Top

Published in:

2020 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

4. GPP and International Trade Regulation

Author : Rika Koch

Published in: Green Public Procurement under WTO Law

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

The controversy surrounding GPP forms part of a bigger debate, namely the controversy about environmental policy measures and their conformity with international trade law. This chapter embeds GPP in the broader context of what is often referred to as the “trade and environment” debate. It will show how efforts to combat climate change on an international level evolved within the framework of the United Nations (UN) and contrasts these developments with the efforts made within the GATT/WTO framework. It then shows that the changed perception of priorities in the trade and environment debate also spilled over to other fora that operate at the intersection of international trade and procurement, such as the World Bank and the United Nations commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

previous chapter Green Public Procurement (GPP)

next chapter Relevance of the Multilateral WTO Agreements

Recital 1, Preamble of the WTO Agreement.

Kaufmann / Weber 2011, 498.

See for example the Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living resources of the High Seas of 29 April 1958.

Such as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) of 1971 or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) of 3 March 1973.

Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.

IPCC, passim.

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as “Rio Conference” or “Rio Earth Summit”.

See for example Chasek / Wagner, passim.

See wording of the Chapeau in Article XX GATT.

For a detailed analysis of the CDM (especially in the context of regulation and financial intermediation) see Weber / Darbellay, passim.

See for example Faure / Gupta / Nentjes, 4.

See Rajamani, passim.

See for example Preamble of the WTO Agreement or the exception-catalogue in Article XX GATT.

See below, Sect. 4.2.3.

Apart from the GATS that contains a similar exception-catalogue (Article XIV(b)), none of the other multilateral agreement contain environmental exceptions.

For a more detailed textual analysis of the Chapeau see below, Sect. 6.8.

Zleptnig, 107.

ABR, European Communities – Measures Affecting Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products, WT/DS135/AB/R, adopted 5 April 2001 [ABR, EC – Asbestos]. This case, however, concerned health rather than environmental measures.

For a more detailed illustration see following section.

While the TBT was not invoked in the first years of its establishment, it was suddenly subjected to WTO dispute settlement in three subsequent cases, often referred to as the “TBT trilogy” (Appellate Body Reports, adopted 23 July 2012 [ABR, US – COOL], Appellate Body Report, United States – Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, adopted 13 June 2012 [ABR, US – Tuna II] and Appellate Body Report, United States – Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes, adopted 24 April 2012 [ABR, US–Clove Cigarettes]). These cases concerned measures to protect the environment, consumer protection as well as human and animal health.

Zleptnig, 385.

Weber / Koch 2015a, 759.

See below, Chap. 5.

As confirmed orally by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

GATT Panel Report, United States – Restrictions on Imports of Tuna, 3 September 1991, unadopted [GATT PR, US – Tuna I], states in para. 6.4 that the ruling “would affect neither the rights of individual contracting parties to pursue their internal environmental policies”. Although US – Tuna I failed to be adopted due to a lack of consensus required under the former GATT rules, the ruling has nevertheless become an important precedent for environment-related trade disputes.

GATT PR, US – Tuna I, paras. 6.2 and 6.4.

Ibid., para. 6.3.

AB Report, US – Gasoline, p. 29.

AB Report, US – Shrimp, para. 185.

For a detailed analysis of the case and its possible implications see Kaufmann, passim.

Marceau / Stilwell define amicus curiae submissions as “letters and other information submitted by non-parties to dispute settlement proceedings”, 156, fn 3.

Kaufmann, 1175.

Appellate Body Reports, European Communities – Measures Prohibiting the Importation and Marketing of Seal Products, adopted 18 June 2014 [EC – Seals], for a detailed evaluation of the case in the light of moral legislations see Howse / Langille / Sykes, passim; see also Koch 2016, 60–64 or Levy / Regan, passim.

Howse / Langille / Sykes, 86.

PR, EC – Seals, para. 7.3.

Koch 2016, 64.

Appellate Body Reports, Canada – Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector / Canada – Measures Relating to the Feed-in Tariff Program, adopted 24 May 2013 [Canada – Renewable Energy].

Cosbey / Mavroidis, 12.

For a detailed analysis of the case see Weber / Koch 2015a, passim.

WT/CTE/1, passim.

For a detailed critique of the first CTE report see Charnovitz 1997 passim.

For updates see webpage of the WTO/CTE, available at: https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/envir_e/cte00_e.htm.

Article XXIII:8(a) mandates the Committee to undertake further work to facilitate the treatment of sustainable procurement.

See Annex E to Appendix 2 of the Decision on the Outcomes of the Negotiations on Government Procurement, adopted on 30 March 2012.

See also Corvaglia 2017, 112.

GPA/W/341.

For a detailed analysis of the UNCITRAL Model Law and the possibility to consider social policies see Corvaglia 2017, 194 et seqq.

General Assembly resolution 66/95, Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, (17 February 1995), Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 17 and corrigendum (A/49/17 and Corr.1), Annex I.

Arrowsmith 2004, 19.

It encompasses a catalogue with legal definitions (Article 2), procedural rules (Articles 27-35), transparency/publishing requirements (see e.g. Articles 8-11 and 39, 47 and 49), provisions on the conduct of competitors (Article 7), the evaluation of the bids (Articles 11 and 43 Model) and the awarding of the tenderers (e.g. Article 23 Model Law). Moreover, it contains provisions on specific issues such as electronic reverse auctions (Articles 53-57) or framework agreement procedures (Articles 58-63).

A prerequisite for the use of options, however, is that they “do not compromise the Model Law’s essential principles and procedures”, UNCITRAL, Enactment Guide, 14 and 15.

Arrowsmith / Linarelli / Wallace, 93.

UNCITRAL Enactment Guide, 2.

Arrowsmith 2004, UNCITRAL Enactment Guide, 44.

UNCITRAL Enactment Guide, 4, notes that there is no legal definition of sustainable procurement, but does however explain that the term reflects the “consideration of the full impact of procurement on society and the environment, for example through the promotion of life-cycle costing, disposal costs and environmental impact”.

See above, Sect. 3.6.

Arrowsmith / Linarelli / Wallace, 101.

GPA/W/341, 8.

The “New Procurement Framework” of the World Bank consists of i) the Bank Policy, ii) the Bank Directive, iii) the Bank Procedure and iv) the Bank Regulations.

World Bank, Bank Policy, Chapter II, C.

World Bank, Sustainable Procurement, 1 states that “Procurement in Investment Project Financing (IPF) supports Borrowers to achieve value for money (VfM) with integrity in delivering sustainable development.”

Ibid., 3; For a detailed analysis of the World Bank procurement framework within the context of social concerns see Corvaglia 2017, 212 et seqq.

World Bank, Value for Money, 13 expressively states that the criteria of economic, social or environmental sustainability are a component of best value for money.

World Bank, Sustainable Procurement, 3.

Ibid., 5–6.

World Bank 2015, 28.

Ibid.

World Bank, Sustainable Procurement, 7.

Ibid.

Ibid.; for the nexus-criterion under the GPA see Sect. 6.4.1.4 and for the link-to the subject matter-requirement under EU law see Sect. 8.4.2.1.

World Bank, Sustainable Procurement, 21.

World Bank, Evaluation Criteria, 1.

Ibid.

World Bank, Sustainable Procurement, 36.

Ibid.

Weber 2018, 244.

Jackson 2002, 106–107.

Title: GPP and International Trade Regulation
Author: Rika Koch
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Green Public Procurement under WTO Law
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-48213-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-48214-5

Copyright Year: 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48214-5_4

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"