Trading off climate: how conventional trade interests shape climate discussions at PTA committees

Debates over the role of trade policy in addressing climate change have gained steam in recent years. One proposed mechanism that might lead to improved climate outcomes runs through preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and their committees, which may provide a forum for ambitious actors to promote higher standards. So far, we know little about whether and when such promotion occurs at PTA committees. The paper argues that at the PTA implementation stage, where public scrutiny has largely subsided and climate-minded actors are in a weakened position, conventional trade interests, rather than genuine climate concerns, shape discussions of climate issues between the parties. An analysis of minutes from committee meetings under 19 European Union PTAs, supported by interview evidence, shows that the parties discuss climate issues routinely and extensively, but that especially with its major trade partners, the EU discusses climate issues primarily in connection to, and prioritizes, trade interests, notably the advancement and safeguarding of market access for EU companies. Only with smaller trade partners is climate more often discussed ‘in its own right’. Opening the black box of PTA committees, the paper speaks to debates about issue linkages and tensions between conventional trade and other interests in trade agreements.