WT/CTE/EDB/11  
 
21 August 2013  
(13-4477)  Page: 1/35  
Committee on Trade and Environment   
 
 
   
  ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASE FOR 2011 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT
1 
The WTO Environmental Database (EDB) for 2011 covers information on: (i) national environment-
related measures notified under WTO Agreements, (Section I); (ii) environment-related provisions 
of notified Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), (S ection II); and (iii) national environment-related 
measures or programmes, mentioned in Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs) carried out in 2011 (Section III).
2   
In order to facilitate usage of EDB information, the EDB is being circulated in two parts: this 
document, which contains a brief description and overall analysis of the environment-related notifications and TPRs; and document WT/CTE/EDB/ 11/Add.1, exclusively circulated electronically, 
which provides the underlying data used for the analysis.
3   
The electronic data in WT/CTE/EDB/11/Add.1 enables users to search through all 
EDB environment-related information according to specific criteria, for instance by Member, 
Agreement, type of measure, produc t, activity, or environmental objective.  The electronic file is 
divided into two main worksheets:  "Notifications", listing all the environment-related notifications; and "TPRs", providing the environment-related inform ation mentioned in TPRs.  In addition, a third 
worksheet entitled "Summary" is included to allow users to retrieve pre-defined summary tables 
and graphs.  
 
_______________ 
 
                                               
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO. 
2 To recall, the EDB is prepared in response to a recommendation in the 1996 Report of the Committee 
on Trade and Environment (CTE) to the Singapore Minist erial Conference for the Se cretariat to compile and 
update annually all environment-related notifications to the WTO (see WT/CTE/1) and was initiated in 1998 
(see WT/CTE/3).  The list of search words is contained in Annex I to this document; the list of abbreviations is 
contained in Annex VI.  See also the following documents containing information on search words: WT/CTE/W/46, WT/CTE/W/78 and WT/CTE/W/102. 
Previous Environmental Databases have been circulated in the following documents: EDB 1996 in 
WT/CTE/W/46, EDB 1997 in WT/CTE/W/77, EDB 1998 in WT/CTE/W/118, EDB 1999 in WT/CTE/W/143, 
EDB 2000 in WT/CTE/W/195, EDB 2001 in WT/CTE/EDB/1, EDB 2002 in WT/CTE/EDB/2, EDB 2003 in WT/CTE/EDB/3, EDB 2004 in WT/CTE/EDB/4, EDB 2005 in WT/CTE/EDB/5, EDB 2006 in WT/CTE/EDB/6, 
EDB 2007 in WT/CTE/EDB/7, EDB 2008 in WT/CTE/EDB/8, EDB 2009 in WT/CTE/EDB/9 and EDB 2010 
in WT/CTE/EDB/10.   
3 Annex VII provides the electronic EDB user's guide. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1   NOTIFICATIONS OF NATIONAL MEASURES ................................................................. 4  
1.1   Regulatory Measures .................................................................................................. 8  
1.1.1   Quantitative Restri ctions Provisio ns (QRs) .................................................................. 8  
1.1.2   Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (ILP) ....................................................... 10 
1.1.3   Agreement on Safeguards ....................................................................................... 12 
1.1.4   Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) ......................................................... 12 
1.1.5   Agreement on the Application of Sa nitary and Phytosanit ary Measures (SPS) ................. 15 
1.2   Support Measures ..................................................................................................... 17 
1.2.1   Agreement on Subsidies an d Countervailing Me asures (SCM) ....................................... 17 
1.2.2   Agreement on Agricu lture ....................................................................................... 19 
1.2.3   Plurilateral Agreement on  Government Proc urement (GPA) .......................................... 21 
1.3   Other Measures ........................................................................................................ 22 
1.3.1   General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) ........................................................ 22 
1.3.2   Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) ................... 22 
2   NOTIFICATIONS OF TRADE AGREEMENTS ................................................................. 23  
2.1.1   Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) including the Understanding on the 
Interpretation of Articl e XXIV of the GATT 1994.................................................................... 23 
3   INFORMATION CONTAINED IN  TRADE POLICY  REVIEWS .......................................... 24  
4   ANNEXES ................................................................................................................... 27  
Annex I: Environment-related Search Words as Agreed by  Members in 1999 ............................ 27 
Annex II: Number of Environment-related Notifications (2001-2011) ....................................... 28 
Annex III: Number of Environment-related Notifications and Measures (2011) .......................... 29 
Annex IV: Search Word Frequency in Notifications in 2011 ..................................................... 30 
Annex V: Search Words Frequency in TPRs in 2011 ............................................................... 31 
Annex VI: Abbreviations ................................................................................................... 32 
Annex VII: Electronic EDB User's Guide ............................................................................... 33 
A. What information is available in the Electronic EDB? .......................................................... 33 
A.1. "Notifications" worksheet ............................................................................................ 33 
A.2. "TPRs" worksheet ...................................................................................................... 33 
A.3. "Summary " worksheet ............................................................................................... 34 
B. How to use the electronic EDB? ...................................................................................... 34 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  TABLE OF CHARTS 
Chart 1.1: Environment-relate d Notifications (1997 – 2011)  ................................................... 4  
Chart 1.2: Environment-related Notification s in Selected Agreem ents (1997-2 011) .................... 5  
Chart 1.3: Environment-related Noti fications by Agre ement (2011) .......................................... 6  
Chart 1.5: Environment-related QR s Notifications (1997 – 2 011) ............................................. 8  
Chart 1.6: Types of Environment-re lated QRs Notifica tions ( 2011) ........................................... 9  
Chart 1.7: Environment-related ILP Notification s (1997 – 2011) ............................................. 10 
Chart 1.8: Types of Environment- related ILP Notifi cations (2011)  ........................................... 11 
Chart 1.9: Environment-related Safeguards Notifications (1991-2011) ..................................... 12 
Chart 1.10: Environment-related TBT Notification s (1991-2 011) ............................................. 13 
Chart 1.11:  Types of Environment-related TBT Notifications (2011) ........................................ 14 
Chart 1.12:  Environment-related SPS Notification s (1997-2011) ............................................ 15 
Chart 1.13:  Types of Environment-related SPS Notifications (2011)  ....................................... 16 
Chart 1.14:  Environment-related SCM Notification s (1997 -2 011) .......................................... 17 
Chart 1.15:  Types of Environment-related SCM Notifications (2011) ....................................... 18 
Chart 1.16:  Environment-related Agri culture Notification s (1997 -2011) ................................. 19 
Chart 1.17:  Types of Environment-rela ted Agriculture Noti fications (2011)  .............................. 20 
Chart 1.18:  Environment-related GPA Notifications (1997-2011) ............................................ 21 
Chart 1.19:  Environment-related GATS Notification s (1997 – 2011) ....................................... 22 
Chart 1.20:  Environment-related TRIPS Notifications (1997 – 2011) ....................................... 23 
Chart 2.1:  Environment-related RTAs Notification s (1997-2011) ............................................ 24 
Chart 3.1:  Environment-related Measures, Pr ovisions or Programmes in TPRs (2011) ............... 25 
Chart 3.2:  Type of Environment-relate d Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2011) ........................... 25 
Chart 3.3:   Sectors Covered by Environment- related Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2011) ......... 26 
Chart 4.1 Search  function ................................................................................................. 35 
 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1  NOTIFICATIONS OF NATIONAL MEASURES 
1.1.  This document provides an overall description and analysis of the notifications under relevant 
WTO Agreements of measures whose objective is environment-related.  These notifications were compiled as the result of a search on 3,010 do cuments submitted by Members in 2011 under the 
following WTO Agreements:  Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT); Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS); Agreement on Subsidies and 
Countervailing Measures (SCM); Agreement on Agriculture; Agreement on Anti-Dumping; 
Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (I LP); Agreement on Safeguards; Agreement on 
Customs Valuation;  GATT Article XVII on State Trading Enterprises;  Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), including the Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994;  Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellec tual Property Rights (TRIPS);  the General 
Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); Decision on Notification Procedures for Quantitative 
Restrictions (QRs);  Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs);  Understanding on the Balance-of-Payments Provisions of the GATT 1994 (BoP);  Agreement on Preshipment 
Inspection;  Agreement on Rules of Origin;  Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA);  
Information Technology Agreement (ITA);  and other notifications such as measures to the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD).   
1.2.  Environment-related notifications can be broadly grouped into two categories.  The first 
consists of notifications that list environmental pr otection as the principal objective of the notified 
measure. The second category includes notificati ons that are not primarily aimed at environmental 
protection, but contain environment-related elements.  In such cases, reference is made only to 
the environmental objective of the measure.  It is also important to note the difference between 
notifications made for each and every measure (such as most notifications under the TBT and SPS Agreements) and notifications made concerning various measures in a report type document (such 
as the SCM and Agriculture Agreements).  In addition, there might be cases where several 
notifications refer to the same environment-relate d measure.  In the case of various measures 
being notified in a single notification, these are reported separately.  
Chart 1.1: Environment-related Notifications (1997 – 2011) 
8%11%9%11%
8%11%10% 11% 11%15%14% 13% 14%13%16%165211
182245
186281
247 244311357 353395474
453477
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Share of environment-related notifications Total environment-related notifications
 
 
 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.3.  In 2011, of the 3,010 notifications submitted4, 15.8% were environment-related 
(477 environment-related notifications covering a total of 1,175 environment-related measures).  Although there has been a substantial increase in the number of notifications of environment-related measures to the WTO in recent years (from 165 notifications in 1997 to 477 
notifications in 2011), their share has remained relatively stable over the last six years (13% to 
16%).  The average share of environment-relate d notifications between 1997 and 2011 is 11.4%, 
representing on average 305 environment-related notifications annually (see Annex II).  Yet, the 
number of environment-related measures  covered by the notifications increased significantly, from 
685 environment-related measures in 2010 to 1,175 in 2011, representing a 72% increase (see Annex III on the number of environment-related notifications and measures).  
Chart 1.2: Environment-related Notificati ons in Selected Agreements (1997-2011) 
050100150200250300
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011TBT SPS SCM Agriculture ILP
 
 
 
1.4.  As in 2010, the search words with the highest frequency associated with the 
477 environment-related notifications continued to be "environment" (found in 60% of all environment-related notifications), "energy" (26%), "bio" (19%) and "conserv(ation)" (18%) (see Annex IV on the search word frequency in notifications). 
1.5.  As in previous years, and since 2002, th e TBT and SPS Agreements had the highest number 
of environment-related notifications (268 and 76 notifications respectively), accounting for 56% and 16% respectively of all WTO environment-related notifications in 2011.  Environment-
related notifications to the SCM Agreement displayed the highest growth in numbers in 2011, from 
8 environmental-related notifications in 2010 to 47 in 2011, representing a 488% increase.  
1.6.  In terms of measures , the SCM Agreement reported the highest number of 
environment-related measures with 493 me asures, followed by the TBT Agreement 
(268 measures), the Agreement on Agriculture (177) and the ILP Agreement (93) (see Annex III). 
                                               
4 This number includes regular noti fications, as well as addenda, corri genda and revisions, except in the 
case of TBT and SPS (regular) notifications. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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Chart 1.3: Environment-related Notifications by Agreement (2011) 
TBT, 268, 56.2%
Quantitative 
Restrictions, 2, 
0.4%SPS, 76, 15.9% RTAs, 3, 0.6%SCM, 47, 9.9%ILP, 23, 4.8%TRIPS, 9, 1.9%GPA, 2, 0.4%Agriculture, 44, 
9.2%GATS, 1, 0.2%Safeguards, 2, 
0.4%
 
 
 
1.7.  The 1,175 measures mentioned in the 477 notifications address a broad range of environmental objectives, including the promotion of  alternative and renewable energy (20% of all 
environment-related measures described in the notifications), management of chemical, toxic and 
hazardous substances (16%), promotion of ener gy conservation and efficiency (15%), water 
management (13%), sustainable agriculture management (11%), biodiversity conservation (11%), animal and plant protection (11%), soil management (9%), waste 
management and recycling (9%), and compliance with obligations under Multilateral 
Environmental Agreements (MEAs) (9%), such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Montreal Protocol on Substances that 
Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic 
Pollutants (Stockholm Convention), Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (Rotterdam 
Convention) and Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous 
Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention).  
1.8.  Sixty-eight Members made notifications of environment-related measures in 2011, with the 
European Union (62 notifications), the United States (40 notifications), China (39), Thailand (24), 
Canada (21), and Brazil (21) leading the way.  
 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  Chart 1.4: Types of Environment-related Notifications (2011) 5 
1516272830465871757894101106106127129130135157176183234
1%1%2%2%3%4%5%6%6%7%8%9%9%9%11%11%11%11%13%15%16%20%
OthersAfforestation/reforestationSustainable and environmentally friendly
productionOzone layer protectionNatural resources conservationSustainable forestry managementGeneral environmental protectionEnvironmental protection from pests and
diseasesClimate change mitigationAir pollution reductionSustainable fisheries managementWaste management and recyclingSoil managementMEAs implementation and complianceBiodiversity and ecosystemSustainable agriculture managementAnimal protectionPlant protectionWater managementEnergy conservation and efficiencyChemical, toxic and hazardous substances
managementAlternative and renewable energyType of Objective
 
 
                                               
5 Since more than one environmental objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.1  Regulatory Measures 
1.1.1  Quantitative Restrictions Provisions (QRs) 1.9.  In 2011, of the six notifications submitted purs uant to the Decision of the Council for Trade in 
Goods on Notification Procedures for Quantitative Restrictions, two, notified respectively by China 
and Turkey, contained environment-related issues (25% of all QRs notifications), covering 
13 environment-related measures.   
Chart 1.5: Environment-related QRs Notifications (1997 – 2011) 
33%
27%
15%28%
20%29%
25%70%
17%25%50%
33%
25%
17%25%
5
3
25
24
27
1234
2
12
Share of environment-re lated QRs notifications Number of environment-related QRs notifications
 
 
 1.10.  Chemicals, mainly ozone-depleting substances, were included in 92% of all 
environment-related measures described in the QRs notifications.  Other products covered by the 
environment-related QRs measures included animal and animal products (15%), machinery and electrical (15%), mineral products (8%) and plastic and rubber (8%). 
1.11.  Bans and prohibitions were mentioned in 77% of all 2011 environment-related 
QRs measures.  Other types of measures being reported included export licenses (15%) and import licenses (8%). 
1.12.  Ozone layer protection and compliance with obligations under the Montreal Protocol were, 
respectively, mentioned in 69% and 54% of all environment-related notified QRs measures.  Other 
environmental objectives included animal protection (8%), and natural resources conservation (8%). 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  Chart 1.6: Types of Environment-related QRs Notifications (2011)6 
8%8%15%54%69%8%15%77%8%8%15%15%92%
112791210112212
Natural resources conservationAnimal protectionGeneral environmental protectionMEAs implementation and complianceOzone layer protectionImport licenses/permits/certificatesExport licenses/permits/certificatesBan/ProhibitionPlastics and rubbersMineral productsAnimal and animal productsMachinery and electricalChemicalsType of Objective Type of Measure Type of Product
 
                                               
6 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.1.2   Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (ILP) 
1.13.  In 2011, of the 78 notifications7 submitted by Members under the ILP Agreement, 23 (29%) 
were environment-related.  These 23 notifications referred to 93 environment-related measures.8  
Chart 1.7: Environment-related ILP Notifications (1997 – 2011) 
29%32%
15%22%
13% 14%28% 30%33%31%
20%39%
28% 29% 29%1520
1017
71316
121519
132023
2123
Share of environment-related ILP notifications
Number of environment-re lated ILP notifications 
 
 
1.14.  Chemicals, such as ozone depleting subs tances, radioactive substances, pesticides and 
fertilizers, were mentioned in 58% of all environment-related measures described in the 
ILP notifications.  Other products covered by en vironment-related ILP measures included animals 
and animal products (32%), vegetable products (26%), wood and wood products (24%), 
waste (17%), machinery (5%) and motor vehicles (5%). 
1.15.  Ninety-nine of the 2011 environment-related ILP measures related to permits, automatic 
and non-automatic import licenses, while 14% of these notified measures related to bans and 
prohibitions. 
1.16.  Compliance with obligations under MEAs, such as CITES, Basel Convention and 
Montreal Protocol, was stated as the environm ental objective of 52% of environment-related 
ILP measures.  Other environment-related objectives included the management of chemical, toxic 
and hazardous substances (38%), plant (37%), an imal (33%) and biodiversity protection (30%), 
followed by ozone layer protection (15%), envi ronmental protection from pests and diseases 
(6%), and soil management (6%). 
1.17.  Developing countries notified 70% of the environment-related ILP notifications, 26% were 
made by developed countries, and 4% by least-developed countries. 
 
                                               
7 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. 
8 Most ILP notifications contain more than one measure. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  Chart 1.8: Types of Environment-related ILP Notifications (2011)9 
6%6%15%20%30%33%37%38%52%14%99%5%5%17%24%26%32%58%
66141928313435481392551622243054
Soil managementEnvironmental protection from pests and
diseasesOzone layer protectionWaste management and recyclingBiodiversity and ecosystemAnimal protectionPlant protectionChemical, toxic and hazardous substances
managementMEAs implementation and complianceBan/ProhibitionImport licenses/permits/certificatesMachinery and electricalMotor vehiclesWasteWood and wood productsVegetable productsAnimal and animal productsChemicalsType of ObjectiveType of
Measure Type of Product
 
 
                                               
9 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.1.3  Agreement on Safeguards 
1.18.  For the first time since 2005, two notifications out of 64 Safeguards notifications10 (3%) 
submitted by Members were environment-related, namely the application by Ukraine of special measures on imports of tubes, pipes and hollow pr ofiles, seamless, of iron or steel in order to 
further the implementation of energy saving technologies. 
 
Chart 1.9: Environment-related Safeguards Notifications (1991-2011) 
2%
1%0.9%0.7%0.6%0.7%2.7%
1.3%3.1%
01111112
1
000002
Share of environment-related Safeguards notifications
Number of environment-related Safeguards notifications 
 
 
 
1.1.4  Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) 
1.19.  In 2011, among the 1,216 regular notifications11 submitted by Members under Articles 2 
and 5 of the TBT Agreement, 268 (22%) cited environm ent as an objective of the notified technical 
regulation or conformity assessment procedure.  
1.20.  Although the number of environment-relate d TBT notifications has remained constant over 
the last three years, their share with respect to all 2011 TBT notifications has increased from 
19.1% in 2010 to 22% in 2011.  The average share of environment-related TBT notifications for 
the 1991-2011 period is 14.3%, representing 116 environment-related TBT notifications annually. 
                                               
10 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. 
11 This number only includes regular notifications bu t excludes addenda, corrige nda and revisions, which 
are usually procedural documents not providin g additional substantive information.   WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  Chart 1.10: Environment-related TBT Notifications (1991-2011)12 
10% 9%9%7% 6% 5%11%15%12%16%12%20%
13%17%16%18%16%19%18%19%22%35364235
25258998
8397
67114
100107121155 168238274270268
Share of environment-related TBT notifications
Number of environment-related TBT notifications 
 
1.21.  Eighty-one per cent of the 2011 environmen t-related TBT notifications were notified as a 
technical regulation under Article 2 of the TBT Agre ement, while eight per cent were notified as a 
conformity assessment procedure under Article 5.  The remaining 11% were simultaneously notified as both a technical regulation and a conformity assessment procedure.  A single environment-related notification to other transparency provisions was made. 
1.22.  The products that were most frequently associated with the 2011 environment-related TBT 
notifications were chemicals (for example toxic substances, fertilizers, pesticides, biocidal products and dye substances), found in 35% of the environm ent-related TBT notifications.  Other products 
covered included machinery and electrical apparatus, such as air-conditioners, fans and 
lamps (34%), motor vehicles (7%), and mineral products including fuel and fuel additives (5%).   
1.23.  These environment-related TBT measures were mainly technical/quality specifications 
(found in 57% of the environment-related TBT notifications), evaluations of conformity and 
certification procedures (39%), labelling/packaging/marking specifications (31%), and performance/efficiency specifications (28%).  Other measures included harmonization (14%), 
handling/distribution specifications (10% ), and registration requirements (6%). 
1.24.  The management of chemical, toxic and hazardous substances was the most frequent 
environmental objective, mentioned in 42% of the environment-related notifications.  Other environmental objectives included energy conservation and efficiency (27%), water 
management (21%), biodiversity and ecosystem pr otection (13%), air pollution reduction (12%), 
animal (11%) and plant protection (10%), climate change mitigation (7%), waste management and recycling (6%), and sustainable agriculture management (5%).  
1.25.  The 2011 environment-related TBT notifications were made by both developing and 
developed countries (61% and 39%, respective ly), with China (36 notifications), the 
European Union (34), the United States (27), Thailand (22), Chile (15), and Canada (14) leading the way.  
                                               
12 Any discrepancy with figures from previous EDBs are due to the fact that addenda, corrigenda and 
revisions are not included here. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  Chart 1.11:  Types of Environment-related TBT Notifications (2011)13 
5%6%7%10%11%12%13%21%27%42%6%10%14%28%31%39%57%5%7%34%35%
141719273031355773112152637768310415414209294
Sustainable agriculture managementWaste management and recyclingClimate change mitigationPlant protectionAnimal protectionAir pollution reductionBiodiversity and ecosystemWater managementEnergy conservation and efficiencyChemical, toxic and hazardous substances
managementRegistration requirementHandling/transportation/storage/distribution
specificationHarmonization specificationPerformance/efficiency specificationLabelling/packaging/marking specificationConformity assessment procedureTechnical/quality specificationMineral productsMotor vehiclesMachinery and electricalChemicalsType of Objective Type of Measure Type of Product
 
                                               
13 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.1.5  Agreement on the Application of Sa nitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) 
1.26.  In 2011, out of the 1,007 regular notifications14 made under the SPS Agreement, 
7.5% (76 notifications) were environment-related.15  Although the number of environment-related 
SPS notifications has been decreasing since 2007, its share with respect to all the SPS notifications 
remains relatively constant at 7.5%, slightly lower than the average share of 8.6% for the 
period 1997-2011. 
 
Chart 1.12:  Environment-related SPS Notifications (1997-2011)16 
3% 7% 3% 6% 4% 8% 7% 9% 8%16%12% 9% 11%8% 8%821
1226 25475057105140
98
848183
76
Share of environment-related SPS notifications
Number of environment-related SPS notifications 
 
 
1.27.  Vegetable products (for example, seeds, plants for planting, fruits and living modified 
organisms) were mentioned in 49% of the 2011 environment-related SPS notifications.  Other 
products included animal and animal products (including eggs and live fish) found in 45% of the 
notifications, wood and wood products (5%), and chemicals (3%). 
1.28.  These environment-related SPS measures were mainly technical/quality specifications 
(found in 46% of the environment-related SPS notifications), risk analysis and toxicological evaluation (43%), conformity assessment procedures (38%) and bans and prohibitions (30%).  
Other forms of SPS measures included moveme nt control (9%), import certificates (8%), 
derogation (7%), labelling/packaging/marking specifications (3%), and registration requirements (3%).  
                                               
14 This number only includes regular notifications bu t excludes addenda, corrige nda and revisions, which 
are procedural documents not providing ad ditional substantive information.   
15 Although SPS measures deal with the safety and protection of human, animal and plant health, not all 
of them have been included in this document.  For instance, notifications of measures dealing with pests pertinent to the protection of agricultural crops or farm animals have been excluded; yet they have been 
included if they pertain to the prot ection of "territory" or the wild-e nvironment or plants in general. 
16 Any discrepancy with figures from previous EDBs are due to the fact that addenda, corrigenda and 
revisions are not included here. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 16 - 
 
  Chart 1.13:  Types of Environment-related SPS Notifications (2011) 17 
3%42%50%50%55%3%3%7%8%9%30%38%43%46%3%5%45%49%
2323838422256723293335243437
Waste management and recyclingEnvironmental protection from pests and
diseasesMEAs implementation and complianceAnimal protectionPlant protectionLabelling/packaging/marking specificationRegistration requirementDerogation/WithdrawalImport licenses/permits/certificatesMovement controlBan/ProhibitionConformity assessment procedureRisk analysis and to xicological evaluation
procedureTechnical/quality specificationChemicalsWood and wood productsAnimal and animal productsVegetable productsType of Objective Type of Measure Type of Product
 
                                               
17 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
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  1.29.  Plant protection and implementation and compliance with MEAs, such as the International 
Plant Protection Convention and the Cartagena Prot ocol on Biosafety, were mentioned in 55%, and 
50% of the environment-related SPS notifications,  respectively.  Other environmental objectives 
included animal protection (found in 50% of the notifications), environmental protection from 
pests and diseases (42%), and waste management (3%). 
1.30.  Out of the 76 SPS environment-related notifications made in 2011, 70% were made by 
developing countries.  Brazil (10 notifications) , the United States (7), the Philippines (7), 
Colombia (7), New Zealand (6) and Ukraine (6) were the Members who submitted the most 
environment-related SPS notifications. 
1.2  Support Measures 1.2.1  Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) 
1.31.  In 2011, of the 140 notifications
18 submitted by Members under the SCM Agreement,  
forty-seven (approximately 34%) were environment-related, covering a total of 493 environment-related measures.
19  During 1997-2011, the number of environment-related SCM notifications 
varied, ranging from five to 47 notifications, with an average of 25 notifications per year, 
representing 17.7% of all SCM notifications. 
Chart 1.14:  Environment-related SCM Notifications (1997 - 2011) 
16%27%21% 20%
13%16%19%
11%16%
8%20%
5%22%
7%34%2236
2732
212933
1327
833
540
847
Share of environment-related SCM notifications
Number of environment-related SCM notifications 
 
 
1.32.  In 2011, 40% of all the measures mentioned in environment-related SCM notifications concerned the energy sector.  Other specific activities identified included research and 
development (R&D) (19%), fisheries (13%),  agriculture (12%), manufacturing (9%), 
forestry (9%) and public administration (8%).  
                                               
18 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. 
19 Most SCM notifications contain more than one measure. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 18 - 
 
  Chart 1.15:  Types of Environment-related SCM Notifications (2011)20 
5%6%6%7%7%8%8%10%10%10%11%13%17%44%13%31%63%8%9%9%12%13%15%19%33%
263232333538414747485664822166515431040444657667693165
Sustainable and environmentally friendly
productionBiodiversity and ecosystemSustainable forestry managementChemical, toxic and hazardous substances
managementAir pollution reductionSoil managementGeneral environmental protectionClimate change mitigationSustainable agriculture managementWater managementWaste management and recyclingSustainable fisheries managementEnergy conservation and efficiencyAlternative and renewable energyLoansTax concessionsGrants and direct paymentsPublic administrationForestry and loggingManufacturingAgricultureFisheries and aquacultureAll economic activitiesResearch and DevelopmentEnergyType of Objective Type of Measure Type of Activity
 
 
                                               
20 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 19 - 
 
  1.33.  The notified measures predominantly took th e form of grants and di rect payments, including 
conditional contributions (found in 63% of all the environment-related SCM measures).  Other forms of support included tax concessions (31%) and loans (13%).  
1.34.  The promotion of alternative and renewa ble energy was one of the most frequently 
mentioned environmental objectives in the 2011 environment-related SCM notifications (44% of all 
the environment-related SCM measures).  Other environment-related objectives cited included, among others, energy conservation (17%), sustainable fisheries (13%), waste management and 
recycling (11%), water management (10%), sustainable agriculture management (10%) and 
climate change mitigation (10%).  
1.35.  In 2011, 76% of the environment-related SCM notifications were made by developed 
countries, with 24% made by developing countries. 
1.2.2  Agreement on Agriculture 
1.36.  In 2011, of the 182 notifications
21 submitted by Members under the Agreement on 
Agriculture, 44 (24%) were environment-re lated and covered 177 environment-related 
measures.22 
1.37.  Ninety-one per cent of the environment-related measures were notified as Green Box 
measures, while 3.9% were notified pursuant to Article 18.3 on new domestic support measures or 
modification of an existing measure.  The rema ining 2.3%, and 2.8% of the environment-related 
agriculture measures, were notified under Article 15 on Special and Differential Treatment and under Article 16 on bilateral assistance projects for Least-Developed Net Food-Importing Countries, respectively.   
Chart 1.16:  Environment-related Agriculture Notifications (1997 -2011) 
8% 10%14%18% 17% 16%20% 18% 17% 19%29%
18% 17%25% 24%20222840 40
3234
29
252434
243649
44
Share of environment-related Agriculture notifications
Number of environment-related Agriculture notifications 
 
 
                                               
21 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. 
22 Most notifications under the Agreement on Agriculture contain more than one measure. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 20 - 
 
  Chart 1.17:  Types of Environment-re lated Agriculture Notifications (2011)23 
5%6%9%11%13%16%16%26%28%37%5%16%31%54%8%16%98%
811162023282846506582855951428173
Alternative and renewable energySustainable forestry managementNatural resources conservationPlant protectionAnimal protectionBiodiversity and ecosystemEnvironmental protection from pests and diseasesWater managementSoil managementSustainable agriculture managementLoansNon-monetary supportGrants and direct paymentsUnspecified measuresForestry and loggingResearch and DevelopmentAgricultureType of Objective Type of Measure Type of Activity
 
                                               
23 Since more than one product/measure/objective can be mentioned in a notification, the total number 
may exceed 100 per cent. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 21 - 
 
  1.38.  In addition to the agriculture sector, found in 98% of all the environment-related 
notifications, a number of other activities, including research and development (16%) and 
forestry (8%) were also mentioned. 
1.39.  Specified domestic support associated wi th the environment-related notifications to the 
Agreement on Agriculture encompassed mainly grants and direct payments (31%), non-monetary 
support, such as training and advisory services and research programs (16%), and loans (5%). 
1.40.  Sustainable agriculture management was mentioned in 37% of all environment-related 
measures notified under the Agreement on Agriculture in 2011.  Other objectives included the 
conservation of soil (28%), water (26%), biodiversity (16%), and natural resources (9%), protection of the environment from diseases (16%), protection of animals (13%) and plants (11%), sustainable forestry management (6%), and promotion of alternative and renewable 
energy (5%). 
1.41.  In 2011, developed countries made 37% of the environment-related notifications under the 
Agreement on Agriculture, while 66% were made by developing countries.  New Zealand, 
Switzerland and the United States submitted the most environmental-related notifications under 
the Agreement on Agriculture with three notifications each.  
1.2.3  Plurilateral Agreement on  Government Procurement (GPA) 
1.42.  In 2011, of the 16 notifications
24 submitted under the Agreement on Government 
Procurement, two (9%), submitted respectively by Hong Kong, China and by Japan, were environment-related and reported public proc urement statistics on environmental goods and 
services and policy promoting the procurement of eco-friendly goods to ensure the rational use of 
energy and enhance recycling.   
Chart 1.18:  Environment-related GPA Notifications (1997-2011) 
29%14%43%
9%45% 40% 38%57% 62%
9% 13%2
00029
015
4
3818
32
Share of environment-related GPA notifications
Number of environment-related GPA notifications 
 
 
                                               
24 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 22 - 
 
  1.3  Other Measures 
1.3.1  General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) 
1.43.  In 2011, of the 38 notifications to the GATS, one submitted by Switzerland contained 
environment-related issues (3%), namely the qualification requirement for persons submitting 
land-use planning files and applications for building permits in the fields of environment. 
Chart 1.19:  Environment-related GATS Notifications (1997 – 2011) 
4%16%
8%
2%3%4%3%01
00 07
04
1 1
0002
1
Share of environment-related GATS notifications
Number of environment-related GATS notifications 
 
 
1.3.2  Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) 
1.44.  In 2011, of the sixty-six notifications subm itted by Members under Article 63.2 of the TRIPS 
Agreement, nine (14%) contained environment-related provisions, covering seven 
environment-related measures.25  
1.45.  Seventy-one per cent of the 2011 environment-related TRIPS measures were related to 
legislation on various issues, including inventions breaching environmental laws;  pirated goods 
whose destruction causes harm to the environment;  compulsory licenses for patents necessary to protect the environment;  and accelerating the examination of patent procedure applications 
related to green technologies. The remaining environment-related provisions mentioned in the 
TRIPS notifications referred to conformity assessment procedures for certification of sustainable 
agriculture (14%) and prohibition of using genetic engineering methods in plant propagation material (14%). 
 
                                               
25 Most TRIPS notifications contain more than one measure. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 23 - 
 
  Chart 1.20:  Environment-related TRIPS Notifications (1997 – 2011) 
1% 4% 2% 2%7%
3% 3% 3%5% 4% 5%2%8%14%
0135 516
57
2 237
289
Share of environment-related TRIPS notifications
Number of environment-related TRIPS notifications 
 
 
 
2  NOTIFICATIONS OF TRADE AGREEMENTS 
2.1.1  Regional Trade Agreements (RTA s) including the Understanding on the 
Interpretation of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994 
2.1.  In 2011, of the thirty-three notifications26 submitted under the RTAs Understanding, 
three (9%) mentioned an environment-related topic, in particular provisions related to sustainable development and co-operation on environmental issues.
27   
2.2.  The provisions on environmental co-opera tion mentioned in the 2011 environment-related 
RTA notifications referred mainly to energy (6 7%), fisheries (33%), forestry (33%), and 
agriculture (33%) sectors.  
2.3.  The three environment-related notified RTAs involved both developed and developing 
countries, namely the European Union and Korea; India and Japan; and Cambodia, the Philippines, Japan and member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
 
                                               
26 This number includes regula r notifications as well as adde nda, corrigenda and revisions. 
27 The statistics only reflects keywords used in the text  of the notification.  Therefore, it is not excluded 
that additional notified RTAs not considered here contain environment-related provisions. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 24 - 
 
  Chart 2.1:  Environment-relate d RTAs Notifications (1997-2011) 
11%15%17%14% 16%11%13% 15%
9%61113
810
0 00000444
3
Share of environment-related RTA notifications
Number of environment-related RTA notifications 
 
 
 
3  INFORMATION CONTAINED IN TRADE POLICY REVIEWS 
3.1.  The EDB contains information concerning environment-related measures, provisions or 
programmes contained in both Secretariat and government Trade Policy Reviews (TPR) Reports.  
The information has been summarized under the following three headings:  trade policy 
frameworks;  trade policies and practices; and trade policies by selected sector.  In general, trade 
policy frameworks include government environmental policies, plans, programmes and investment 
policies. Environment-related trade policies and practices include quantitative restrictions 
(e.g. bans and prohibitions, import and export restrictions, quotas, controls, licenses and permits); technical requirements (e.g. standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment 
procedures); taxes, levies, subsidies and other government support.  The environment-related 
sectors include agriculture, industry, services, en ergy, fisheries, forestry, transport, mining and 
tourism.   
3.2.  In 2011, 17 TPRs were carried out.
28  All included environment-related measures or 
programmes, representing 348 entries.29  The most frequently found search words were 
environment (60% of the 348 entries), energy (26%), bio (19%) and conserv(ation) (18%) 
(see Annex V on TPR search word frequency).  
3.3.  The highest numbers of environment-related measures or programmes were found in the 
TPRs of Ecuador (37 entries), Canada (34), Thailand (34), Australia (25), Papua New Guinea (24) and the European Union (23).   
                                               
28 TPRs of Australia; Cambodia; Canada; Democratic Re public of Congo; Ecuador; the European Union; 
Guinea; India; Japan; Mauritania; Ne pal; Nigeria; Papua New Guinea; Para guay; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 
Thailand; and Zimbabwe. 
29 The number of environment-related Trade Policy Re views entries corresponds to the number of times 
environment-related measures or programmes are mentio ned in the Secretariat and government TPR Reports. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 25 - 
 
  Chart 3.1:  Environment-related Measures, Provisions or Programmes in TPRs (2011) 
10
79
58 9
4108
39
5 68 714
108
39
97 6
64
2
631013
488
67
416
222
8
23
8
125
4512
325
1434
1637
23
121718
9131724
162034
19
Measures Sectors Trade Policy Framework
 
 
 
 
 
Chart 3.2:  Type of Environment-rela ted Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2011) 
Aid for trade, 4, 
3%Export prohibitions, 
controls and 
licensing, 22, 17%Government 
procurement, 4, 
3%Government 
support, 18, 14%Import 
prohibitions, 
controls and 
licensing, 19, 14%
Intellectual 
property rights, 8, 
6%
Others, 2, 1%
Sanitary and 
phytosanitary 
measures, 15, 11%
State trading, 7, 
5%
Tariffs, 3, 2%
Tax system, 9, 7%Technical 
regulations and 
standards, 22, 17% 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 26 - 
 
   
3.4.  The most frequently reported environment-related measures were technical regulations, conformity assessment and standards (17% of all environment-related measures entries), export prohibitions, restrictions, controls and licensing (17%), import prohibitions, restrictions, controls 
and licensing (14%), and government support, including tax incentives (14%).  Other 
environment-related measures mentioned in the TPRs related to sanitary and phytosanitary measures (11%), tax system, including export and import taxes, charges, and levies (7%), 
intellectual property rights (6%), state trading (5%), government procurement (3%), aid for 
trade (3%) and tariffs (2%) 
3.5.  Regarding environment-related trade policies by sectors, the most frequently mentioned 
sectors were agriculture (19% of the environment-related sectors entries), followed by 
energy (17%), fisheries and aquaculture (12% ), transport, including air and maritime 
transport (11%), mining (10%) and forestry (10%).   Other sectors related to environment-related 
measures and programmes included tourism (9%), manufacturing (7%), water (4%) and services, 
including financial services (3%). 
  
Chart 3.3:   Sectors Covered by Environmen t-related Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2011) 
Agriculture, 21, 
19%
Energy, 19, 17%
Financial services, 
1, 1%
Fisheries and 
aquaculture, 13, 
11% Forestry, 11, 10%Manufacturing, 8, 
7%Mining, 11, 10%Services, 2, 2%Tourism, 10, 9%Transport, 12, 11%Water, 4, 3%
 
 
  WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 27 - 
 
  4  ANNEXES 
Annex I: Environment-related Search Words as Agreed by Members in 199930 
 
Basel Convention HCFCs  
Bio Indigenous  
Carbon Kyoto Protocol 
Cartagena  Modified organism  
CFCs  Marking 
CITES  Montreal Protocol 
Clean Natural resources 
Climate Novel  
Conserv(ation) Organic  
Desertification Ozone 
Diversity Package(ing) 
Eco-label  Pollution 
Ecology Preservation 
Emissions Preserve 
Endangered Recycle 
Energy Renewable 
Environment Saving  
Extinct   (Soil) erosion 
Fauna Species 
Fish  Sustainable 
Flora Toxic 
Forest Tree 
Genetic  Waste 
GHGs  Wildlife  
Green (house) Wood 
Hazardous  
 
  
                                               
30 See also the following documents containing information on search words: WT/CTE/W/46, 
WT/CTE/W/78 and WT/CTE/W/102  
  WT/CTE/EDB/11  
 
- 28 - Annex II: Number of Environment-related Notifications31 (2001-2011) 
WTO Agreements 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
TBT  67(539) 114(582) 100(794) 107(638) 121(771) 155(874) 168(1032) 238(1265) 274(1490) 270(1413) 268(1216) 
SPS  25(621) 47(610) 50(687) 57(612) 105(1298) 140(901) 98(849) 84(889) 81(737) 83(1051) 76(1007) 
SCM  24(159) 31(177) 34(171) 13(122) 27(168) 8(97) 33(164) 5(99) 40(181) 8(117) 47(140) 
Agriculture 40(242) 32(197) 34(173) 29(157) 25(148) 24(126) 32(119) 24(137) 36(210) 49(195) 44(182) 
Anti-Dumping 0(134) 1(166) 2(155) 3(134) 0(127) 0(112) 0(118) 0(134) 0(157) 0(164) 0(127) 
ILP 7(55) 13(96) 16(57) 12(40) 20(45) 19(62) 13(65) 20(51) 23(82) 21(72) 23(78) 
Safeguards 1(137) 1(170) 1(147) 3(75) 1(80) 0(86) 0(59) 0(73) 0(171) 0(106) 2(64) 
Customs Valuation 1(41) 1(41) 0(11) 0(17) 1(13) 0(1) (9) 0(12) 0(6) 0(4) 0(4) 
State Trading 1(56) 5(58) 3(38) 0(43) 1(12) 1(37) 0(20) 1(24) 0(29) 4(77) 0(8) 
RTAs  10(64) 0(41) 0(56) 0(70) 0(63) 0(30) 0(25) 4(37) 4(30) 4(26) 3(33) 
TRIPS 6(236) 16(225) 5(147) 7(251) 2(59) 2(38) 3(72) 7(139) 2(84) 8(97) 9(66) 
GATS 0(46) 7(43) 0(41) 4(52) 1(53) 1(29) 0(41) 0(49) 0(68) 2(45) 1(38) 
QRs 2(10) 4(14) 2(8) 7(10) 1(6) 2(8) 3(6) 4(12) 2(8) 1(6) 2(8) 
TRIMs  0(2) 0(29) 0(13) 0(12) 0(14) 0(14) 0(13) 0(9) 0(21) 0(18) 0(4) 
BoP Provisions  0(7) 0(4) 0(0) 0(1) 0(1) 0(0) 0(1) 0(0) 0(9) 0(6) 0(0) 
Preship. Inspection 0(1) 0(0) 0(0) 0(1) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(1) 0(0) 0(2) 0(2) 
Rules of Origin 0(6) 0(4) 0(4) 0(3) 0(2) 0(1) 0(7) 0(4) 0(5) 0(4) 0(8) 
GPA 2(14) 9(21) 0(8) 1(11) 5(11) 4(10) 3(8) 8(14) 18(29) 3(32) 2(16) 
Info. Technology  0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 
Other notifications 0(6) 0(4) 0(3) 1(7) 1(3) 1(2) 0(5) 0(8) 0(4) 0(6) 0(9) 
Total environment-
related notifications 186(2376) 281(2482) 247(2513) 244(2256) 311(2874) 357(2428) 353(2613) 395(2957) 481(3321) 453(3441) 477(3010) 
Share of environment-
related notifications  7.8 11.3 9.8 10.8 10.8 14.7 13.5 13.4 14.5 13.2 15.8 
                                               
31 The total number of notifications, including addenda, corrige nda and revisions (except for TBT and SPS notifications), made un der each relevant WTO Agreement is 
provided in parenthesis. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 29 - 
 
  Annex III: Number of Environment- related Notifications and Measures32 (2011) 
726817649331393111177
92682764732232144
TRIPSTBTSafeguardsSPSSCMRTAsQRsILPGovernment procurementGATSAgriculture
Notifications Measures
 
                                               
32 The total number of notifications, including addenda, corrigenda and revisions (except for TBT and 
SPS notifications), made under each relevant WTO Agreement is provided in parenthesis. WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 30 - 
 
  Annex IV: Search Word Frequency in Notifications in 2011 
21 (4.4%)15 (3.0%)43 (9%)14 (2.9%)22 (4.5%)50 (10.5%)47 (9.8%)18 (3.7%)33 (6.9%)25 (5.1%)14 (2.9%)25 (5.1%)33 (6.9%)50 (10.5%)19 (4%)34 (7.0%)5 (1%)18 (3.7%)11 (2.2%)3 (0.6%)22 (4.5%)2 (0.4%)2 (0.4%)32 (6.6%)2 (0.4%)27 (5.6%)6 (1.2%)4 (0.8%)53 (11.1%)42 (8.8%)50 (10.5%)43 (9%)2 (0.4%)285 (59.7%)126 (26.3%)21 (4.4%)44 (9.1%)16 (3.4%)5 (1%)17 (3.5%)1 (0.2%)87 (18.2%)21 (4.4%)24 (5%)1 (0.2%)20 (4.1%)15 (3.0%)3 (0.6%)91 (19.1%)6 (1.2%)
WoodWildlifeWasteTreeToxicSustainableSpecies(Soil) erosionSavingRenewableRecyclePreserv(ation)PollutionPackag(ing)OzoneOrganicNovelNatural resourcesMontreal ProtocolModified organismMarkingKyoto ProtocolIndigenousHazardousHCFCsGreen (house)GeneticGHGsForestFloraFishFaunaExtinctEnvironmentEnergyEndangeredEmissionsEcolog(y)Eco-labelDiversityDesertificationConserv(ation)ClimateCleanCartagenaCarbonCITESCFCsBioBasel Convention
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 31 - 
 
  Annex V: Search Words Frequency in TPRs in 2011 
16 (1.6%)11 (1.1%)26 (2.5%)2 (0.2%)7 (0.6%)82 (8.1%)28 (2.7%)4 (0.4%)5 (0.5%)20 (2%)4 (0.4%)17 (1.7%)18 (1.7%)8 (0.8%)7 (0.6%)8 (0.8%)1 (0.1%)44 (4.3%)3 (0.3%)7 (0.6%)1 (0.1%)4 (0.4%)3 (0.3%)17 (1.7%)20 (2%)21 (2.0%)1 (0.1%)44 (4.3%)15 (1.5%)39 (3.7%)16 (1.6%)1 (0.1%)217 (21.2%)65 (6.4%)13 (1.2%)13 (1.2%)7 (0.6%)30 (2.9%)1 (0.1%)43 (4.1%)24 (2.4%)12 (1.2%)1 (0.1%)15 (1.5%)14 (1.3%)2 (0.2%)56 (5.5%)5 (0.5%)
WoodWildlifeWasteTreeToxicSustainableSpecies(Soil) erosionSavingRenewableRecyclePreserv(ation)PollutionPackage(ing)OzoneOrganicNovelNatural resourcesMontreal ProtocolModified organismMarkingKyoto ProtocolIndigenousHazardousGreen (house)GeneticGHGsForestFloraFishFaunaExtinctEnvironmentEnergyEndangeredEmissionsEcolog(y)DiversityDesertificationConserv(ation)ClimateCleanCartagena ProtocolCarbonCITESCFCsBioBasel Convention
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 32 - 
 
   
Annex VI: Abbreviations 
Basel Convention Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of 
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal 
Cartagena Protocol Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological 
Diversity 
CFCs Chlorofluorocarbons 
CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora 
GHG Greenhouse Gas 
HCFCs Hydro Chloro Fluoro Carbons 
IPPC International Plant Protection Convention 
Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on 
Climate Change 
MEAs Multilateral environmental agreements 
Montreal Protocol Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer 
R&D Research and development 
Stockholm 
Convention Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants 
SPS Sanitary and phytosanitary 
Rotterdam 
Convention Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for 
Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade 
TBT Technical Barriers to Trade 
TPR Trade Policy Review 
 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 33 - 
 
  Annex VII: Electronic EDB User's Guide 
A. What information is available in the Electronic EDB? 1. The electronic EDB compiles all environment-related notifications made under the various 
WTO Agreements and environment-related measures/activities reported in the TPRs in an 
Excel Workbook.
33  It allows users to search through the EDB environment-related information 
according to specific criteria, for instance by Member, Agreement, type of measure, product, activity, or environmental objective.   
2. The Excel Workbook is divided into two main worksheets:  "Notifications", listing all the 
environment-related notifications; and "TPRs", providing the environment-related information mentioned in TPRs.  In addition, a third worksheet entitled "Summary" is included to allow users to retrieve pre-defined summary tables and graphs. 
A.1. "Notifications" worksheet 
3. The "Notifications" worksheet displays the following information: 
 Agreement:  the WTO Agreement being notified; 
 Document symbol:  the symbol of the notification document (when available); 
 Document link:  the Web link to the notification document through WTO Documents 
Online website ( http://docsonline.wto.org/ );   
 Notifying Member:  the Member notifying the environment-related measure; 
 Region group:  the region of the notifying Member; 
 Development status:  the development status of the notifying Member; 
 Year:  the year of notification; 
 Notification pursuant to:  the provisions of the relevant Agreement under which the 
notification is made; 
 Measure description:  a description of the measure as indicated in the notification; 
 Type of measure:  the type of me asure stated in the notification; 
 Subject to the measure:  products/activities subject to the notified measure; 
 ICS - HS code:  ICS or HS classification of the relevant products (when available); 
 Implementation period:  the implementation peri od or date of the entry into force of the 
notified measure; 
 Environment-related objective:  the environment-related objective of the measure;  and  
 Keywords:  the environment-related keyword search included in the notification (see 
Annex II). 
4. Three harmonized categories have also been created to facilitate research: 
 Category of environment-related objectives;  
 Category of measures; and 
 Category of products/activities. 
A.2. "TPRs" worksheet 
5. The "TPRs" worksheet displays the following information: 
 Type of TPR:  TPR reports prepared by either the Secretariat (S) or the Member (M); 
 Document symbol:  the symbol of the TPR document; 
                                               
33 WT/CTE/EDB/11/Add.1 WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 34 - 
 
   Document link:  the web link to the TPR document through WTO Documents Online 
website ( http://docsonline.wto.org/ );   
 Document reference:  the reference made to the paragraph number "§" of the original 
TPR document; 
 Member:  the Member subject to the TPR; 
 Region group:  the region of the Member; 
 Development status:  the development status of the Member; 
 Year: the year of publication of the TPR; 
 Type of information:  the type of enviro nment-related information found in the TPR; 
 Type of measures or sectors:  the measure or sector associated with the environment-
related information; 
 Relevant information:  a description of the environment-related measure, provision or 
programme; and 
 Keywords:  the keyword search included in the TPR reports (See Annex II). 
 
A.3. "Summary" worksheet 
6. The "Summary" worksheet provides pre-defined information and graphs on environment-
related notifications to each WTO Agreement and measures mentioned in TPRs.   
B. How to use the electronic EDB? 7. The Excel Workbook allows searches through all the variables mentioned above by using the 
filter function.  Users can, by clicking on the right-bottom arrow icon of the heading of the selected 
variable, either select the information on a drop-down list (see left column of Chart 4.1) or type in 
the relevant information (see right column of Chart 4.1). 
8. Multiple criteria search is also possible, for instance, to search all notifications made by a 
given country or region/development status group with a specific environment-related objective or 
a specific type of measure.  
9. Retrieving all TBT notifications that contain performance/efficiency specification measures to 
promote energy conservation and efficiency, can be done as follows:  
a. select the "Notifications" spreadsheet; 
b. select the TBT Agreement in the column "A greement" by clicking on the bottom-right 
arrow icon and typing "TBT" in the search box; 
c. select the type of measure in the column "Category of type of measure" by clicking on 
the bottom-right arrow icon of the head ing and typing "performance/efficiency 
specification" in the search box; 
d. select the type of measure in the column "Category of environment-related objective" by 
clicking on the bottom-right arrow icon of the heading and typing "energy conservation and efficiency" in the search box. 
10. After the search, to go back to the full database, it is important to follow the reverse order 
of the selection:   
a. click on the bottom-right arrow icon of the heading of the variable "Category of 
environment-related objective" and select the "Select All" box; 
b. click on the bottom-right arrow icon of the heading of the variable "Category of type of 
measure " and select the "Select All" box;  and  WT/CTE/EDB/11 
 
- 35 - 
 
  c. click on the bottom-right arrow icon  of th e heading of the variable "Agreement" and 
select the "Select All" tick box. 
Chart 4.1 Search function 
 
11. Once the data is selected through the filter, the user can print the records by hiding the 
variables of no interest (select the column, right-click and select "hide" option).  In addition, the user can apply the scaling option available, through their printer driver, to fit all the selected 
columns on one page.  
__________