Against the backdrop of global supply chains, global environmental crises and climate change, the discussion on interrelations between trade and sustainability has increasingly come to the fore. Ecologic Institute supports the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in developing politically enforceable options to strengthen sustainability obligations in trade agreements.

One reason for this is the controversial Mercosur-Association Agreement. In the current phase of negotiations, it is necessary for the BMUV to take a position on the question of possible sanction mechanisms and whether an additional agreement as proposed by the EU-Commission is considered practical.

In addition to fundamental considerations on sustainability aspects in trade agreements, Ecologic Institute supports the BMUV in positioning itself on the trade policy orientation of the EU-Commission in the "Trade Policy Review – An Open, Sustainable and Assertive Trade Policy". The questions arising in this context are of current importance regarding the ongoing negotiations to modernize the existing free trade agreement with Chile and to conclude free trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Environmental considerations are also becoming increasingly important in WTO law, and Germany must not fail to play a role in shaping this discourse.

Ecologic Institute is conducting a sound legal analysis on the issues raised in order to support the BMUV in upcoming debates with effective proposals.