Three Nations Push Joint Response to EU Carbon Rules
Exporters in South Korea, Singapore, and New Zealand should track how the GEPA framework handles trade-related climate measures.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in International Trade
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South Korea, Singapore, and New Zealand held a videoconference on progress in negotiations for their trilateral Green Economy Partnership Agreement (GEPA), which affects exporters and businesses dealing in trade-related climate measures across the three economies.
Why it matters
Seoul is seeking to work with its two partners to jointly address trade-related climate measures, including the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and to help businesses keep operations stable in a volatile global trade environment. The talks were held ahead of APEC Economic Leaders' Week, which is scheduled to begin the following week in China.
The trilateral talks have completed two negotiation rounds, in July and September 2026, and a third round is scheduled for early 2027. Three countries are party to the agreement, and the source does not disclose trade volumes or other quantified commercial figures.
The players
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (South Korea)
South Korea's trade ministry, which oversees the country's export and industrial trade policy and announced the GEPA videoconference.
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
The regional economic forum whose Economic Leaders' Week hosted the launch of GEPA talks and is scheduled to convene in China the following week.
The details
Senior officials from South Korea, Singapore, and New Zealand met by videoconference, a format the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources announced, to review progress and outstanding issues. The three countries plan to expand exchanges of policies and technologies in the aerospace and construction sectors. For exporters, the mechanism matters because the partnership is aimed at trade-related climate measures, a category that can change how goods are priced and documented at the border.
Timeline
2025: GEPA negotiations were launched on the sidelines of APEC Economic Leaders' Week in South Korea.
July 2026: The second GEPA negotiation round was held.
September 2026: The second GEPA negotiation round was held.
November 5, 2026: The videoconference on GEPA progress took place.
Early 2027: A third GEPA negotiation round is scheduled.
Market Landscape
The GEPA talks are positioned as a counter-coordination effort against the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, one of the trade-related climate measures the partners say they must address jointly. The negotiations began at APEC in 2025 and now form a three-country track alongside broader regional trade diplomacy.
Exporters and trade compliance teams in the three countries should track how the GEPA framework treats trade-related climate measures, as these can affect pricing and documentation at the border. Businesses in aerospace and construction may see new policy and technology exchanges open as the talks progress.
The takeaway
The key operating signal is that climate-related trade rules are becoming a negotiated bilateral and trilateral matter rather than only an EU-imposed one. Operators should watch the early 2027 negotiation round and any published GEPA text for changes to border-related climate obligations.
What happens next
A third round of GEPA negotiations is scheduled for early 2027, and the three countries plan to expand policy and technology exchanges in aerospace and construction.
Further reading
For background on how cross-border trade rules are shaped, see International Trade.
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