Ecological and social minimum standards Sample Clauses

Ecological and social minimum standards. At present products can be imported and exported regardless of how, by whom and under what con- ditions they were produced. The WTO's disregard of human rights, internationally accepted labour stand- ards, and environmentally-friendly production methods counteracts sustainable rural development at a global level. Therefore the consid- eration of these standards in the international trade system must be enforced. The undersigned organizations have fundamental reservations about the agenda for the agriculture negotiations as it is predefined by an imbalance of powers as well as intransparent and un- democratic decision-making procedures in the WTO, and as it counteracts the ob- jectives outlined above. A fundamental reorientation is required in order to achieve these objectives. As a first step it will be necessary to avoid an escalation of the negative impact exerted by the in- ternational agricultural trade rules. A deficient new Agreement on Agriculture has the potential to cause enormous damage. In order to prevent a deteriora- tion resulting from a biased agreement the existing scope for negotiations must be fully utilized.