The WTO Committee on Trade and Environment: Is it making a Difference?

The CTE was established by the WTO General Council, acting under article IV para.7 of the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, and its mandate has been renewed at successive meetings of the Ministerial Conference. One of the objectives of the CTE, as envisaged by the Trade Negotiations Committee included making "appropriate recommendations on whether any modifications of the provisions of the multilateral trading system are required, compatible with the open, equitable and non-discriminatory nature of the system ... "