Free trade and the environment - lessons from the gatt-wto, nafta and the EU towards a new Mediterranean free trade zone

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Project objective

Research objectives and content The first stage of my research will examine the different aspects of the conflict between free trade and the environment, as it has unfolded over the last years in the new WTO, NAFTA and the EU. In particular I want to focus my analysis on the role of the new legal system of the WTO in this conflict. In this context I want to compare the WTO dispute settlement mechanism to the different institutional arrangements which exist in the EU and NAFTA. I am mainly interested in two questions: (a) What kind of institutional changes can enhance the environmental sensitiveness of the WTO regime; (b) Are there voluntary mechanisms that can improve the environmental performance of local economies, without being inconsistent with the basic principles of Free Trade (e.g. ecolabelling). My research will also examine the distinct rationalities, which interact in this debate.In the second stage, I want to examine whether my conclusions from the first part, can be applied to the proposed Mediterranean Free Trade Zone ('MFTZ'). In particular I want to investigate the tension between two different political trends: on the one hand, the Mediterranean states were able, despite vast economic, cultural and political differences, to produce an impressive environmental framework, mainly under the farmework of the 19 76 Barcelona Convention for the Conversation and Protection of the Mediterranean. On the other hand, there is a continuous process of economic integration between the EU and Mediterranean states, mainly via association agreements. This process is driven by economic motivation and not by environmental considerations.I want to argue that, in order to tackle the conflict between trade and the environment, the proposed MFTZ should seek an institutional framework that would utilize these parallel trends. At the same time the planners of the MFTZ should take into account the lessons from the WTO, NAFTA and the EU. Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact) I have chosen to study in LSE because it offers both legal expertise and opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research. The topic of my research requires a broad academic perspective, which is not confined to legal analysis, but uses also sociological concepts and economic ideas. Important in this context is the fact that I was given the chance to conduct my research under the joint supervision of Prof. Teubner and Mr. Chalmers, both from the law department. LSE also provides me the necessary facilities to conduct such a research. LSE is a depository library of both the UN and the EU and it contains therefore most of the materials that I require for my research. LSE has also an advanced IT system.I could not have followed this line of research in any of the Law Faculties in Israel. Links with industry / industrial relevance (22) None

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Participants

• LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE · LONDONCoordinatorUnited Kingdom

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