United States Among Nations in Initial Talks On Trade Initiative for Environmental Goods

摘要

The United States has exchanged initial views with several key trading partners on how to carry forward President Obama's recent call for global talks on free trade in environmental goods and services, but officials said it was unlikely any decision would be made on whether to launch negotiations before the end of the year. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Michael Punke met with counterparts from the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, and Turkey in Geneva July 22 to discuss Obama's proposal for green trade talks at the World Trade Organization, as set out in the president's June 25 Climate Action Plan . Trade diplomats involved in the discussions said the talks touched upon a number of key issues which would have to be decided before any formal negotiations are launched, such as the scope of the negotiations and the legal basis for a future agreement under WTO rules.