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The work plan of the ERT—1o prepare the path for a MAI in the WTO—includes an ERT delegation to go to the WTO and have a dialogue with them and to assist, guide and help the Commission come up with a solid document which should be acceptable to the wide audience. The ERT's new pragmatic approach includes accepting social and environmental clauses in the WTO, as Philippa explains: "We cannot circumvent. We have to accept the situation that environmental and social issues will become of more and more importance." ongoing studies. The TABD expects it will be able to have an impact on the WTO Seattle Ministerial. As Johnston explains: "Once you have a powerful agreement, even if it is the day before, that will make a difference for what the people say."® approach includes accepting social and environmental clauses in -ICC: Revolving Doors the WTO, as Philippa explains: "We cannot circumvent. We The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), one of the have to accept the situation that environmental and social issues most heavyweight corporate players behind the MAI, is also the will become of more and more importance."* international business grouping with the closest links to the WTO Secretariat. - Trans-Atlantic Business Consensus Stefano Bertasi, head of the ICC Working Group on Trade and The over 100 corporate leaders involved in the Trans-Atlantic Investment, explains: "We've always had, throughout the years, a Business Dialogue (TABD) have a formal role, advising the EU very close working relationship with the WTO, because obviously and US administrations on their positions in WTO negotiations. they deal with issues which are central to business interests. The As the crisis in the OECD MAI negotiations deepened, the ICC has always been a vector for business input into WTO work TABD was increasingly split along since its creation [and] since the creation of Atlantic lines. At the November 1998 the WTO and the beginning of the multi- TABD s it in Charlotte, North . lateral trad tiations."” Bertasi says Carolina, EU industry lobbied hard to The International Chamber of that the ICC's stratezy to influence the convince its US counterparts, who had not Commerce (ICC), one of the process "is done in two ways: directly yet Abandoned the OECD dream, to join most heavyweight corporate through the intergovernmental organisa- its offensive for an investment treaty in : . tions, and through the member govern- the WTO. According to European TABD players behind the MAI, is also ments of those organisations through our spokesperson Stephen Johnston: "We the international business national committees". have decided to work in the WTO. The grouping with the closest links Part of the explanation for the handy TABD has regrouped." to the WTO Secretariat connections with the WTO is the fact that The consensus reached within the the ICC Working Group on International TABD is reflected in the mid-year report Trade and Investment Policy is headed by that it submitted to the EU-US Summit in Arthur Dunkel, Director-General of the June 1999, in which it calls for a "broad-based" round of negotia- GATT during the Uruguay Round.” Dunkel is also a registered tions to be concluded in three years.“ The new round should be |= WTO dispute panellist and a board member of Nestlé. flexible, so that "when an agreement with a critical mass is The ICC has a long tradition of massive lobbying campaigns to reached it can be implemented, rather than waiting for the conclu- influence WTO negotiations, including a six-month campaign in sion of all other negotiations". the run-up to the first Ministerial Conference in Singapore. The TABD wish-list for the Millennium Round largely mirrors Decisions taken there to remove tariffs on information technology the EU proposal of expanding the WTO's built-in agenda (agricul- products and to establish new working groups on investment and ture, services, TRIPs) with liberalisation negotiations on a range competition "met the business agenda for further trade liberalisa- of further issues such as investment, government procurement, tion as spelled out by the ICC".” trade facilitation and industrial tariffs. The wish-list also includes In the second half of 1998, the ICC began to gear up for the so-called "deliverables", to be finalised in November/December proposed Millennium Round. "We have already had several 1999 at the Seattle Ministerial Conference—among them, contro- informal contacts with the WTO on the new issues that they are versial agreements on forest products and electronic commerce. looking at," says Bertasi.” As for environment and competition policy, the TABD is far The ICC's campaign towards the Seattle Ministerial Conference less ambitious. The mid-year report recommends continuing with was kicked off on 20 May, when a top-level ICC delegation In the annotated agenda for the Investment Network — Change, forthcoming website, www.iue.it/Personal/ _ fuelled by ever-increasing distances between pro- meeting of 5 March, the EC explains the purpose of _ Risse/Rissedoc/cowles.doc. ducers and consumers, are a major contributor to the process: "The current discussions between 55. Maucher, Helmut, "Ruling by Consent", guest health-threatening pollution and dangerous climate WTO partners show us that it will be difficult to column, Financial Times, 6 December 1997, FT change. See, for instance, "The Environmental move forward on all fronts in Geneva as regards our —_ Exporter, p. 2. Impacts of Economic Globalisation", forthcoming interests in investment issues. It is therefore crucial 56. UNICE, "Forthcoming WTO Multilateral study by the International Forum on Globalization, for EU negotiators to know where the priorities of Negotiations. Preliminary UNICE Objectives", 16 San Francisco. European businesses really lie, with a view to build- July 1998. 58. ERT, "European Industry: A Partner for the ing up a negotiation strategy in the longer term." 57. Through numerous combined impacts, econom- Developing World", Brussels, 1993. 52. ESN, "GATS 2000: Opening markets for ser- ic globalisation poses a fundamental threat to 59. Interview with Wim Philippa, Brussels, 16 vices", leaflet. ecosystems at the local, regional and global levels. December 1998. 53. Sir Leon Brittan, in a speech delivered at the To feed highly unsustainable production and con- 60. Peter Sutherland is former Irish Justice first meeting of the European Services Network, sumption patterns, initially in the rich industrialised Minister, was EU Competition Commissioner from Brussels, 26 January 1999, http://gats-info.eu.int/ countries but now becoming increasingly globalised, 1985 to 1989 and GATT/WTO Director-General gats-info/gatsesn.pl?. corporations continue to exploit irreplaceable natural from 1993 to 1995. 54. Cowles, Maria Green, "The TABD and resources in the remaining pristine corners of the 61. Interview with Wim Philippa, Brussels, 16 Domestic Business-Government Relations: world. Intensive and destructive agricultural and December 1998. Challenge and Opportunity", draft, to be published fishery practices are replicated worldwide, causing 62. ibid. in: Maria Green Cowles, James Caporaso and huge environmental damage and threatening local 63. Interview with Stephen Johnston, Brussels, 26 Thomas Risse (eds), Europeanisation and Domestic _ food security. Sky-rocketing volumes of transport, January 1999. NEXUS - 25 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2000