These negotiations aim to reaffirm the importance of trade and environmental policy in the interests of both areas. They focus on how WTO rules apply to WTO members who are parties to environmental agreements, including clarifying the link between certain trade measures taken under environmental agreements and WTO rules. The themes covered in these agreements are very broad: biodiversity and nature protection, climate change, protection of the ozone layer, desertification, chemical and waste management, cross-border water and air pollution, environmental policy (including impact studies, access to information and public participation), work accidents, maritime and river safety, environmental responsibility. There are more than 250 multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) that deal with various environmental issues that are currently in force. About 20 of them contain provisions that could affect trade. They may include, for example, measures prohibiting trade in certain types or products or allowing countries to restrict trade in certain circumstances. In addition to examining the link between specific trade commitments in environmental agreements and WTO rules, the negotiations also examined procedures for MEA secretariats and regular WTO information exchange committees. In addition, the main light reference agreements have also been grouped according to general environmental themes according to the structure of the situation plan. It is the only standardization text available to the many regulators and regulators who participate in the environmental regulatory negotiations each year. Anyone involved in environmental negotiations – including business and public sector leaders, students in environmental policy, environmental management and corporate governance — will find the book an essential resource.

The book begins with an overview of the mutual benefit approach and presents important concepts and ideas of negotiation theory as well as the theory and practice of mediation. The authors then propose five types of negotiations from their MIT-Harvard Public Disputes seminar, followed by a series of negotiated real environmental agreements illustrating the type of possible outcomes if the mutual benefit approach is applied. A collection of leading expert writings provides valuable insight into the process and the annexes provide instructions for conducting model negotiations and analyzing the actual results of previous seminars. Most environmental problems are cross-border and often global and can only be effectively addressed through international cooperation. That is why the Lisbon Treaty stipulates that one of the main objectives of the EU`s environmental policy is to promote action at the international level to address regional or global environmental problems, and in particular to combat climate change. The EU is actively involved in the development, ratification and implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.