PRESS   
         RELEASE  
          
  
 
    
 
     
         PRESS/TE/022 
         2 0  M a r c h  1 9 9 8  
THE WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT ADOPTS  
ITS WORK PROGRAMME AND SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS FOR 1998  
 At the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment's meeting on 19-20 March, Members 
adopted the CTE's work programme and schedule of m eetings for this year under the Chairmanship of 
Ambassador Chak Mun See, Singapore's Ambassador to the WTO.     
 
    
 
    
 
     
 
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END COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT  
Work Programme and Schedule of Meetings for 1998  
1. As agreed in the 1997 Report of the Comm ittee on Trade and Environment (WT/CTE/2), the  
CTE will continue to broaden and deepen the anal ysis of all Items on its work programme based on 
the "cluster approach" under the themes of ma rket access and the linkages between the multilateral 
environment and trade agendas.  Time will be allotted for Members, if they so wish, to return to Items 
discussed at the previous meeting. 
2. At the meeting on 19-20 March, the CTE will address those Items relevant to the theme of 
market access, including:  
Item 2:  the relationship between environmenta l policies relevant to trade and environmental 
measures with significant trade effects and the provisions of the multilateral trading 
system; 
Item 3:  the relationship between the provisions of the multilateral trading system and: 
(a) charges and taxes for environmental purposes; (b) requirements for environmental purposes relating to products, including 
standards and technical regulations, packaging, labelling and recycling; 
Item 4:  the provisions of the multilateral tradin g system with respect to the transparency of 
trade measures used for environmental purposes and environmental measures and requirements which have significant trade effects;  and 
Item 6:  the effect of environmental measures on market access, especially in relation to 
developing countries, in particular to  the least developed among them, and 
environmental benefits of removing trade restrictions and distortions. 
3. At a meeting on 23-24 July, the CTE will di scuss the Items related to the linkages between 
the multilateral environment agenda and th e multilateral trade agenda, including:  
Information session with selected Secretariats  of Multilateral Environmental Agreements; 
Item 1:  the relationship between the provisions of the multilateral trading system and trade 
measures for environmental purposes, including those pursuant to multilateral 
environmental agreements; 
Item 5:  the relationship between the dispute settlement mechanisms in  the multilateral trading 
system and those found in multilate ral environmental agreements; 
Item 7:  the issue of exports of domestically prohibited goods;  and Item 8:  the relevant provisions of the Agre ement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual 
Property Rights. 
4. On 26-28 October, the discu ssions of the CTE will include: 
Items under the market access cluster (Items 2, 3, 4 and 6); Items under the linkages between the multilateral envir onment and trade agendas cluster (Items 1, 5, 7 
and 8); Item 9:  the work programme envisaged in  the Decision on Trade in Services and the 
Environment;   
Item 10: input to the relevant bodies in respect of appropriate arrangeme nts for relations with 
intergovernmental and non-govern mental organizations referred to in Article V of the 
WTO;  and  
Report of the CTE to the General Council at the end of 1998.