| Montreal, 18/11/1997 – Opportunities for protecting the environment under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are falling short of their potential, according to a report released today by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)¾a body created by the environmental side accord to NAFTA.
NAFTA's Institutions: The Environmental Potential and Performance of the NAFTA Free Trade Commission and Related Bodies concludes that relevant committees under NAFTA's Free Trade Commission could be doing more to fulfill their existing environmental mandate and the promise of NAFTA.
We must have a stronger dialogue and cooperation at levels between NAFTA's trade community and the environmental community, says CEC Executive Director, Victor Lichtinger, Otherwise, we are missing a historic opportunity to ensure that increased trade liberalization will be accompanied by stronger environmental protection.
The report recommends improved dialogue between the trade and environment communities of NAFTA, particularly between the Free Trade Commission, its various subcommittees, and the CEC. Among other things, this dialogue could begin exploring opportunities to liberalize or accelerate reduction of tariffs on products and services that help the environment. It could also focus on ways to curb environmentally harmful subsidies at the national and subfederal levels. Even more specifically, the report identifies several areas for improved environmental performance. They include: 1) ensuring that standards for auto emissions are compatible to reduce air pollution in North America; 2) dealing with expansion of agricultural trade¾including the use of pesticides ¾ in ways which are more favorable to the environment; and 3) developing North American standards for energy efficiency in electrical appliances and buildings.
The report, which is based on extensive interviews with officials involved in the work of NAFTA's trade and economic institutions, also identifies progress in several areas. They include action to create harmonized standards for the transportation of dangerous goods throughout North America and the development of compatible and strict systems for reviewing the risks and registration of pesticides.
The CEC, which is equally funded by Canada, Mexico and the United States, is based in Montreal, Canada. |
