The negotiation of the World Trade Organization(WTO) Environmental Goods Agreement(EGA) for tariff elimination of environmental goods has been regularized. The Korean government proposed 43 items for tariff elimination including LED lighting, lithium ion accumulators, metal silicon, etc.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on April 5th, as a result of the EGA pre-negotiation stage 1, 10 fields and over 580 items have been classified as potential candidates for tariff elimination. Based on this, EGA member states begin negotiations by item next month.

EGA is a environmental product liberalization negotiation that 14 countries including Korea started since last year’s Davos Forum in January. The U.S.A.·EU·Japan·Australia·China etc. have participated from the beginning. Israel·Turkey·Iceland have joined later on, and thus, 17 countries are currently proceeding the negotiation.

EGA member states have singled out 10 fields and around 580 items through five pre-negotiations since last July. The 10 fields include △Air Pollution Management △Fluid·Solid Waste Management △Environmental Restoration·Purification △Clean·Renewable Energy △Energy Efficiency △Eco-friendly Products etc.

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<Metal Silicon>

The Korean government submitted 43 candidate items for tariff elimination that have industrial competitiveness and technical skills based on environmental benefits. LED lighting, carbon fiber, gas boiler, lithium ion accumulator, metal silicon, and more were included.

Member states begin negotiation by item next month. After that, there are additional negotiations in June and July. Tariff eliminated items are selected by examining their environmental credibility and the approval of member countries. Without a particularly targeted amount, all items that arrive at an arrangement will be listed for tariff elimination.

Once an item is listed for tariff elimination, the 17 member states eliminate its tariff immediately or in stages. Non-member countries may also enjoy the non-tariff benefit when exporting to EGA member countries.

Member states have set settlement through the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, which will be held in December, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties as their goal. Some say settlement within the year seems difficult, as opinions differ on opening certain items.

The government has organized a public and private joint Task Force(TF) centering the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Ministry of Environment to effectively respond to EGA negotiations. They had a meeting on April 3rd and discussed negotiation strategies for each item.

The government has announced that they will actively participate in the liberalization negotiation for environmental goods and specify negotiation strategies maximizing our actual profit.

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<※ Data: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy>