The workshop was part of a research project of Ecologic Institute and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability, funded by the German Environment Agency. They assessed existing literature as well as about 80 globally representative Free Trade Agreements, combining the TREND database with a qualitative analysis of their provisions. The workshop presented and discussed their preliminary findings and open questions.

The aim of the project is to discuss the current state of knowledge and future role of environmental provisions in free trade agreements. The focus is particularly on a literature review of the last ten years, as well as the (legal) analysis of a global selection of free trade agreements.