ABSTRACT
Issues relating to trade and/or the environment have been addressed in key multilateral, bilateral, or regional agreements. The World Trade Organization, which replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995, is a major multilateral agreement on international trade. Environmental exceptions to GATT allow nations to adopt programs “necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health” or relating to the “conservation of exhaustible natural resources if such measures are made effective in conjunction with restrictions on domestic production or consumption.” The Preamble sets out the goals, principles, and aspirations on which the Agreement is based. It recognizes a tradition of cooperation on the environment, and expresses a commitment to support and build on international environmental agreements and on existing institutions. The Council, the governing institution of the Commission, will be composed of cabinet-level officers or equivalent representatives of the Parties.
