Article 20.15. Transition to a Low Emissions and Resilient Economy
1. The Parties acknowledge that transition to a low emissions economy requires collective action.
2. The Parties recognise that each Party's actions to transition to a low emissions economy should reflect domestic circumstances and capabilities and, consistent with Article 20.12 (Cooperation Frameworks), Parties shall cooperate to address matters of joint or common interest. Areas of cooperation may include, but are not limited to: energy efficiency; development of cost-effective, low emissions technologies and alternative, clean and renewable energy sources; sustainable transport and sustainable urban infrastructure development; addressing deforestation and forest degradation; emissions monitoring; market and non-market mechanisms; low emissions, resilient development and sharing of information and experiences in addressing this issue. Further, the Parties shall, as appropriate, engage in cooperative and capacity-building activities related to transitioning to a low emissions economy.
Article 20.16. Marine Capture Fisheries (10)
1. The Parties acknowledge their role as major consumers, producers and traders of fisheries products and the importance of the marine fisheries sector to their development and to the livelihoods of their fishing communities, including artisanal or small-scale fisheries. The Parties also acknowledge that the fate of marine capture fisheries is an urgent resource problem facing the international community. Accordingly, the Parties recognise the importance of taking measures aimed at the conservation and the sustainable management of fisheries.
2. In this regard, the Parties acknowledge that inadequate fisheries management, fisheries subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (UU) fishing (11) can have significant negative impacts on trade, development and the environment and recognise the need for individual and collective action to address the problems of overfishing and unsustainable utilisation of fisheries resources.
3. Accordingly, each Party shall seek to operate a fisheries management system that regulates marine wild capture fishing and that is designed to:
(a) prevent overfishing and overcapacity;
(b) reduce bycatch of non-target species and juveniles, including through the regulation of fishing gear that results in bycatch and the regulation of fishing in areas where bycatch is likely to occur; and
(c) promote the recovery of overfished stocks for all marine fisheries in which that Party's persons conduct fishing activities.
Such a management system shall be based on the best scientific evidence available and on internationally recognised best practices for fisheries management and conservation as reflected in the relevant provisions of international instruments aimed at ensuring the sustainable use and conservation of marine species. (12)
4. Each Party shall promote the long-term conservation of sharks, marine turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, through the implementation and effective enforcement of conservation and management measures. Such measures should include, as appropriate:
(a) for sharks: the collection of species specific data, fisheries bycatch mitigation measures, catch limits, and finning prohibitions; and
(11) The term "illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing" is to be understood to have the same meaning as paragraph 3 of the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (2001 IUU Fishing Plan of Action) of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), adopted in Rome, 2001.
(12) These instruments include, among others, and as they may apply, UNCLOS, the United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, done at New York, December 4, 1995 (UN Fish Stocks Agreement), the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the 1993 FAO Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas, (Compliance Agreement) done at Rome, November 24, 1993 and the 2001 IUU Fishing Plan of Action.
(b) for marine turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals: fisheries bycatch mitigation measures, conservation and relevant management measures, prohibitions, and other measures in accordance with relevant international agreements to which the Party is party.
5. The Parties recognise that the implementation of a fisheries management system that is designed to prevent overfishing and overcapacity and to promote the recovery of overfished stocks must include the control, reduction and eventual elimination of all subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity. To that end, no Party shall grant or maintain any of the following subsidies (13) within the meaning of Article 1.1 of the SCM Agreement that are specific within the meaning of Article 2 of the SCM Agreement:
(a) subsidies for fishing (14) that negatively affect (15) fish stocks that are in an overfished (16) condition; and
(b) subsidies provided to any fishing vessel (17) while listed by the flag State or a relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisation or Arrangement for IUU fishing in accordance with the rules and procedures of that organisation or arrangement and in conformity with international law.
6. Subsidy programmes that are established by a Party before the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party and which are inconsistent with paragraph 5(a) shall be brought into conformity with that paragraph as soon as possible and no later than three years (18) of the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party.
7. In relation to subsidies that are not prohibited by paragraph 5(a) or 5(b), and taking into consideration a Party's social and developmental priorities, including food security concerns, each Party shall make best efforts to refrain from introducing new, or extending or enhancing existing, subsidies within the meaning of Article 1.1 of the SCM Agreement, to the extent they are specific within the meaning of Article 2 of the SCM Agreement, that contribute to overfishing or overcapacity.
8. With a view to achieving the objective of eliminating subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity, the Parties shall review the disciplines in paragraph 5 at regular meetings of the Committee.
9. Each Party shall notify the other Parties, within one year of the date of entry into force of this Agreement for it and every two years thereafter, of any subsidy within the meaning of Article 1.1 of the SCM Agreement that is specific within the meaning of Article 2 of the SCM Agreement, that the Party grants or maintains to persons engaged in fishing or fishing related activities.
10. These notifications shall cover subsidies provided within the previous two- year period and shall include the information required under Article 25.3 of the SCM Agreement and, to the extent possible, the following information: (19)
(a) programme name;
(b) legal authority for the programme;
(c) catch data by species in the fishery for which the subsidy is provided;
(d) status of the fish stocks in the fishery for which the subsidy is provided (for example, overexploited, depleted, fully exploited, recovering or underexploited);
(e) fleet capacity in the fishery for which the subsidy is provided;
(f) conservation and management measures in place for the relevant fish stock; and
(g) total imports and exports per species.
11. Each Party shall also provide, to the extent possible, information in relation to other fisheries subsidies that the Party grants or maintains that are not covered by paragraph 5, in particular fuel subsidies.
12. A Party may request additional information from the notifying Party regarding the notifications under paragraphs 9 and 10. The notifying Party shall respond to that request as quickly as possible and in a comprehensive manner.
13. The Parties recognise the importance of concerted international action to address IUU fishing as reflected in regional and international instruments (20) and shall endeavour to improve cooperation internationally in this regard, including with and through competent international organisations.
14. In support of efforts to combat IUU fishing practices and to help deter trade in products from species harvested from those practices, each Party shall:
(a) cooperate with other Parties to identify needs and to build capacity to support the implementation of this Article;
(b) support monitoring, control, surveillance, compliance and enforcement systems, including by adopting, reviewing, or revising, as appropriate measures to:
(i) deter vessels that are flying its flag and its nationals from engaging in IUU fishing activities; and
(ii) address the transhipment at sea of fish or fish products caught through IUU fishing activities;
(c) implement port State measures;
(d) strive to act consistently with relevant conservation and management measures adopted by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations of which it is not a member so as not to undermine those measures; and
(e) endeavour not to undermine catch or trade documentation schemes operated by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations or Arrangements or an intergovernmental organisation whose scope includes the management of shared fisheries resources, including straddling and highly migratory species, where that Party is not a member of those organisations or arrangements.
15. Consistent with Article 26.2.2 (Publication), a Party shall, to the extent possible, provide other Parties the opportunity to comment on proposed measures that are designed to prevent trade in fisheries products that results from IUU fishing.
Article 20.17. Conservation and Trade
1. The Parties affirm the importance of combating the illegal take (21) of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora, and acknowledge that this trade undermines efforts to conserve and sustainably manage those natural resources, has social consequences, distorts legal trade in wild fauna and flora, and reduces the economic and environmental value of these natural resources.
2. Accordingly, each Party shall adopt, maintain and implement laws, regulations and any other measures to fulfil its obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (22) (23) (24)
3. The Parties commit to promote conservation and to combat the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora. To that end, the Parties shall:
(a) exchange information and experiences on issues of mutual interest related to combating the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora, including combating illegal logging and associated illegal trade, and promoting the legal trade in associated products;
(b) undertake, as appropriate, joint activities on conservation issues of mutual interest, including through relevant regional and international fora; and
(c) endeavour to implement, as appropriate, CITES resolutions that aim to protect and conserve species whose survival is threatened by international trade.
4. Each Party further commits to:
(a) take appropriate measures to protect and conserve wild fauna and flora that it has identified to be at risk within its territory, including measures to conserve the ecological integrity of specially protected natural areas, for example wetlands;
(b) maintain or strengthen government capacity and institutional frameworks to promote sustainable forest management and wild fauna and flora conservation, and endeavour to enhance public participation and transparency in these institutional frameworks; and
(c) endeavour to develop and strengthen cooperation and consultation with interested non-governmental entities in order to enhance implementation of measures to combat the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora.
5, In a further effort to address the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora, including parts and products thereof, each Party shall take measures to combat, and cooperate to prevent, the trade of wild fauna and flora that, based on credible evidence (25), were taken or traded in violation of that Party's law, the primary purpose of which is to conserve, protect, or manage wild fauna or flora. Such measures shall include sanctions, penalties, or other effective measures, including administrative measures, that can act as a deterrent to such trade. In addition, each Party shall endeavour to take measures to combat the trade of wild fauna and flora transhipped through its territory that, based on credible evidence, were illegally taken or traded.
6. The Parties recognise that each Party retains the right to exercise administrative, investigatory and enforcement discretion in its implementation of paragraph 5, including by taking into account in relation to each situation the strength of the available evidence and the seriousness of the suspected violation. In addition, the Parties recognise that in implementing paragraph 5, each Party retains the right to make decisions regarding the allocation of administrative, investigatory and enforcement resources.
7. In order to promote the widest measure of law enforcement cooperation and information sharing between the Parties to combat the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora, the Parties shall endeavour to identify opportunities, consistent with their respective law and in accordance with applicable international agreements, to enhance law enforcement cooperation and information sharing, for example by creating and participating in law enforcement networks.
Article 20.18. Environmental Goods and Services
1. The Parties recognise the importance of trade and investment in environmental goods and services as a means of improving environmental and economic performance and addressing global environmental challenges.
2. The Parties further recognise the importance of this Agreement to promoting trade and investment in environmental goods and services in the free trade area.
3. Accordingly, the Committee shall consider issues identified by a Party or Parties related to trade in environmental goods and services, including issues identified as potential non-tariff barriers to that trade. The Parties shall endeavour to address any potential barriers to trade in environmental goods and services that may be identified by a Party, including by working through the Committee and in conjunction with other relevant committees established under this Agreement, as appropriate.
4. The Parties may develop bilateral and plurilateral cooperative projects on environmental goods and services to address current and future global trade- related environmental challenges.
Article 20.19. Environment Committee and Contact Points
1. Each Party shall designate and notify a contact point from its relevant authorities within 90 days of the date of entry into force of this Agreement for it, in order to facilitate communication between the Parties in the implementation of this Chapter. Each Party shall promptly notify the other Parties in the event of any change to its contact point.
2. The Parties establish an Environment Committee (Committee) composed of senior government representatives, or their designees, of the relevant trade and environment national authorities of each Party responsible for the implementation of this Chapter.
3. The purpose of the Committee is to oversee the implementation of this Chapter and its functions shall be to:
(a) provide a forum to discuss and review the implementation of this Chapter;
(b) provide periodic reports to the Commission regarding the implementation of this Chapter;
(c) provide a forum to discuss and review cooperative activities under this Chapter;
(d) consider and endeavour to resolve matters referred to it under Article 20.21 (Senior Representative Consultations);
(e) coordinate with other committees established under this Agreement as appropriate; and
(f) perform any other functions as the Parties may decide.
4. The Committee shall meet within one year of the date of entry into force of this Agreement. Thereafter, the Committee shall meet every two years unless the Committee agrees otherwise. The Chair of the Committee and the venue of its meetings shall rotate among each of the Parties in English alphabetical order, unless the Committee agrees otherwise.
5. All decisions and reports of the Committee shall be made by consensus, unless the Committee agrees otherwise or unless otherwise provided in this Chapter.
6. All decisions and reports of the Committee shall be made available to the public, unless the Committee agrees otherwise.
7. During the fifth year after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Committee shall:
(a) review the implementation and operation of this Chapter;
(b) report its findings, which may include recommendations, to the Parties and the Commission; and
(c) undertake subsequent reviews at intervals to be decided by the Parties.
8. The Committee shall provide for public input on matters relevant to the Committee's work, as appropriate, and shall hold a public session at each meeting.
9. The Parties recognise the importance of resource efficiency in the implementation of this Chapter and the desirability of using new technologies to facilitate communication and interaction between the Parties and with the public.
Article 20.20. Environment Consultations
1. The Parties shall at all times endeavour to agree on the interpretation and application of this Chapter, and shall make every effort through dialogue, consultation, exchange of information and, if appropriate, cooperation to address any matter that might affect the operation of this Chapter.
2. A Party (the requesting Party) may request consultations with any other Party (the responding Party) regarding any matter arising under this Chapter by delivering a written request to the responding Party's contact point. The requesting Party shall include information that is specific and sufficient to enable the responding Party to respond, including identification of the matter at issue and an indication of the legal basis for the request. The requesting Party shall circulate its request for consultations to the other Parties through their respective contact points.
3. A Party other than the requesting or the responding Party that considers it has a substantial interest in the matter (a participating Party) may participate in the consultations by delivering a written notice to the contact point of the requesting and responding Parties no later than seven days after the date of circulation of the request for consultations. The participating Party shall include in its notice an explanation of its substantial interest in the matter.
4. Unless the requesting and the responding Parties (the consulting Parties) agree otherwise, the consulting Parties shall enter into consultations promptly, and no later than 30 days after the date of receipt by the responding Party of the request.
5. The consulting Parties shall make every effort to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution to the matter, which may include appropriate cooperative activities. The consulting Parties may seek advice or assistance from any person or body they deem appropriate in order to examine the matter.
Article 20.21. Senior Representative Consultations
1. If the consulting Parties have failed to resolve the matter under Article 20.20 (Environment Consultations), a consulting Party may request that the Committee representatives from the consulting Parties convene to consider the matter by delivering a written request to the contact point of the other consulting Party or Parties. At the same time, the consulting Party making the request shall circulate the request to the contact points of other Parties.
2. The Committee representatives from the consulting Parties shall promptly convene following the delivery of the request, and shall seek to resolve the matter including, if appropriate, by gathering relevant scientific and technical information from governmental or non-governmental experts. Committee representatives from any other Party that considers it has a substantial interest in the matter may participate in the consultations.
Article 20.22. Ministerial Consultations
1. If the consulting Parties have failed to resolve the matter under Article 20.21 (Senior Representative Consultations), a consulting Party may refer the matter to the relevant Ministers of the consulting Parties who shall seek to resolve the matter.
2. Consultations pursuant to Article 20.20 (Environment Consultations), Article 20.21 (Senior Representative Consultations) and this Article may be held in person or by any technological means available as agreed by the consulting Parties. If in person, consultations shall be held in the capital of the responding Party, unless the consulting Parties agree otherwise.
3. Consultations shall be confidential and without prejudice to the rights of any Party in any future proceedings.
Article 20.23. Dispute Resolution
1. If the consulting Parties have failed to resolve the matter under Article 20.20 (Environment Consultations), Article 20.21 (Senior Representative Consultations) and Article 20.22 (Ministerial Consultations) within 60 days after the date of receipt of a request under Article 20.20, or any other period as the consulting Parties may agree, the requesting Party may request consultations under Article 28.5 (Consultations) or request the establishment of a panel under Article 28.7 (Establishment of a Panel).
2. Notwithstanding Article 28.15 (Role of Experts), in a dispute arising under Article 20.17.2 (Conservation and Trade) a panel convened under Chapter 28 (Dispute Settlement) shall:
(a) seek technical advice or assistance, if appropriate, from an entity authorised under CITES to address the particular matter, and provide the consulting Parties with an opportunity to comment on any such technical advice or assistance received; and
(b) provide due consideration to any interpretive guidance received pursuant to subparagraph (a) on the matter to the extent appropriate in light of its nature and status in making its findings and determinations under Article 28.17.4 (Initial Report).
3. Before a Party initiates dispute settlement under this Agreement for a matter arising under Article 20.3.4 (General Commitments) or Article 20.3.6, that Party shall consider whether it maintains environmental laws that are substantially equivalent in scope to the environmental laws that would be the subject of the dispute.
4. If a Party requests consultations with another Party under Article 20.20 (Environment Consultations) for a matter arising under Article 20.3.4 (General Commitments) or Article 20.3.6, and the responding Party considers that the requesting Party does not maintain environmental laws that are substantially equivalent in scope to the environmental laws that would be the subject of the dispute, the Parties shall discuss the issue during the consultations.
ANNEX 20-A.
For Australia, the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989.
For Brunei Darussalam, the Customs (Prohibition and Restriction on Imports and Exports), Order.
For Canada, the Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).
For Chile, Supreme Decree N° 238 (1990) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Law N° 20.096.
For Japan, the Law concerning the Protection of the Ozone Layer through the Control of Specified Substances and Other Measures (Law No. 53, 1988).
For Malaysia, the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
For Mexico, the General Law on Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente (LGEEPA), under Title IV Environmental Protection, Chapter I and II regarding federal enforcement of atmospheric provisions.
For New Zealand, the Ozone Layer Protection Act 1996.
For Peru, the Supreme Decree No. 033-2000-ITINCI.
For Singapore, the Environmental Protection and Management Act, including regulations made thereunder.
For the United States, 42 U.S.C §§ 7671-7671q (Stratospheric Ozone Protection).
For Viet Nam, the Law on Environmental Protection 2014; Joint Circular No. 47/2011/TTLT-BCT-BTNMT dated 30 December 2011 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, regulating the management of import, export and temporary import for re-export of ozone depleting substances according to the Montreal Protocol; Decision No. 15/2006/QD-BTNMT dated 08 September 2006 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, issuing a list of refrigeration equipment using chlorofluorocarbons prohibited for import.
ANNEX 20-B.
For Australia, the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 and the Navigation Act 2012.
For Brunei Darussalam, the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Order 2005; the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea (Oil) Regulations 2008; and the Prevention of the Pollution of the Seas (Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk) Regulations, 2008.
For Canada, the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and its related regulations.
For Chile, the Decree N° 1.689 (1995) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For Japan, the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disasters (Law No. 136, 1970).
For Malaysia, the Act 515 Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution) Act 1994; Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 (amended in 2007 by Act A316); and the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
For Mexico, Article 132 of the General Law on Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente (LGEEPA).
For New Zealand, the Maritime Transport Act 1994.
For Peru, the Decree Law No. 22703; and the 1978 Protocol by Decree Law No. 22954 (March 26, 1980).
For Singapore, the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including regulations made thereunder.
For the United States, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, 33 U.S.C §§ 1901- 1915.
For Viet Nam, the Law on Environmental Protection 2014; the Maritime Code 2005; Circular 50/2012/TT-BGTVT dated 19 December 2012 of the Ministry of Transport, regulating the management of receiving and processing oil-containing liquid waste from sea vessels at Viet Nam's sea ports; the National Technical Regulation on Marine Pollution Prevention Systems of Ships QCVN 26: 2014/BGTVT.
Chapter 21. COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING
Article 21.1. General Provisions
1. The Parties acknowledge the importance of cooperation and capacity building activities and shall undertake and strengthen these activities to assist in implementing this Agreement and enhancing its benefits, which are intended to accelerate economic growth and development.
2. The Parties recognise that cooperation and capacity building activities may be undertaken between two or more Parties, on a mutually agreed basis, and shall seck to complement and build on existing agreements or arrangements between them.
3. The Parties also recognise that the involvement of the private sector is important in these activities, and that SMEs may require assistance in participating in global markets.
Article 21.2. Areas of Cooperation and Capacity Building
1. The Parties may undertake and strengthen cooperation and capacity building activities to assist in:
(a) implementing the provisions of this Agreement;
(b) enhancing each Party's ability to take advantage of the economic opportunities created by this Agreement; and