NZ accused of breaking climate change promise with EU, but Todd McClay rejects claim
A Dutch environmental group has filed a complaint against New Zealand, alleging the country violated climate change commitments within its free trade agreement with the EU. New Zealand officials, including the Prime Minister, have rejected these claims, asserting full compliance with international obligations.
Why it matters
This case represents a potential precedent for how environmental clauses in international trade agreements are enforced and scrutinized by civil society.
A Dutch environmental group claims New Zealand has broken its climate change promises in the free trade agreement with the EU and is lodging the first complaint of its kind through the European Commission.
The group, Both ENDS, is using the complaints mechanism known as Single Entry Point and said this first climate test could be precedent setting.
The most extreme consequences could be losing access to the lucrative European market, but the group is seeking compliance rather than the suspension of trade benefits.
It claims New Zealand failed to uphold its legal commitments in the EU-NZ FTA not to weaken environmental protections in order to "encourage trade or investment," and to effectively implement the Paris Agreement.
But the Trade Minister is firing back, saying its "not for overseas countries, organisations or lobby groups to tell New Zealand how to meet its obligations".
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