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1 1 (December 21, 1999)

handle is hein.crs/crsahgr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS20417 December 21, 1999 Environment and the World Trade Organization (WTO) at Seattle: Issues and Concerns Susan R. Fletcher Senior Analyst in International Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary As the United States prepared for the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle, Washington, held November 30 - December 3, 1999, environmental issues were once again a focus of attention. This meeting of the decision making body of the WTO was expected to make decisions that would lead to another round of negotiations on a wide variety of trade rules and related issues. Although the United States continues to assert the necessity of pursuing the twin goals of free trade and environmental protection and to argue that these need not be in conflict, controversy remains over how the multilateral trading system should address the specifics of environmental issues. Widespread demonstrations and events in Seattle by non- governmental organizations (NGOs) across a wide spectrum of interests involved many environmental NGOs. The environmental interest groups have expressed a variety of concerns, from opposing the WTO altogether, to trying to assure inclusion of specific environmental issues in the Seattle agenda and in subsequent negotiations. Opposition to including environmental issues in WTO negotiations has also been strong, coming from many business groups and developing countries, who argue that these concerns should be addressed outside the WTO. While the demonstrations in Seattle received a great deal of attention, the specifics of the environmental issues did not-either in coverage of the demonstrations, or in the official discussions of the WTO ministerial meetings. These meetings terminated without resolving whether or when a new round of negotiations would ensue. How the WTO will deal with environmental issues in this process in the future remains uncertain. Background The United States took a leading role in pressing for inclusion of environmental issues in the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that concluded in establishment of the WTO in 1994. Environmental advocacy groups in the United States had mobilized to urge attention to environmental concerns, and to oppose U.S. approval of an agreement that did not include them. Opposition to including environmental concerns was also strong, coming from many business organizations, and Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web

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