EC CHALLENGES BRAZIL AT THE WTO OVER RETREADED TIRES
CIVIL SOCIETY AND EXPERTS MEET TO DISCUSS TRADE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT
On May 18, 2006, CIEL, along with its partners -- Conectas Direitos Humanos; Escola de Direito Fundação Getúlio Vargas (DireitoGV) and Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais para o Meio Ambiente e o Desenvolvimento (FBOMS) -- will organize a workshop in Sao Paulo, Brazil to discuss key issues in the Brazil-Retreaded Tires Case at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Participants include civil society organizations, local government officials, and experts.

The main topics that will be discussed at the workshop include the environmental and health effects of tire disposal in Brazil and worldwide, the legal issues before the WTO Panel, the Mercosur Arbitral Awards on trade in retreaded tires, and the importance of transparency and participation in WTO Dispute Settlement.


Background of Brazil--Retreaded Tires case:

The European Commission (EC) is challenging Brazil's ban on the importation of retreaded tires at the WTO. Brazil is defending its import ban on environmental and human health reasons.

Because Brazil already has a large amount of tire waste in its territory and considerable difficulties dealing with this waste, additional tire waste resulting from the import of retreaded tires would aggravate the environmental and public health risks associated to tire disposal. Tires contain highly combustible and polluting materials, and their incineration releases toxic gases, which contaminate soil, water and air. Tires also contribute to the propagation of tropical diseases as they provide breading grounds for mosquitoes that transmit serious diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, and in particular, "dengue," putting Brazil's citizens at risk and increasing public health costs.


For more information on the background of the case, see CIEL's Background Paper:
The Brazil - Retreaded Tires Case (March 2006)

The draft agenda for the workshop is available here.


For more information on the workshop, see:

Vitae Civilis -- Eventos: Seminário: Participação da Sociedade Civil; and
Conectasur: Participação da Sociedade Civil: Comércio, Saúde e Meio Ambiente na OMC


For more information, contact:

  • In Washington, DC, United States: Marcos A. Orellana at CIEL, morellana@ciel.org, or +1-202-785-8700;

  • In São Paulo, Brazil, Juana Kweitel at Conectas, juana.kweitel@conectas.org, (5511) 38847440; and
    Michelle Ratton Sanchez at Getulio Vargas Foundation Law School in São Paulo, Brazil (DireitoGV). : mratton@fgvsp.br, +55 11 3281-3424.


This page last modified on 11 May 2006