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UN Economic Commission for Europe
“SOUND” WOOD:
NEW MARKETS or NEW BARRIERS TO TRADE?
- Dr. S. Kouzmine (UNECE technical harmonization
and standardization policies programme )
Romania, 24 - 27 March 2003
CURRENT FEATURES OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
• Globalization of operations
• Liberalization of trade
• Facilitation of market access
• Importance (relative) of technical barriers to trade
CERTIFICATION TODAY
• Quality requirements
• Environmental requirements
• Social and Labour requirements
• Sustainable Development requirements
• WHAT NEXT ?????
ROLE OF “GREEN ECONOMY”
• ISO 14 000 standards
37,000 certificates in 112 countries
(ISO 9000 - 510,000 in 161 countries)
• Organic food and beverages
Organic - 1% (Total agri-trade-15 billion US$)
• Timber
“Certified” forests -0,08% -1.5% (total forest
area in UNECE region-1494 mln.ha)
MARKET - “GREEN” or still RIPENING?
ECO-SCHEMES
• BENEFITS
Reward environmentally conscious producers by:
– Creating new markets
– Allowing to charge a price premium
– Increasing sales
• CONCERNS
– Market entry barrier
– Discrimination
– Trade distortion effects
– “Certify or Die”
DO WE NEED ECO-CERTIFICATION?
Certification-watchdog of sustainability
or
Certification- barrier to trade/
and waste of money/resources
What’s right ?
Let the Market decide…
WHY ECO-CERTIFICATION ?
• To show “good” and “bad” guys
(environmental products) ?
• To distinguish between identical products?
• To inform consumers (availability of real choice)?
• To avoid abuse?
PRINCIPLES
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•
•
•
•
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Clear links to sustainable development
Transparent performance indicators and standards
Agreed vision and multi-stakeholder input
Openness and Voluntary
Tangible benefits
No disguised protection
IS SMALL ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL ?
• Promotion of eco-schemes among
small producers through:
– More awareness (perceived benefit and
commitment)
– Possibilities of “self-declaration”
– Establishing “paper – LESS” concepts and
procedures
– Group certification
HOW MANY ROADS MUST A MAN WALK DOWN?
(How many schemes can a market sustain?)
• MULTIPLICITY of schemes = CONFUSION
• Possible solutions:
– Compatibility of schemes/eco-objectives
– Mutual recognition and/or equivalency of ecoschemes
– Harmonization of schemes or their thresholds
ACTION PLAN
• Create “interest groups” (regional/national specific)
• Identify objectives, criteria
• Initiate dialogue, search for an agreed vision
• Make your voice heard/Suggest solutions
• Act Locally –Think Globally
CONCLUSIONS
Concerted efforts required to promote
benchmarking/good practices
Examples from UNECE experience:
 UNECE Working Party on Technical Harmonization and
Standardization Policies (WP.6)
 “International model for technical harmonization based on
good regulatory practice for the preparation, adoption and
application of technical regulations via the use of
international standards”
 Ad hoc team of specialists on Standardization And
Regulatory Techniques (“START” Team)
For further information, please contact
Serguei Kouzmine
UN Economic Commission for Europe
Secretary to the Working Party on Technical
Harmonization and Standardization Policies
(Working Party 6)
UNECE, Office 433-1
Palais des Nations, 8- 14, avenue de la Paix
CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 917 2771 Fax: (+41 22) 917 0479 / 917 0037
E-mail: [email protected]