REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: TOOL TO PROMOTE CLIMATE – SMART AND SUSTAINABLE TRADE
Journal
InterEuLawEast - Journal for International and European Law, Economics and Market Integrations
Date Issued
2024-12
Author(s)
Lei Weng Chi
DOI
https://doi.org/10.22598/iele.2024.11.2.10
Abstract
Balancing economic prosperity with environmental sustainability is crucial in today’s
global landscape. As climate change poses urgent challenges, economic development
remains a priority, particularly in disadvantaged regions. This paper examines the
rise of environmental and climate-related provisions in trade agreements, focusing
on the Asia-Pacific and Western Balkans regions. Historically, trade agreements had
minimal environmental focus, but recent trends show a surge in such provisions,
reflecting a growing recognition of environmental challenges. The Asia-Pacific region,
heavily impacted by climate change, increasingly incorporates environmental
clauses in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), as seen in the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Similarly, amid European
Union integration, the Western Balkans embed environmental clauses in
trade pacts like Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA-2006), influenced
by EU accession aspirations. The paper examines the emergence of environmental
and climate-smart provisions in free trade agreements, before focusing on regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Western Balkans. In addition,
a qualitative analysis using NVivo 14 software is conducted, employing text search
and word frequency analyses, to assess regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific
and Western Balkan countries. The results show varying levels of commitment
to environmental standards across the examined agreements, with the Asia-Pacific
countries generally showing greater integration of climate considerations compared
to the Western Balkans. Going forward, broader cooperation is essential for fostering
sustainable trade practices globally.
global landscape. As climate change poses urgent challenges, economic development
remains a priority, particularly in disadvantaged regions. This paper examines the
rise of environmental and climate-related provisions in trade agreements, focusing
on the Asia-Pacific and Western Balkans regions. Historically, trade agreements had
minimal environmental focus, but recent trends show a surge in such provisions,
reflecting a growing recognition of environmental challenges. The Asia-Pacific region,
heavily impacted by climate change, increasingly incorporates environmental
clauses in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), as seen in the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Similarly, amid European
Union integration, the Western Balkans embed environmental clauses in
trade pacts like Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA-2006), influenced
by EU accession aspirations. The paper examines the emergence of environmental
and climate-smart provisions in free trade agreements, before focusing on regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Western Balkans. In addition,
a qualitative analysis using NVivo 14 software is conducted, employing text search
and word frequency analyses, to assess regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific
and Western Balkan countries. The results show varying levels of commitment
to environmental standards across the examined agreements, with the Asia-Pacific
countries generally showing greater integration of climate considerations compared
to the Western Balkans. Going forward, broader cooperation is essential for fostering
sustainable trade practices globally.
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
10 Toshevska et. al..pdf
Size
2.29 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):8c7edd47e46e503a2e682a07d7b1dd2c