4] Note that the WTO's public documentation excludes information
> about
>
> which member states' legislation is being challenged. However, this
> can
>
> in some case be inferred from the language used by the challenging
> country.
>
> ---------------
> BCLA - providing leadership, education and
> support to our members since 1911.
>
>


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801

tel. 217-333-6519
fax 217-333-2214
akagan at uiuc.edu
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