WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/CTE/M/36 
19 May 2004  
 
(04-2194) 
Committee on Trade ad Environment  
   
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 20 APRIL 2004 
 
Note by the Secretariat 
 
 
1. The Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE Regular) met on 20 April under the 
Chairmanship of Ambassador Peter Br ňo (Slovak Republic).  The following agenda, proposed in 
WTO/AIR/2280, dated 23 March 2004, was adopted: 
I. PARAGRAPH 32 .................................................................................................................. .... 1 
A. PARAGRAPH  32(I)  (MARKET  ACCESS) ............................................................................... 1  
1. Market access ................................................................................................................. ........... 1  
2. Sector analysis ("win-win-win") .............................................................................................. 3 
B. PARAGRAPH 32(II) (TRIPS ) ........................................................................................................... 3  
C. PARAGRAPH 32(III) (LABELLING ) ............................................................................................... 4  
D. OTHER ITEMS ON THE CTE  WORK PROGRAMME  ....................................................................... 6  
II. PARAGRAPH 33 .................................................................................................................. .... 6 
III. PARAGRAPH 51 .................................................................................................................. .... 7 
IV. OTHER BUSINESS ................................................................................................................ .. 9 
1. Proposal by Canada on the CTE work programme .............................................................. 9  
2. Next meeting .................................................................................................................. .......... 13  
V. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON ........................................................................................ 13  
 
 
 
I. PARAGRAPH 32 
A. PARAGRAPH  32(I)  (MARKET  ACCESS) 
The effect of environmental measures on market access, especially in relation to developing 
countries, in particular the least-developed am ong them, and those situations in which the 
elimination or reduction of trade restric tions and distortions w ould benefit trade, the 
environment and development.  
1. Market access 
2. The representative of the European Communiti es (EC) suggested the following ways to move 
forward with the work under this sub-paragraph of the Doha mandate.  Fi rst, developed country 
Members could share national experience on their decision-making process in the development of 
environmental regulations, such as providing information on the relevant authorities, transparency procedures and participation of stakeholders.  S econd, Members could share experience on how their WT/CTE/M/36 
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environmental regulations could be applied in such a way that adve rse effects on market access were 
minimized, explaining the environmental objectives pursued, and providing examples of any on-going 
bilateral dialogues with other Members seeking to achi eve the same objectives.  Third, in relation to 
paragraph 33 on capacity building, how to assist developing country Members to comply with 
measures and policies in place.  Members, in partic ular, developing country Members, could, on the 
other hand, express views on what others could do to improve, within their regulatory framework, 
transparency and participation in the development of regulations.  He reca lled that certain market 
access problems had been identified in a submission by India
1, and suggested that the CTE could 
consider possible solutions to overcome some of those.  He indicated the possibility of further 
submissions from the EC on the issue a nd encouraged others to do the same. 
2. The representative of  UNCTAD informed the CTE of recent technical assistance and 
capacity-building activities.  He said that sin ce early 2003, UNCTAD had been implementing a UK-
DFID funded project for developing countries in As ia, Central America and the Caribbean.  More 
than 20 country-case studies were being prepared on four different sectors:  leather and footwear;  electrical and electronic goods;  horticultural products;  and organic produce.  The analysis and policy 
dialogues had been helpful in clarifying and co nceptualizing issues at the interface between 
environmental requirements, market access and export competitiveness.  He also informed the CTE of 
the following upcoming activities:   a workshop (a  pre-UNCTAD XI event to be held on 7-8 June 
2004 in Rio de Janeiro) organized jointly with the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization 
and Industrial Quality (INMETRO) of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign 
Trade;  an UNCTAD, International Institute fo r Sustainable Development (IISD) and Sustainable 
Trade and Innovation Centre (STIC) workshop on E nvironmental Requirements and Market Access to 
be held during the Annual Public Symposium of WTO on 26 May;  and a round table on trade for sustainable development to be held on 17 June in  Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a parallel event during the 
UNCTAD XI.
2   
3.   The representative of Brazil welcomed th e UNCTAD briefing.  She invited Members to 
participate in the UNCTAD XI events to be held in Brazil.  She noted that one of the key elements of 
the pre-UNCTAD XI workshop would be the discussion on ways and means to enhance the involvement of developing countries in the pre -regulation and pre-standard-setting processes.   
4. The representative of Nicaragua supported th e UNCTAD technical assistance and capacity 
building activities, in particular, those related to tr ade and environment negotiations.  He informed the 
Committee that his country was an active participan t in the UNCTAD project and had been benefiting 
from it since October 2002.  This project on envi ronmental goods and services for Central American 
and Spanish speaking Caribbean countries was ente ring into its second stage on market access.  
Various inter-sectoral workshops had been organized in the region to consider the problems as well as 
to exchange views on environmental goods and servi ces.  In June 2003, his country hosted a seminar 
on this subject with funding and support from his Government and UNCTAD.  There had been wide 
participation from the public, environmental NGOs a nd the private sector.  An inter-sectoral network 
was being set up to act as a discussion forum to define national positions for bi-lateral and multi-
lateral negotiations.  With UNCTAD resources, two c onsultants had been engaged to make a study on 
environmental goods and services in his country.  The study had provided a better picture of the 
situation, and would be useful to guide negotiators to better define national po sitions on this issue in 
the WTO.  He highlighted the importance of trade and environment, but was aware of his delegation's 
limitations, both in terms of manpower and financ ial resources to analyse and put forward specific 
proposals in this field.  Local capacity building was useful to ensure inter-sectoral awareness of the 
importance of trade and environment and their im pact on development.  He thanked UNCTAD and 
                                                      
1 WT/CTE/W/207, dated 21 May 2002. 
2 The full text of the UNCTAD statement has been circ ulated as WT/CTE/GEN/15, dated 21 April       
2004. 
  WT/CTE/M/36 
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UK-DFID for carrying out the project in his count ry, and hoped that it would continue and be 
strengthened both technically and fina ncially, in particular, at this new stage which dealt with market 
access.  
5. The representatives of Venezuela and India tha nked UNCTAD for the information provided.  
The representative of Venezuela said that his delegation supported UNCTAD's capacity building 
activities, and wished the forthcoming UNCTAD XI event success. 
6. Taking note of the EC's views on the ways to  make progress under this agenda item, the 
representative of India recalled the paper tabled by his delegation in May 2002 .  He looked forward to 
contributions from other Members to further the de bate on how to mitigate the negative effects of 
environmental measures on market access of devel oping countries, so as to achieve the objective of 
sustainable development in a manner consistent with the principle of common and differentiated 
responsibilities. 
7. The representative of Honduras expressed gratitude to UNCTAD and UK-DFID for the 
project which had provided practical results and c ould assist her country in putting forward proposals 
in the area of environmental goods and services.  Sh e recognized the potential of this area, and urged 
that this type of initiative be st rengthened and supported bot h financially and technically, in particular, 
as it entered into its second stage.  
8. The representative of Cuba thanked UNCTAD fo r its efforts in capacity building, in 
particular, those in Central America, the Dominican  Republic and Cuba, to improve the knowledge of 
the key policy and negotiation issues in trade and environment.  She announced that at the end of April, a regional workshop would be held in the Dominican Republic to an alyse the results obtained 
from a one-year project on environmental goods and servi ces, as well as to define subsequent steps.  
She found the project important for the preparation of the environmental work pursuant to the Doha 
Development Agenda (DDA), and enc ouraged UNCTAD to continue this. 
9. The Committee took note of the statements made.  
2. Sector analysis ("win-win-win") 
10. No statements were made under this sub-item. 
B. PARAGRAPH 32(II) (TRIPS ) 
The relevant provisions of the Agreement on Tr ade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property 
Rights (TRIPS)   
 
11. The representative of the European Communities recalled that his delegation had shown 
openness to some of the concerns shown by devel oping countries under this item, and also willingness 
to address certain relevant issues concerning the implementation heading.  He noted that at the CTESS meeting held the day before, the Conventio n on Biological Diversity (CBD) had provided 
information on its meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and sugg ested that the information be made available to 
this Committee. 
12. The representative of Brazil drew attention to a document submitted by Brazil and India to the 
TRIPs Council3 on the relationship between the TRIPs Agreement and the CBD. 
13. The Committee took note of the statements made.  
                                                      
3 IP/C/W/420, dated 2 March 2004. WT/CTE/M/36 
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C. P
ARAGRAPH 32(III) (LABELLING ) 
Labelling for Environmental Purposes 
14. The representative of the European Communities  recalled  the labelling learning event held 
under the auspices of the Committee on Technical Ba rriers to Trade (TBT) in October 2003.  His 
delegation had put forward a number of ideas on how to make progress on this item before the 
Cancun Ministerial Conference.  First, to st udy the existing voluntary eco-labelling schemes and 
review how they could foster trade in enviro nmentally friendly products, especially those from 
developing countries;  second, to exchange info rmation on relevant activities under way and to 
consider further possible support to facilitate ac cess of developing country governments, producers 
and  stakeholders to information on those schemes;  third, to study how b est to ensure that eco-
labelling schemes were de veloped and administered in non-protectionist, non-discriminatory and 
transparent ways (such as provided in ISO 14024);  and lastly, to look at the tools which could support 
co-operation between different eco-labelling schemes , and how equivalency and mutual recognition 
could be used to lower the burden of producers opera ting in various markets.  The above needed to be 
discussed in conjunction with the consideration of technical assistance in this area.      
15. The representative of Venezuela, supported by  the representatives of Cuba, Argentina and 
Ecuador, reiterated his de legation's position that the TBT Committee was the forum where in-depth 
discussion on labelling should be held, since there we re the experts and the long standing tradition to 
study this subject. 
16. The representative of Japan sought clarification from the EC on how they envisaged co-
ordination of the work being done in the TBT Committee with that of the CTE on labelling. 
17. The representative of the European Communities recalled that Ministers had provided the 
CTE with the mandate to give particular attent ion to the issue of labelling requirements for 
environmental purposes, and not the TBT Committee.   He did not contest that the TBT Committee 
had the expertise, and that the ground work needed to continue there.  However, he did not believe 
that the TBT Committee could and would focu s on environmental labelling requirements as 
specifically as in the CTE.  The CTE should address the relation between market access and 
environmental measures in a concrete way, since such measures were often perceived by some as 
creating market access problems.  Due to the sp ecificities of the way eco-labelling schemes were 
drawn up (i.e. the life cycle assessment component), they merited particular attention in the CTE, and that there was the relevant expertise in the CTE to  discuss these.  He gave the example of the Global 
and Eco-labelling Network (GEN), a specific body established to address eco-labelling schemes.  He 
suggested, as a way to move forward with the deba te, that the CTE could consider inviting the GEN, 
ISO and other organizations to brief the Committee on their work relevant to eco-labelling schemes. 
18. The representative of Brazil argued that although Paragraph 32(iii) was mandated to the CTE, 
the TBT Committee was the appropri ate forum to discuss labelling issues.  She believed that eco-
labelling requirements should be treated the same as any other regulations or standards under the TBT 
Agreement, and it was in this context that eco-lab elling was being dealt with in the TBT Committee.  
For this reason, any activity in the CTE regardi ng eco-labelling should be carried out in close co-
operation with that of the TBT Committee where the expertise was. 
19. The representative of Australia said that although he did not disagree with the EC that the 
CTE could have a discussion on issues related to pa ragraph 32(iii), he believed the real expertise was 
to be found in the TBT Committee.  Eco-labels, like an y other kind of label, were subject to the rules 
of the TBT Agreement.  For this reason, th e primary discussion should take place in the TBT 
Committee, but he saw the value of the CTE complementing the work.   WT/CTE/M/36 
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20. The representative of the Philippines supported the earlier speakers that the TBT Committee 
was the appropriate forum to discuss labelling issues.  Referring to one of the EC's points, he was of 
the view that the TBT Agreement was adequate to  gauge whether an eco-labelling scheme was being 
used as a protectionist tool or applied in a discriminatory manner.  He did not see any need to establish additional guidelines in this regard. 
21. The representative of the United States invite d the EC to come forward with focussed 
explanation of its objectives for the work of the CTE in this area.  She found the criteria identified by 
the EC4 for distinguishing eco-labelling schemes were not  unique to such schemes, since they could 
be relevant to labelling schemes addressing objectiv es other than that for the environment.  She 
agreed that the TBT Committee provided the central  expertise for labelling issues, although work 
could be done in the CTE under its mandate. 
22. The representative of Thailand echoed that the TBT Committee was the most appropriate 
forum to discuss labelling issues.  However, since it had been mandated, Thailand was open to discuss 
eco-labelling in the CTE. 
23. The representatives of India echoed the comments made by the representatives of Brazil, 
Australia, Thailand and the Philippines on this issue. 
24. The representative of Malaysia supported the view that the TBT Committee was the most 
appropriate forum to discuss the issue. 
25. The representative of Switzerland believed that the CTE had special expertise on 
environmental aspects, while the TBT, on more technical TBT issues.  Notwithstanding the formal 
task provided by the Doha mandate, there were other reasons for the CTE to progress in its work on 
environmental labelling.  She noted the increase in labelling schemes to provide consumers with 
information, such as on the environmental aspects of  a product.  At the same time, in the various 
international discussions, the concept of sustainable consumption was being encouraged.  As a result, 
the trend to establish environmental labelling schemes was likely to continue, and this trend came in 
parallel to the growing concerns about their trade impacts, in particular, when schemes varied from 
one country to another.  Compliance with diverg ence requirements might pose difficulties, especially 
to developing country Members.  For this reas on, the CTE should elaborate more on this issue. 
26. The representative of Colombia was prepared to continue discussing the issue in the CTE, but 
felt that the technical expertise was to be found in the TBT Committee.  She recalled the Labelling 
Learning Event of the TBT Committee which she found useful.  She supported the view that labelling could continue to be considered in that forum. 
27. The representative of Indonesia said that his delegation was open to discussing eco-labelling 
in the CTE as mandated by the Doha Declaration.  However, he believed that the most appropriate 
forum was the TBT Committee, since it had been dealing with labelling issues. 
28. The representative of the European Communities believed one of the pr oblems was that the 
TBT experts were not in the CTE.  He noted that labelling was not just discussed in the CTE and the 
TBT Committees, but also in other Committees, such as the Committee on Agriculture, whenever 
there was the interest and if it was relevant.  It sh owed that there was the pr actice to discuss an issue 
in more than one particular Committee.  He invite d others to reflect on practical ways to respond to 
the mandate given to the CTE.  He recalled an id ea proposed earlier, on holding joint meetings with 
the TBT Committee, or to make a specific effort to  bring TBT experts to the CTE to deal with eco-
labelling issues.  His delegation would come back with further concrete ideas.   
                                                      
4 Document WT/CTE/W/225, dated 6 March 2003. WT/CTE/M/36 
Page 6  
 
29. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
D. OTHER ITEMS ON THE CTE  WORK PROGRAMME  
30. No statements were made under this sub-item. 
II. PARAGRAPH 33 
We recognize the importance of technical assistance and capacity building in the 
field of trade and environment to d eveloping countries, in particular the 
least-developed among them.  We also en courage that expertise and experience be 
shared with Members wishing to perform envi ronmental reviews at the national level.   
31. The representative of Korea thanked the Secretariat for organizing a national seminar on trade 
and environment in Korea on 2 April, where mo re than 100 participants from the Government, 
research institutes, private sector, civil society and academia had participated.  The presentations had 
been well received, followed by a fruitf ul question and answer session.   
32. The representative of the European Commun ities recalled the workshop on capacity building 
organized by UNEP and Korea in Korea in March 2004 .  He reiterated the importance of technical 
assistance to assist developing countries moving towa rd sustainable development, while further 
integrating to the world economy.  He recalled that the EC had made a submission on technical 
assistance in September 20035, and invited further comments a nd feedback.  The Commission had 
provided information on its technical assistance progr ammes and those of its member States to show 
its willingness to advance on this issue, to obtain input from beneficiaries on the issues they consider 
important, as well as to further enhance coordination between donors.  He stre ssed the importance of 
coherence and partnership between international organizations, and referred to the Joint Capacity 
Building Task Force on Trade and Environment and Development developed by UNEP and 
UNCTAD. 
33. The representative of Venezuela thanked the S ecretariat for its technical assistance activities 
on trade and environment.  He suggested adding to  the programme training on trade and environment 
negotiations.  He believed there was a need to incr ease the capacity of developing country negotiators 
to undertaken these complex negotia tions and to make proposals unde r paragraph 51, on sustainable 
development, taking into account the Rio Declarati on principles of Agenda 21.  He echoed the EC's 
point on the importance of inter-agency coordina tion, such as between UNEP, UNCTAD and other 
relevant organizations.  
34. The representative of the Dominican Republic s upported the statements made by Venezuela 
and others on the need for greater institutional co -operation.  He highlighted the importance of 
paragraph 51 on sustainable developm ent, of which he believed human  resources development was an 
essential element.     
35. The representative of the Czech Republic thanked the Secretariat for holding a regional 
seminar for Central and Eastern European countries,  in which experts from Central Asia had also 
participated.  He found the seminar informative and useful, in particular, for Central Asian countries. 
36. The representative of UNEP updated the CTE on the following capacity-building activities:6  
workshops of UNEP and UNCTAD Joint Capacity Bu ilding Task Force on Trade, Environment and 
Development had been held back-to-back with WTO re gional seminars in Fiji, South Africa and 
Jamaica in the past several years;  country projects on integrated assessment of trade-related policies;  
                                                      
5 Document WT/CTE/W/231, dated 5 September 2003. 
6 The full text of the UNEP statement has been circulated as WT/CTE/GEN/16, dated 28 April 2004.  WT/CTE/M/36 
 Page 7 
 
 
a new capacity-building initiative on the use of integrated assessment and planning processes as a 
means of promoting sustainable trade and poverty alleviation;  a workshop on capacity building co-hosted by UNEP and the Korean Ministry of Environment on the 27-28 March, prior to the UNEP Governing Council and Global Ministerial Envir onment Forum;  a paper under preparation to 
examine the use of trade-related measures in mu ltilateral environmental agreements;  a workshop on 
Fisheries Subsidies and Sustainable Fisheries Mana gement on 26-27 April 2004;  and the updating of 
the UNEP-IISD Environment and Trade Handbook.   
37. The Secretariat briefed the CTE on its current a nd planned technical assistance activities.  On 
regional workshops, it was highlighted that the main  objective of these events was to inform capital-
based delegations of the on-going work in the WTO Committees dealing with environment, focusing 
on issues of particular interest to the region.  In order to enhance dialogue between trade and 
environmental policymakers, representatives from bo th the trade and environment ministries were 
invited.  These activities were organized in close collaboration with UNCTAD, UNEP and MEA 
secretariats.  Since the previous meeting in Oct ober 2003, two regional worksh ops had been held, one 
in Budapest, for the Central and Eastern European  Countries, and the other in Amman for Arab and 
Middle Eastern countries.  The next such works hop would be held in Vietnam on 10-11 May 2004 for 
Asia and Asia Pacific countries, back-to-back  with a workshop on the TBT Agreement.   
38. In addition, a number of recent activities had focussed on a par ticular aspect of paragraph 31 
negotiations, namely on negotiations  on environmental goods.  This ha d been done by contributing to 
the regional seminars organized by the Market Ac cess Division on negotiations on Market Access for 
Non-Agricultural Products (NAMA) whereby Capita l-based officials dealing with market access 
issues were informed on the discussions on environmental goods taking place in the CTE Special 
Session.  One such activity had been  held in Abu Dhabi in February, another one would take place in 
May in the Caribbean, and a further one, for the francophone African countries, later in the year.  
Regarding national workshops and seminars,  in response to a request fro m the Korean Government, a 
seminar had been held in Seoul on 2 April.   
39. As regards cooperation with other agencies, the Secretariat had participated as speakers in the 
Workshops organized by UNCTAD on Environmenta l Requirements and Market Access in Bangkok 
in November 2003, and in Manila in February 2004 .  The Secretariat had al so participated in the 
UNEP Workshop in Korea in March on Capacity Buildi ng back-to-back with a special meeting of the 
UNEP Governing Council. 
40. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
 
 
III. PARAGRAPH 51 
The Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on Trade and 
Environment shall, within their respective mandates, each act as a forum to identify 
and debate developmental and environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of having sustai nable development appropriately reflected. 
41. The Chairman recalled that at the meetings in February and April 2003, the CTE had heard 
briefings from Directors of the Divisions responsible  for the negotiating groups on Agriculture, Rules, 
Services and Market Access on non-agricultural produc ts highlighting the environment aspects of the 
negotiations in the four areas.7  Following these reports, there had been exchanges of views among 
delegations.  Now that the CTE had heard the first series of briefings covering the areas of negotiation 
where the environmental aspects were more relevant , further thinking would be needed.  He recalled 
that at the previous meeting, he had suggested that  an informal meeting could be held to facilitate 
                                                      
7 The reports of the briefings have been circulated in documents CT/CTE/GEN/8-11. WT/CTE/M/36 
Page 8  
 
reflection of the way forward on paragraph 51.  Ho wever, after consulting informally with a number 
of delegations through the Secretariat, there ha d not appeared to be any new ideas which would 
warrant holding such a meeting.  He invited delegati ons to reflect on the next step the CTE could take 
in order to fulfil its mandate under paragraph 51, an d the form of outcome delegations would wish to 
see.  He highlighted that, given the complementary role of the CTE and the CTD on paragraph 51, 
some form of coordination in the work of the two Committees could be considered at some stage.   
42. The representative of the European Communities  believed  that paragraph 51 was potentially a 
useful tool to ensure that the overall result of  the negotiations was conducive to sustainable 
development.  The CTE and CTD had been mandated to operationalize this paragraph.  He recalled 
that his delegation had presented ideas on the way fo rward, such as to hold joint CTE-CTD meetings 
or "outreach activities" such as public events.  Howeve r, no consensus had been reached at that time.  
He would like to revert to those ideas.  He noted that a number of delegations, such as Venezuela, had 
made linkages between the negotiati ons to wider sustainable devel opment issues, such as on poverty 
reduction, and suggested that the CTE invite some international organizations  to provide information 
on their views on the sustainable de velopment dimension of the negotiations in light of their own 
priorities and involvement in sustainable devel opment work.  He referred to UNDP on environment 
and poverty reduction, UNEP on trade and enviro nment and UNCTAD on environmental goods.  He 
believed this exchange could enhance a more fo cussed discussion and in-depth debate on paragraph 
51.  It could take place at the next meeting or a four th meeting to be held this year devoted specially 
to this topic.     
43. The representative of Venezuela emphasized the importance of paragraph 51, but expressed 
frustration with the situation that Venezuela, a de veloping country, had not been able to put forward 
any proposal.  He invited other developing countries to better coordinate and exchange ideas in order 
to cope with the negotia tion on this paragraph.  He recalled that the DDA dealt specifically with 
development issues.  In his view, the best way, and also the obligation of Members to uphold the 
DDA, was to support paragraph 51.  He was disappointed that it had not been the case.   
44. The representative of Brazil believed that para graph 51 was in the interest of developing 
countries, but it was a complex paragraph to be im plemented in the context of WTO negotiations.  
Although developing countries had not submitted any proposal, further coordination might soon lead 
to certain results.  She found the EC proposal on briefing from intern ational organizations worthy, and 
gave the example of the work of UNCTAD on envi ronmental goods and services, which she believed 
linked to paragraph 31(iii) under the CT ESS as well as paragraph 51 of the CTE. 
45. The representative of the United States recalled that her delegation had made some 
contributions on this topic previously, and wa s disappointed that there had not been much 
engagement.  She was encouraged to hear that some developing countries might come forward with 
ideas on this paragraph.  With respect to inviting briefings from other organizations, she was not clear 
how it would fit into the format of the CTE meetings, but was willing to further reflect on it.  
46. The representative of Ecuador concurred that there was a need to reflect on how to make 
paragraph 51 operational.  She sympathized with Ve nezuela's frustration that sustainable development 
was a complex issue which at times exceeded de veloping countries' capacities to put forward 
proposals.  She supported the idea of inviting intern ational bodies to make presentations, such as on 
the topic of environmental goods and services, with a view to building capacity in negotiators. 
47. The representative of Colombia referred to th e Johannesburg Summit, urging further efforts 
for co-operation among international organizations in the area of assistance to developing countries.  
Co-operation and coordination among organizati ons such as WTO, UNDP and UNEP, as well as 
relevant regional organizations c ould facilitate progress in the discussion of sustainable development 
in the CTE.  She supported the EC proposal to inv ite briefings from other in ternational organizations 
on issues such as environmental goods and services.  Regarding the question on how to further pursue  WT/CTE/M/36 
 Page 9 
 
 
the discussion on paragraph 51, she invited others to reflect on the need for an update of the reports 
received from the negotiation groups. 
48. The Chairman thanked delegations for their comme nts.  He invited Members to reflect on the 
views expressed, and to further consider the EC pr oposal to invite briefings from other international 
organizations.  With respect to the coordination of the CTE and CTD, he proposed, as a first step, the 
Chairpersons of the two Committees have an exch ange on how the mandate had been taken up in the 
respective Committees, and how coordination could be furthered between the two Committees within 
the scope of the paragraph 51 mandate.   
49. The representative of the European Communiti es believed it useful, before the next CTE 
meeting and after the exchange of the two Chairpers ons, to hold informal consultations and to reflect 
on what had been proposed at this meeting.  In this  way, there might be scope for work at the next 
meeting, and progress before or after the summer break.   
50. The Chairman noted the point raised by the EC .  He expected that informal consultations 
would be held by his successor before the forthcomi ng formal meeting, when the CTE would revert to 
the question on how to carry forward the work on paragraph 51.    
51. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
IV. OTHER BUSINESS 
1. Proposal by Canada on the CTE work programme8 
52. The representative of Canada recalled that Cana da had been interested in exchanging ideas on 
how the CTE might revitalize its work, and in the context of the preparation of the CTE report to 
Cancun, had suggested that the CTE might review  its work programme to ensure its continued 
relevance.  However, at that time, a number of delegations had expressed reservations.  He believed, 
in part, due to the fact that there was a fear of opening up a procedural quagmire.  Consequently, 
Canada had streamlined the proposal taking into account those concerns.  The present proposal had 
been drafted only to meet the purpose of increasi ng focus in CTE meetings, and had put aside the 
decision as to whether the CTE should examine or re view its work programme.  It proposed that the 
CTE would pick, from its standing agenda, items to be focussed for each meeting, one item from the 
Doha Ministerial Mandate in para graphs 32, 33 and 51 and the other from the remaining list of the 
CTE work programme.  By focussing on two items, de legations could come to meetings well prepared 
and could engage in interventi ons through prior submissions from  Members and observers.  This 
could be further assisted by a summary document to be prepared by the Secretariat, recapping past 
discussions on the items in the Committee.  The Ag enda would always remain open for Members to 
raise any item on the work programme, if they so wished.  The idea was not to limit the agenda per se  
but to make clear which two particular items would be focussed on.  It was his hope that the proposal, 
if agreed, might lead to more interactive and fruitful discussions in the Committee, and that by 
focussing on the various items, the CTE would re- acquaint itself with its work programme.  He 
imagined that those delegates who were not in the Committee when certain items had been discussed 
would find this a useful learning process to review items which had not been raised for many years.  
He stated that the illustrative chart put down in the paper was simply to provide an example of what 
might be seen as a format for the items to be taken up.  He noted that some Members might have more interest in certain items of paragraphs 32, 33 and 51.  He hoped that the CTE would avoid getting into 
a debate on the sequence of the ite ms, but would take them up numeri cally.  Canada was flexible on 
the sequence, and he invited further ideas to improve the proposal.   
                                                      
8 The proposal is contained in document WT/CTE/W/234, dated 19 March 2004. WT/CTE/M/36 
Page 10  
 
53. The representative of Egypt thanked Canada for the proposal.  He noted that although Canada 
had reassured the Committee that the present propo sal was not to address the revision of the CTE 
work programme, in paragraph 9, it suggested th at the CTE could examine, at the end of each 
focussed discussion, the status and relevance of the items.  He regarded this as an invitation to a 
review of the work programme.  He believed it was not desirable or effective, since certain elements 
which might be dormant for a period of time could be topical again.  Furthermore, the CTE work 
programme represented a delicate balance of interests of the whole membership, and altering that balance was likely to be opening a Pandora's box. 
54. The representative of Japan appreciated Canada 's efforts to revitalize the CTE discussions.  
He was of the view that all items referred to in the Doha Declaratio n should be on the agenda of every 
CTE Regular meeting.  Japan was flexible on the sequence of the items. 
55. The representative of Chinese Taipei supported Canada in its efforts for a methodical 
approach to revitalizing the CTE work, although he  understood the reservations expressed.  He noted 
that given the amount of work to be done in the CTE, and the difficulty of knowing which items would be engaged in substantive di scussions, participants might arrive  at meetings having different 
parts of the work programme prepared.  He invite d other Members to consider adopting the proposal 
on a trial basis.   
56. The representative of Brazil thanked Canada for its submission and cons ultations.  However, 
her delegation had difficulties with this proposal, in particular regarding paragraph 9, where the idea 
of reviewing the CTE work programme was.  She ag reed with Egypt that the programme reflected a 
delicate balance of interests of all Members, and did not see the need for it to be revisited.  The fact 
that certain items had not been discussed for some ti me did not mean that they held no more interest 
for Members.  She referred to paragraph 11 on ite ms 1, 5 and 10 of the CTE work programme, and 
believed that although these items related to the work being dealt with in the CTESS, they were 
broader in scope in the CTE Regular, and should rema in as part of its agenda.  She was not in favour 
of choosing among the Doha paragraphs for each meeti ng, since all of them should be discussed on an 
equal basis, but was not opposed to focussed discussions supported by a Secretariat summary 
document, which she believed could assist Memb ers to become acquainted with the CTE work 
programme. 
57. The representative of the European Commun ities thanked Canada for its proposal, and 
believed that more predictability could facilitate preparation for meetings.  His delegation did not 
have strong feelings about the points raised, and be lieved that the best way to proceed would be to 
distil the various elements which could arrive at a co nsensus.  He thought it wo uld be helpful to have 
a Secretariat summary note in order to generate more  thoughts in Capitals in advance of meetings.  He 
agreed that there might be a need for flexibility, and that if delegations felt any of the items were right 
for discussions or submissions, they should be able to do so.  He found that it might be difficult for Members to commit themselves to the proposed a rrangement which covered meetings up to summer 
2005.  Subsequently, he suggested a step-by-step  approach, whereby in light of developments, 
Members might reflect, at each meeting, whether the pl an laid out for the next meeting was still valid.  
He was willing to discuss this further. 
58. The representative of China agreed that more s ubstantive discussions were needed in order to 
further the CTE work programme, and more focuse d CTE meetings could benefit the discussions.  
However, she did not believe that Canada's proposal was practical and could be adopted at this stage, 
since it was difficult to accommodate the different in terests of Members.  She shared the view of 
Egypt and Brazil that the CTE work programme had been collectively agreed by Ministers at 
Marrakech, incorporating the different concerns of both developed and developing country Members.  
If the CTE was to focus only on one or two issues at  each meeting, it might loose its balance.  She 
noted that there were times when a particular issu e arose and needed to be addressed as a priority.  
There might also be times when an issue could not be  fully discussed at a certain meeting, and needed  WT/CTE/M/36 
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to be carried forward.  She wondered whether one should wait one whole year or longer for the further 
discussion.  She concluded that all CTE items shoul d be addressed in a balanced and pragmatic way. 
59. The representative of Norway found the discuss ions in the CTE based on the current work 
programme useful, and that they had provided a greater understanding on the relationship of trade and 
environment.  However, his delegation had also co me to the conclusion that there was the need for 
initiatives to ensure that the CTE remained a dynami c and relevant forum.  The proposal for focus and 
predictability, and, as mentioned by the EC, could in the longer term include a review of the CTE 
work programme.  In this context, Canada's pr oposal might serve as a foundation for the CTE to 
decide whether there was a need for a review.  He supported the Canadian proposal for focussed 
meetings, and saw the merit of looking into what th e Secretariat could do to facilitate discussions.  He 
agreed that there should be flexibility for Members to  bring up other items in meetings in light of 
current interests, and believed that this way the concerns raised about th e disappearance of certain 
items from the programme could be taken into account. 
60. The representative of India supported the idea that the CTE should have some focus and 
structure in its deliberation.  He noted that in the past, the CTE, following the Doha mandate, had had 
on its agenda structured discussions on the various it ems.  He shared the view of Egypt, Brazil and 
China that the CTE work programme should not be revisited, since it was comprehensive and might 
have included all important items on trade and envi ronment debates.  Even if there had been little 
discussion on certain items, the agenda did not require a review.  In his view, the CTE could focus on the various items based on Members' submissions w ithout having to debate on which specific item to 
be included.  He noted the remarks regarding flex ibility, and believed that it should be within the 
context of the CTE agenda.  He could support th e idea of focused discussions without making any 
linkage to the status or relevance of the agenda ite ms.  He took note of the points made regarding the 
linkage between paragraphs  31 and 32 and on the timeframe.  He was willing to further discuss ways 
to address the concerns expressed and to orga nize the CTE's work more efficiently.   
61. The representative of Thailand could support struct ured and focussed discussions in the CTE.  
However, as with previous speakers, she had concer ns on paragraph 9 regarding the possibility of a 
revision of the CTE work programme, since the pr ogramme had been mandated by Ministers in a 
balanced way.  She sought clarification from Cana da on the linkage between paragraphs 8 and 11 of 
its paper relating to Members' rights to address any other issue, since she found the two paragraphs contradictory.  She agreed with the EC that the C TE could proceed in a step-b y-step approach, such as 
to agree at the end of each meeting the items  to be focussed on at the following meeting. 
62. The representative of Australia  supported more structured and focussed work in the CTE and, 
in particular, that delegations c ould be better prepared for substan tive discussions in meetings.  He 
appreciated Canada's proposal as well as the flexib ility provided, and agreed to further discuss it.  
However, like others, he raised concerns about para graphs 9 and 11 regarding the need to reassess the 
CTE work programme.  He believed the meeting- by-meeting approach, as suggested, might work 
better, and that the Secretariat papers prepared in advance of meetings would be useful to facilitate 
discussions.  He noted that, at times, submissions by Members were made only a day or so before 
meetings, which did not allow enough time to prepare for good discussions.   
63. The representative of Switzerland  agreed that there was a need  for more structured and 
focused work in the CTE.  There was also a need to provide Members with the flexibility to debate 
relevant issues, when they so wished.  She noted that there might be certain paragraphs of the DDA, 
in particular, paragraph 51, whic h the CTE should be able to discuss in each meeting.  She supported 
the approach whereby Members would agree, at each meeting, the items to be focussed on at the next.  
She shared the view that the existing CTE work programme was a balanced package, and that it 
would be a difficult task to review it.  However, she believed that after more structured discussions, 
the CTE might be in a better position to decide whether a review was warranted.   WT/CTE/M/36 
Page 12  
 
64. The representative of Venezuela agreed in pr inciple that it was important to be more 
structured in the CTE work.  However, it would be  difficult to reformulate the CTE work programme, 
since it had been approved by Ministers.  He believed that to revisit it might lead to a negotiation which involved not only trade and environment, but also other issues with no end in sight.  He highlighted the priority of paragraphs 33 and 51 of the DDA, which he believed should be discussed 
in every meeting.  He suggested considering impr oving the capacity building programmes to make the 
negotiations more fruitful.  He reca lled his delegation's idea of seek ing financial support for the active 
participation of capital-based experts from deve loping and least-developed country Members in 
Geneva negotiations, and invited other Members to study this. 
65. The representative of Indonesia, while concurring with the thrust of the Canadian proposal, 
was not convinced with the idea that a structured  agenda would warrant a better focus and more 
fruitful discussion.  He supported the statements ma de by Egypt, Brazil, China and India on opposing 
the need to revisit the CTE work programme. 
66. The representative of Argentina  appreciated the Canadian paper,  but joined Egypt, Brazil, 
China and others with regard to keeping the CTE work programme as approved by Ministers.  
Concerning paragraph 11 of that paper, she pointed out that the CTESS timetable was more restricted 
than that of the CTE programme.  She supported the idea of further exploring the proposal on the 
Secretariat papers.  
67. The representative of the United States appreciat ed Canada's effort to revitalize the CTE's 
work.  Like others, she had concerns about fo cussing on only one DDA item, and believed that all 
DDA items should be focussed on at each meeting, wh ile it would be helpful to have rotation on the 
other items.  However, she was concerned that the CTE might get caught up in discussions as to 
which items would be chosen.  She found updates to be prepared by the Secretariat would be helpful, 
and was willing to participate in furthe r consultations on the Canadian proposal. 
68. The representative of Malaysia thanked Canada for its initiative.  However, she joined with 
others, such as Egypt, China and India, expressing concerns on paragraph 9 which might lead to a 
review of the CTE work programme.   
69. The representative of Morocco appreciated Cana da's contribution, but echoed the concerns 
expressed by Egypt and Brazil.  He believed the pro posal did not meet the concerns of all Members 
and that further consultation was needed. 
70. The representative of Canada thanked delegations  for their comments, and agreed with the 
EC's observation on possible seeds of agreement on the proposal.  Regarding the concerns raised by 
Egypt and others on paragraph 9,  he believed it was probably a combination of bad drafting and 
misunderstanding.  He reiterated that, in his dele gation's opinion, the decision of revisiting the work 
programme was not one that the CTE should make at th is moment, nor in the near future.  It would be 
at the end of focussed work that the CTE might take up this question.  It was not his delegation's wish 
neither to tie the hands of successors, whom in six or eight years might wish to recommend to 
Ministers for a change of the CTE programme.  He reassured delegations that the sole purpose of the 
present proposal was to try to achie ve focus in the CTE work.   
71. Referring to the question raised by Japan, he stressed that at every meeting the agenda would 
remain open for Members to raise any relevant issues, if they so wished.  In particular, as concerns the 
DDA paragraphs 32, 33 and 51, it wo uld be important to keep the opportunity open for Members.  
The idea was simply to focus on cer tain items without prejudicing the rest of the agenda.  He 
imagined the agenda would not be too different from the recent ones;  simply that there would be an 
understanding among Members on items where a particul arly inter-active discussion was expected.    WT/CTE/M/36 
 Page 13 
 
 
72. On the questions raised by Brazil, Thailand a nd others concerning paragraph 11 as to whether 
certain parts of the work programme, and in partic ular those relating to paragraph 31(i), would be 
excluded, he explained that it was not the intenti on to prevent a discussion on those items or to alter 
the work programme in any way.  It was to avoid duplication with the CTESS work, and to defer 
discussions on those until the Doha negotiations had fi nished.  He was flexible on including them, if 
Members felt it relevant.  Concerning Thailand' s point about the linkage between paragraphs 8 
and 11, he reiterated that it was not the intention to exclude any particular items, but to defer them as 
focussed items until later.  Referring to China's questi on, he could agree that the full agenda would be 
needed for every meeting.  On Venezuela's comments,  he explained that it was not Canada's intention 
to "re-programme" the CTE's work, but simply to make it more focussed.   
73. He noted that the EC had suggested, and that this had been supported by others, a possible 
step-by-step approach to move forward.  He clarif ied that Canada's proposal was not to suggest lifting 
items from the regular work programme, but to fo cus on certain items.  He believed the Committee 
could build on the comments made in further consul tations, and hoped that certain result would arrive 
in the coming weeks and months. 
74. The Chairman thanked Canada for its contribution.   He noted that the proposal had been well 
received, although no consensus could be reached at  the present meeting.  He expected that his 
successor would hold informal consultations on this before the next formal meeting.   
2. Next meeting 
75. The Chairman said that to facilitate participa tion of delegations from Capitals, the next CTE 
Regular meeting would be held back-to-back with the CTESS with the exact date to be communicated 
to delegations after further consultations.9    
76. Regarding the scheduling of meetings, the repr esentative of the OECD informed the CTE that 
the forthcoming meeting of the OECD's Joint Wo rking Party on Trade and Environment would be 
held on 3 and 4 June in Paris. 
V. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON  
77. The Committee elected Ambassador Naéla Gabr of Egypt as the 2004 Chairperson.  
__________ 
                                                      
9 Subsequently scheduled on 21 June 2004.