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SESSION 15 | PANEL INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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International trade has numerous effects on economic, ecological and social sustainability. Around 35% of manufacturing jobs in Austria are secured by export firms, which ensure high living standards for 1.5 million employees. With a turnover of EUR 9.7 billion (2015) and an export share of 72% Austria’s environmental technology industry contributes to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals globally.

Globalization and trade contribute globally to higher incomes. Furthermore, studies indicate that environmental damage is in many cases reduced once a certain per capita GDP has been reached, e.g. due to behavioural changes. Thus, already the income enhancing effects from global trade can contribute to ecological sustainability.

Through globalization and the related transfer of innovative technologies and know how, enterprises and private individuals receive the tools and goods needed to reduce emissions and to mitigate the negative effects from climate change. This process also allows to render production processes cleaner.

Trade agreements are an important route for the EU to foster sustainable development globally. They support the ratification and effective implementation of multilateral agreements such as the Paris Agreement or the ILO Core Labour Standards, thus strengthening the international agenda for sustainable development and spreading high environmental and social standards globally.

Measures motivated by ecological sustainability can, however, also entail negative global ecological consequences, if they excessively hamper economically sustainable economic activity. If an enterprise in Austria is at risk to lose its international competitiveness due to excessive ecological constraints, it may be prompted to shift production to regions with lower environmental standards. This is not supportive of ecological sustainability at a global scale.

Our publication “Schwerpunkt Außenwirtschaft 2019/2020“ deals with these and related topics. It addresses the current state of play and framework conditions for global trade as well as for Austria’s foreign trade relations. A particular focus is on the intersection between the themes of global trade and sustainable development. Careful and differentiated analyses are needed to gage overall effects on sustainability.
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