TULIP Consulting Year in Review - 2023 |
|
|
Editorial: Missing Pieces |
|
|
2023 has been a packed year for TULIP Consulting. A big part of this year's focus for TULIP was on identifying and addressing "missing pieces" in an increasingly complex trade and sustainable development landscape. With regards to the EU green trade agenda, pursued through mostly unilateral measures, one missing piece is the development dimension. Together with Europe Jacques Delors, TULIP has contributed to developing a "Triangle Framework" - focused on the trade, environment and development - nexus, suggesting how the EU can better integrate the development dimension in its green trade agenda going forward. To understand better specific challenges and opportunities developing countries face in the context of the green transition, TULIP has also worked closely with developing country governments, delivering workshops and training sessions in Africa and Asia, in sessions organized by the International Trade Centre and the World Bank. Many of these discussions highlighted the importance of developing trade and development approaches that enable countries to grow and create jobs while at the same time addressing climate change and other environmental challenges. Doing so requires developing pro-active and forward-looking approaches to sustainable development and industrial policy - another missing piece. As aptly put by Dani Rodrik and Stiglitz in a January 2024 paper: "we are at a turning point in development strategy. Strategies that worked well in the past are unlikely to do so in the decades ahead...New technologies, the climate challenge, and the reconfiguration of globalization require a new approach for development emphasizing two critical areas: the green transition and labor-absorbing services. Unfortunately, policy makers do not have ready-made recipes or successful models to emulate." Another key focus area of TULIP Consulting in 2023 was the circular economy. In work commissioned by OVAM, the Flanders Waste Management Agency, TULIP developed a legal framework for the EU to address excessive resource consumption - the missing piece of the EU's circular economy agenda mostly focuses on waste management. This report will be used to inform the priorities set by the Belgian government now that it has taken over the presidency of the EU Council. TULIP also completed a comprehensive study for GIZ on trade law and an inclusive circular transition for developing countries, focusing on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). TULIP also participated in the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project, contributing research on the circular economy and the textiles industry in Africa. The importance of achieving global food security has been another key theme of TULIP's work in 2023. As part of the London School of Economics Firoz Lalji Institute, TULIP has developed new research focused on how trade rules - both the WTO and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - can be leveraged to advance food security objectives in Africa. This work addressed, inter alia, trade-offs between domestic and international food security, and synergies between food security and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. This year, TULIP also had the opportunity to venture into the quantitative realm, working with the World Bank and the UK Government to code new RTAs using the methodology developed as part of the World Bank's Deep Trade Agreement Database. This methodology enables negotiators and policy makers to better understand how RTA commitments compare to other countries. TULIP would like to express thanks to its partners and clients and advisors. In particular, TULIP is grateful to its team of consultants whose hard work has been instrumental to 2023's success: Gabriela Alcantara Torres, Arianna Bondi, Sparsha Janardhan, Jayasurya Kalakkal, Patrick Low, Chanya Punyakumpol, Sunayana Sasmal, Marios Tokas, and Emma Watkins. Colette van der Ven, Founding Director January 2024, Geneva |
|
|
The Missing Piece of the EU Green Deal: The case for an EU Resources Law Commissioned by OVAM (Flanders Public Waste Agency) Authors: Colette van der Ven, Emma Watkins, Arianna Bondi December 2023 This report makes the case that, for the EU’s Green Deal to be effective, it is critical to target the root cause of the triple environmental crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss: excessive extraction, production, manufacturing and consumption of material resources. Addressing material resource consumption by establishing an EU Material Resources Law will be critical to meet the fourfold objectives set out in the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and stay within planetary boundaries. Moreover, the EU will not achieve its climate change targets without making progress on resource consumption. Click here to read the report. |
|
|
A pro-Development Green trade Agenda for COP28 Europe Jacques Delors Authors: Pascal Lamy, Genevieve Pons, Colette van der Ven, Claudia Azevedo November 2023 The 2023 UN Climate Conference (COP28) is remarkable for several reasons, one being the debut of trade in the Official COP Programme, recognizing trade’s pivotal role in climate solutions. This paper explores development-friendly approaches to greening trade, focusing on carbon pricing and border carbon schemes, and trade in transition minerals critical to achieving the green transition. Click here to read the full report. |
|
|
Leveraging Trade Agreements for an Inclusive Circular Economy Transition: Options under the World Trade Organization and Regional Trade Agreements Commissioned by GIZ Authors: Colette van der Ven, Marios Tokas September 2023 This study analyses how trade law and policy can be leveraged to achieve an inclusive transition to a global circular economy. Specifically, it explores how, from a developing country and LDC perspective, provisions in the WTO and RTAs can facilitate a circular economy transition and/or can have a constraining impact by limiting policy space for circular economy initiatives. Click here to read the report |
|
|
EU Trade and the Environment: Development as the Missing Piece of the Triangle Authors: Pascal Lamy, Genevieve Pons, Colette van der Ven, Claudia Azevedo This paper argues that the EU should acknowledge that greening its trade is affecting, and will disproportionately affect, some of its most vulnerable trading partners and re-integrate more of the development dimension in the conduct of its green trade policy. This position is not new. Yet the negative dynamics that have appeared recently deserve a strong and rapid reaction on the EU side. Designing the contours of this reaction is the purpose of this paper. Click here to read the paper |
|
|
Implications for African countries of a carbon border adjustment mechanism in the EU London School of Economics/African Climate Foundation Authors: Faten Aggad, David Luke, Jamie Macleod, Oluwasola Omojo, Geoffroy Guepie, Rob Davies, and Colette van der Ven May 2023 This joint report by the African Climate Foundation and the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is the first comprehensive study that focuses on the implications of CBAM on Africa. The report simulates aggregate effects and disaggregated effects of the CBAM on Africa. It raises concerns about the economic ramifications of the CBAM on Africa, as it is likely to hit the competitiveness of African exports, particularly industrial exports if product coverage expands over time. The legal analysis of the report that complements the economic analysis assesses these issues, including compatibility with Word Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Click here to read the report |
|
|
"Africa in the World Trade Organization" in How Africa Trades (LSE Press) Authors: Colette van der Ven and David Luke May 2023 This chapter delves into the question of how African agency at the WTO is exercised to achieve pro-development results against the backdrop of geopolitical shifts, anti-globalisation sentiments, the re-emergence of nationalism, the digital revolution and an increasingly urgent climate crisis. Click here to read the chapter |
|
|
"Africa in the World Trade Organization" in How Africa Trades (LSE Press) Authors: Colette van der Ven, Pascal Lamy, Genevieve Pons, Pierre Leturcq April 2023 This policy brief seeks to unpack key differences in the EU’s unilateral and bilateral sustainability approaches, with a focus on the objective(s) pursued, the nature of the obligations, and avenues of enforcement. Specifically, it starts with a description of the sustainability approach pursued as part of EU FTA TSD chapters and key unilateral sustainability measures, followed by a comparative overview of these two approaches, and an analysis of the implications of the differences observed with regards to ambition, legitimacy, negotiating power, and capacity building.. Click here to read the chapter |
|
|
The Case for a Global Triangle Forum at the WTO Pascal Lamy, Genevieve Pons, Colette van der Ven, Claudia Azevedo September 2023 In this article, the authors call for the development of a Global Triangle Forum to foster dialogue and cooperation on the trade, environment, and development nexus at the World Trade Organization. Click here to read the blog |
|
|
Linking Economic Transformation to Circular Economy Goals: The case of Africa's garment industry Colette van der Ven July 2023 A proactive approach is essential for African countries to embrace circular economy principles in the garment sector. This blog post explains why without it, the opportunities identified may not materialize, risking slow progress and missed economic transformation prospects. Click here to read the blog |
|
|
Why African countries struggle to exercise their agency in the World Trade Organization Colette van der Ven and David Luke May 2023 African countries suffer from severe capacity constraints in their engagement with the core functions of the World Trade Organization. To strengthen the link between the WTO and these countries’ development objectives, there is an urgent need to address deficits in the technical capacities of African missions in Geneva. Colette Van der Ven and David Luke share these and other insights from recent research on African agency in the WTO. Click here to read the blog |
|
|
Ongoing projects (selected) |
|
|
Trade and food security in Africa Firoz Lalji Institute/LSE TULIP Consulting has been collaborating with the Firoz Lalji Institute/LSE on a book project (forthcoming) focused on trade and food security in Africa. TULIP Consulting has been working on food security for Africa and the WTO, as well as on how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can be leveraged to enhance food security in the continent. |
|
|
Exploring the nexus between environmental and sustainable trade product standards OECD TULIP Consulting is working with the OECD to explore synergies between environmental policies to promote environmentally sustainable products and trade policies for global access to environmental goods and services. |
|
|
Deep Trade Agreements The World Bank TULIP Consulting is working with the World Bank to update the World Bank’s Deep Trade Agreements Database. The data collected in this Database enables countries to better understand how commitments made as part of their trade agreements have evolved over time and how these commitments compare to other countries. TULIP Consulting has also developed country-specific analysis on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and Investment commitments for Indonesia, the findings of which it presented to the Indonesian government and private sector stakeholders in Jakarta in March 2023. |
|
|
Deep Trade Agreements Department for Business and Trade (DBT)/LSE TULIP Consulting is working with DBT and the London School of Economics to code newly concluded UK RTAs using the Deep Trade Agreement Database methodology developed by the World Bank. |
|
|
Comparing and contrasting RTA commitments International Trade Centre (ITC) TULIP Consulting is advising a developing country in pre-RTA negotiations by mapping how provisions in existing EU RTAs compare to commitments already made by the country. |
|
|
Industrial policy fit for the 21st century International Trade Centre (ITC) TULIP Consulting has been working with the ITC to advise the Philippines on how to adopt green industrial policy strategy fit for the 21st century. TULIP Consulting has taught various workshops to government officials in the Philippines to discuss this and related issues. |
|
|
Presentations and workshops (selected) |
|
|
TULIP at COP28 in Dubai Tulip Consulting's Director, Colette van der Ven, had the opportunity to attend COP28 this year. She stepped in for Pascal Lamy, moderator of a panel organized by Europe Jacques Delors, focused on the trade, climate and development nexus. Panelists included Genevieve Pons (Director General and Vice President, Europe Jacques Delors) and Kurt van den Berghe (DG Clima). Watch the session here. |
|
National Exporters Week, Manila 2023 Colette van der Ven was invited to give a keynote address at the EU-Philippines Partnership Conference, organized by the International Trade Centre, as part of the NationalExportersWeek2023. The conference focused on digital transformation, trade, and green growth. Colette's presentation focused on how trade can be an enabler for a digital transformation in the Philippines. |
|
|
Greening the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Addis Ababa TULIP's Director Colette van der Ven was invited to participate in a peer review session, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission on Africa (UNECA), to provide feedback on research conducted to green the AFCFTA. |
|
|
Remaking the Global Trading System for a Sustainable Future Project - Villars Framework Launch TULIP Consulting participated in the launch of the Remaking the Global Trading Systems for a Sustainable Future Projects. The draft framework report can be accessed here. |
|
ITC workshop in Malaysia on EU green trade measures TULIP's Director Colette van der Ven joined the ITC and other experts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to teach a week-long workshop to Malaysian government officials and the private sector on the EU Green Deal, the CBAM and the EU Deforestation-Free Products Regulation. |
|
|
Food Security and Trade Workshop at LSE TULIP Consulting presented research on food security, Africa and the role of trade agreements at a 2-day LSE workshop. This research will be published in a book (forthcoming) on food security and Africa. |
|
Foresight Exercise - European Climate Foundation TULIP participated in various parts of a foresight exercise, organized by the European Climate Foundation, to sketch scenarios for the future of climate and trade. You can read the final report here. |
|
|
Implications of CBAM for Africa - ITC Colette van der Ven presented findings at the ITC from a report she co-authored on implications of CBAM for Africa. Her remarks focused on the legality of CBAM, while others presented the economics. |
|
WTO Trade and Environment Week 2023 Together with EU Jacques Delors, TULIP presented research on the trade-environment-development nexus as part of the WTO Trade and Environment week 2023. You can watch webinar here. |
|
|
Digital trade and Industrial policy - Manila Colette van der Ven joined the ITC and other experts, including TULIP Board Member Patrick Low, to Manila for a fact-finding mission and a workshop on digital trade and industrial policy. |
|
Indonesia's Regional Trade Agreements Colette joined the World Bank in Jakarta to present comparative research on Indonesia's RTAs. |
|
|
Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! | |
|
|
|
|
