Does importing more sheep meat and dairy from New Zealand contribute to tackling climate change? How is this coherent when consumers are advised to shift more to plant-based diets?

In recent years, the EU has negotiated trade agreements with countries all over the world. A recent agreement with New Zealand was announced as having the “most ambitious sustainability commitments in a free trade agreement ever”. While consumer organisations see some progress through stronger sustainable development chapters, the deal does raise sustainability questions. We also observe that the EU’s trading partners regularly criticise some of its sustainability measures, such as the new deforestation law.

Through trade policy the European Commission wants to “strengthen the capacity of trade to support the (…) climate transition”, it said in 2021. BEUC wondered how far this is truly the case, and whether this policy can accelerate or rather impede a move to more sustainable forms of consumption. This is crucial for the Green Deal to deliver on its promises.

We therefore commissioned a study to look at the less-researched parts of the nexus between trade and the Green Deal, including topics such as World Trade Organization rules, tariff reductions, and chapters on technical barriers and sanitary measures.

During this event, we will present the study’s findings and explain how this is relevant for consumers. We are inviting leading policymakers to respond, and BEUC will make suggestions for how the 2024-2029 European Commission and Parliament can align trade and sustainability policy.
 

Speakers include:

•    Bernd Lange, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee
•    Daniel Mes, Member of Cabinet of European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra
•    Monique Goyens, Director General at BEUC
•    Léa Auffret, Senior International Affairs Officer at BEUC

The event will be moderated by Jack Parrock.

Venue note: ‘The Office’ is an event space at the ground floor of Rue d’Arlon 80 in Brussels. This is not to be confused with BEUC’s own offices, which are in the same building.