BERLIN, May 17: Free trade agreements have to do more than just cut tariffs, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told trade unionists today, adding that environmental, consumer protection and dispute resolution standards were also essential.
“A modern trade agreement has to be about more than cutting tariffs,” she told the Labour 20 conference of international trade unions.
“It should also be about environmental and consumer standards and should have transparent conflict resolution mechanisms.
” She warned that protectionism risked “hurting everyone” in a world in which 450 million jobs were dependent on global supply chains.
“They begin with natural resource extraction and then pass through many hands in different countries before coming finally to a sellable product.
REUTERS
What Happens When China and India Both Claim the Global South?
Introduction Increasingly, the Global South is expected to adopt a common position in a time when global fault lines seem...
Read moreDetails
