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INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
OECD DELIBERATELY IGNORES ITS COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL
REFORM OF EXPORT CREDITS
Paris, 16th May 2002 - Several international non-governmental organisations
have denounced in Paris today how the crucial topic of environmental and
social reform of export credit agencies has been fully ignored by OECD
trade ministers during their Ministerial Council Meeting.
After four years of conflicts on the definition of environmental guidelines
for ECAs the OECD negotiations within the Export Credit Group (ECG) reached
a deadlock and did not meet the G8 mandate by the 2001 deadline. In particular,
an astonishing opposition to adopt binding environmental standards for
ECA operations drawing upon the experience of multilateral development
banks came from EU countries and caused US blockage of the final agreement.
As a matter of fact, in a "reversed-Kyoto dynamics", US government
has already adopted high level environmental guidelines for its ECAs
While trade disputes on subsidies have been discussed at the OECD, Export
credit subsidies are exempted by critiques and discussion, in particular
as regards the harmonisation of environmental guidelines for ECAs. According
to Helene Ballande from Friends of the Earth France, "OECD governments
do not know how to move forward with Export credits reform.They preferred
to ignore the failure of the ECG negotiations and just to go on stating
the same old rethorics on sustainable development promotion. The OECD
lacks credibility as it is incapable of integrating the basic internationally
recognised environmental regulations in global trade and investment."
ECAs are nowadays the main public financiers of energy projects contributing
to climate change.They perpetrate environmental devastation and distruction
of local communities' livelihood worldwide. In particular, ECAs remain
a clear case of lack of coherence between trade and environmental policies
in EU countries. EU export credits benefit few large multinational companies
while fostering unsustainable development outside EU borders.
"Commissioner Pascal Lamy - said Antonio Tricarico from a coalition
of 41 Italian NGOs - go on ignoring that a lack of European commitment
for a deep environmental reform of ECAs is undermining EU credibility
vis a vis US on other important trade disputes, in particular when EU
advocated for the integration of environment protection in the trade agenda
in Doha."
NGOs have clearly suggested a way out for the current dispute between
US and EU on ECA reform while calling for a new round of negotiations
on binding sustainable development guidelines for ECAs within the OECD.
"It is time for the OECD to learn the lesson from the past - said
Aaron Goldzimer from Environmental Defense in US. A transparent negotiating
process opened to civil society groups and involving relevant committees
of this organisation with a long expertise in development and environmental
issues is needed. This is the last chance to bring a concrete and credible
commitment to the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the end of
August".
Contacts in Paris:
Antonio Tricarico tel 06 22 52 89 14
Helene Ballande tel 06 77 10 71 25
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