Improved market access at the cost of the environment: the environmental risks of the NAMA negotiations
The NAMA Drama
A Greenpeace briefing for the WTO Ministerial Conference at Hong Kong, 13th-18th December 2005
Why is NAMA a danger for development and the environment?
The liberalization of markets driven by the World Trade Organization (WTO) makes it difficult at both the national and international levels to implement new measures to protect the environment or economic, social and cultural rights. Already today, existing national environmental laws and multilateral environmental agreements have the Damoclean sword of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) hanging over them. If a WTO member believes its trade interests to be adversely affected by an environmental measure of another member, he can call on the WTO. WTO rules supersede both national and international environmental law, making the WTO an effective threat against progressive social and environmental laws.
Up to now, agricultural goods and services have dominated the WTO agenda. However, as part of the current negotiations launched on Doha in 2001 (the "Doha round") further sectors are to be given the