UN Economic Commission for Europe

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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

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CURRENT FEATURES OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Globalization of operations
• Liberalization of trade
• Facilitation of market access
• Importance (relative) of technical barriers to
  trade

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CERTIFICATION TODAY

• Quality requirements
• Environmental requirements
• Social and Labour requirements
• Sustainable Development requirements
• WHAT NEXT ?????

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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?

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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

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DO WE NEED ECO-CERTIFICATION?

• Certification-watchdog of sustainability
• or
• Certification- barrier to trade/
• and waste of money/resources
• Whats right ?
• Let the Market decide

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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?

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PRINCIPLES

• Clear links to sustainable development
• Transparent performance indicators and standards
• Agreed vision and multi-stakeholder input
• Openness and Voluntary
• Tangible benefits
• No disguised protection

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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

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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
  eco-schemes
• Harmonization of schemes or their thresholds

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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

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Concerted efforts required to promote
benchmarking/good practices Examples from
UNECE experience
CONCLUSIONS

• 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)

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For further information, please contactSerguei
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 [phone] Fax [phone] /
  917 0037
• E-mail Serguei.Kouzmine_at_unece.org