Stručni rad
https://doi.org/10.22598/iele.2024.11.2.10
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: TOOL TO PROMOTE CLIMATE – SMART AND SUSTAINABLE TRADE
Katerina Toshevska-Trpchevska
orcid.org/0000-0001-5778-7105
; Faculty of Economics – Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
Weng Chi Lei
; Faculty of Business and Law, University of Saint Joseph, Macau, Peoples Republic of China
Ljuben Kocev
orcid.org/0000-0002-5039-6643
; Faculty of Economics – Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
*
Jasna Tonovska
orcid.org/0000-0002-8150-7633
; Faculty of Economics – Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Balancing economic prosperity with environmental sustainability is crucial in today’s global landscape. As climate change poses urgent challenges, economic development remains a priority, particularly in disadvantaged regions. This paper examines the rise of environmental and climate-related provisions in trade agreements, focusing on the Asia-Pacific and Western Balkans regions. Historically, trade agreements had minimal environmental focus, but recent trends show a surge in such provisions, reflecting a growing recognition of environmental challenges. The Asia-Pacific region, heavily impacted by climate change, increasingly incorporates environmental clauses in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), as seen in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Similarly, amid European Union integration, the Western Balkans embed environmental clauses in trade pacts like Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA-2006), influenced by EU accession aspirations. The paper examines the emergence of environmental and climate-smart provisions in free trade agreements, before focusing on regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Western Balkans. In addition, a qualitative analysis using NVivo 14 software is conducted, employing text search and word frequency analyses, to assess regional trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific and Western Balkan countries. The results show varying levels of commitment to environmental standards across the examined agreements, with the Asia-Pacific countries generally showing greater integration of climate considerations compared to the Western Balkans. Going forward, broader cooperation is essential for fostering sustainable trade practices globally.
Ključne riječi
regional trade agreements; climate-smart trade; sustainable trade; Asia-Pacific countries; Western Balkans countries; NVivo software
Hrčak ID:
327009
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.12.2024.
Posjeta: 883 *