[autom.vertaling] Van Johannesburg aan Cancun: Makend Handel Duurzaam (en)

I'd like to begin by saying 'welcome' to the European Commission's 'Sustainable Trade Day'. I'm glad to see such a good turn out: this shows the importance that so many of us attach to making trade sustainable.

We have organised today's event in order to bring together policy makers, trade negotiators and civil society representatives for an exchange of views and ideas on trade and sustainable development. The aim is to enhance mutual understanding of the relationship between the two areas and to try and identify new ideas on how trade policy can contribute to sustainable development. We hope to provide a forum for candid and clear discussion, a forum in which there is no 'zero sum', just mutual benefit arising from learning.

We in Europe see the strengthening of the relationship between trade and sustainable development as a fundamental aspect of trade policy. Trade opening cannot simply be an end in itself: it must have a purpose, namely to improve the lot of mankind and to do this in a way which does not impinge upon the ability of future generations to do the same. In other words, it must be sustainable. And this sustainability must cover all three pillars of sustainable development on an equal basis: economic development, social development, and the environment.

So, let me make one thing very clear: the objective of this conference is not to provide some sort of politically correct publicity show or to slap some green icing on the cake it is a real effort to move forward on sustainable trade issues. In fact, rather than icing on the cake, it should perhaps be considered as the appetiser before the main course of the WTO Ministerial itself.

I have to say, though, that I wonder just how much appetite some WTO members have for sustainable development issues. Whereas all of them signed up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development at Johannesburg, when it comes to putting some of the commitments into practice, frankly, the record is less than impressive. I find it ironic that what governments support eagerly in one forum, they reject in others.

You must all be aware that the EU has been fighting a long and uphill battle on the trade and environment front where even an issue as straight-forward and common sense as observer status in the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment for the secretariats of Multilateral Environmental Agreements is widely opposed by many WTO members. How can we hope to bolster the relationship between trade policy and sustainable development when so many resist the basic tenets of good global governance, notably cooperation between the very institutions themselves?

I would also like to note that in two days' time, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety will enter into force. It is a good example of the mutually supportive interaction between trade and environment rule making. But some WTO Members say that the Convention on Biodiversity can't be a proper observer in WTO - that is difficult for me to understand.

I sincerely hope that the contribution of the Cancún Ministerial to sustainable development is not going to be limited to side events such as this one. That is not to side line civil society its role is becoming ever more important but public policy makers, too, have a duty and responsibility to ensure that trade opening responds to the needs of sustainable development.

It is not all doom and gloom, however. The title of today's conference is 'from Johannesburg to Cancún and beyond'. It is worth just pausing to reflect on the progress which has been made since the Jo'burg Summit. Johannesburg saw the launch of the Sustainable Trade and Innovation Centres or STICs and the European Trade Forum.

Since then, these bodies have made notable progress on laying the groundwork for encouraging the supply of and demand for sustainably produced goods. I believe Raymond Van Ermen, one of the speakers this afternoon, will be able to avail you of further details of work undertaken so far and the plans for the future.

At the European Commission we are also reviewing internally what can be done to promote trade in sustainably produced goods. We are exploring a number of possibilities, including creating an EU system of accreditation for labels showing that a good has been produced sustainably, and seeing how we can promote the use of voluntary ecolabels. We are also examining how public procurement procedures might be made more open to sustainably produced goods.

In addition, since Johannesburg, I have asked my services to set up a special Trade Helpdesk to provide exporters in non-EU countries with any technical information they may require regarding access to the EU's market. This system is now ready and I will be launching it in Brussels in a few days. As a tool, the Helpdesk has been devised in order to provide valuable assistance to exporters of sustainably produced goods.

Action against illegal logging is another area which has seen progress since Johannesburg. In spring of this year, partly in response to input provided through our ongoing dialogue with civil society, the European Commission published a proposal for an action plan to counter illegal logging. Among other things, the proposed plan includes help for partner countries to create systems to verify that timber has been harvested legally, and a voluntary licensing scheme to prevent the export to the EU of illegally produced wood.

The proposed action plan has to be seen as the start of a process which should be completed by further analysis and dialogue with both governments and other stakeholders in affected regions. Even so, the Commission's proposals are considered as a major break through for two reasons:

Firstly, it is the first comprehensive attempt by a "country" to address globally the problem of illegal logging; secondly, it shows that dialogue with civil society can be effective in helping the Commission set up priorities and shape policy - and in a short period of time.

I'd like now to say a few words about Sustainability Impact Assessments or SIA which is the subject of one of this afternoon's sessions. SIA is a tool which is at the core of the EU's efforts to internalise sustainability considerations into its trade policy, in particular its trade negotiations be they bilateral or multilateral. SIA has come a long way since its beginnings in the run-up to the Seattle Ministerial. Although not perfect, it is constantly being improved and with each study carried out the bank of knowledge and experience regarding the impact of trade agreements on sustainable development grows.

Earlier this year, the European Commission held a two day seminar in Brussels on SIAs. We found this an enormously useful exercise and we have benefited from the input and comments we received from participants. In response to suggestions for greater consultation with stakeholders in countries with which the EU is negotiating trade agreements, we set the ball rolling for a series of workshops around the world. Unfortunately, for reasons quite unrelated to SIAs or to trade policy, the workshops planned in Latin America had to be postponed at very short notice. Nobody regrets this more than I do but I am convinced that, in the near future, we shall be able to pick up where we left off.

As part of its commitment following the Brussels seminar on SIAs, the Commission has embarked on a process for the effective integration of SIA results into the EU's trade policy.

I'd like to invite anyone here today who is interested to participate in the first pilot exercise which relates to sectoral SIAs of the WTO negotiations. We will soon be putting a preliminary position paper on our website setting out the Commission's detailed reaction to the SIA results we have received so far. Comments on the Commission's reaction will be welcome and will feed into finalising the position paper this autumn.

I have spoken mainly about the environment pillar of Sustainable Development so far. Of course the other pillars are just as important. Economic growth is the key to lifting people out of poverty. And we know that poverty is one of the main contributors to environmental degradation. These interlinkages between economics, social development and environment are also at the heart of the concept of Corporate Social responsibility, an approach the European Union has been actively promoting as a necessary complement to hard law. We have set up a dialogue involving various stakeholders (public authorities, business, trade unions, NGOs) to move the debate forward. I am pleased to say that on 29 nd 30 September, we will be hosting a multistakeholder dialogue on Corporate Social Responsibility, development and trade.

The EU is also committed to strengthening the social pillar of sustainable development. Important work is going on in the ILO, and we support WTO's involvement in the in-depth study process under way there. Our own trade policy allows special incentives for countries who make special efforts to implement the core ILO conventions. Only when the benefits of market opening are shared by all are we making globalisation work for all.

At today's conference we have had the good fortune to be able to bring together a distinguished collection of speakers and moderators. I have no doubt that they will have a wealth of interesting perspectives and ideas to share with us. I hope that you too, the 'audience', for want of a better word, will come forward with your comments, suggestions, views and, where appropriate, criticisms. Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom, least of all in an area as complex as the relationship between trade and sustainable development, and we in the European Commission are eager to hear and listen to - your points of view on the issues identified for today's discussions and presentations. In particular, we are open to your suggestions as to how we can advance sustainable trade in concrete terms.

We shall be listening to the messages you give to us, but I should like to think that all of us in this room can send a broader message, a clear message to all those involved in the negotiations this week: sustainability matters we all have a responsibility to ensure that what comes out of this week's discussions really does support sustainable development and is seen to do so.

Thank you.