We do not want governments to talk about the environment here. Surprised? Do not worry. We are not talking about the environment you care about We are talking about very specific negotiations about trade and the environment.

Today, the European Union has succeeded in reopening discussions on the relationship between WTO trade rules and global treaties protecting people and the environment. We want to know why the WTO, the very institution that created the trade rules, should decide on how these rules relate to environmental treaties? That’s like putting the fox in charge of the chickens… despite the blood and feathers already lining its mouth.

Greenpeace believes that environmental treaties – like the Kyoto Protocol that governments just decided to move ahead with in Montreal last week – must take precedence over WTO rules. If you want to know why, go here.

But we are particularly annoyed at this EU move, because it is extremely obvious that suddenly putting the environment back on the table is only a tactical move; some EU representatives will even admit this privately.

We have always predicted that if the environment is discussed inside the WTO framework, it will eventually be sold out in order to get economic concessions from other countries. It seems that we are being proved right.

The EU has, of course, always maintained that they will never sell out environmental standards at the WTO. Sadly, that lie may finally become obvious this week.

But maybe not. The fact that the EU is playing games is also becoming obvious to developing countries, who have started talking of creating a coalition of all developing countries within the WTO today.

That could mean that they have decided not to fall for the EUs ruse. Or so we hope.

Daniel Mittler