International trade agreements : the interplay between trade and the environment

Details

Supervisors

Vannoorenberghe, Gonzague

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences économiques, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Trade has always played an important role in promoting economic development and encouraging peaceful dialogue between countries. After the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995, a new approach to trade started to emerge, both the number and the complexity of trade agreements increased significantly. The rising number of modern trade agreements covers an everwider array of policy areas, going far beyond the conventional reduction of tariffs by also addressing the protection and conservation of the environment. Environmental provisions can be used as decisive policy tools to back the green transition and leverage synergies between the economic and environmental effects. The focus of this thesis is understanding how those type of agreements take shape and what kind of practical effects they bring to economies and ecosystems of signatories.