In 1993, shortly after the German NGO Forum on Environment & Development had been founded, German NGOs were invited by the German Ministry of Economies to discuss issues related to the Uruguay Round of GATT and the OECD debates on trade and environment. Prior to that meeting, this group decided to form a Working Group that would serve as a permanent point of contact for the government on trade issues and to attach this group to the NGO Forum. At present, the Working Group's activities are shaped by approximately 15 active as well as 30 passive members.
Prior to 1995 the Working Group concentrated on the Uruguay Round and the debate on trade and environment within OECD. It closely monitored GATT, focussing on the specific problems of the least developed countries and issues regarding sustainability. These activities included lobbying and intensive media campaigns. One of the major objectives was getting the Preamble of the newly established World Trade Organization (WTO) changed to include the principle of sustainability.

The group's activities so far are:

• Political follow-up on the results of a study on trade and environment commissioned by the Working Group. The Group developed basic guidelines which enable the implementation of measures necessary for protecting the environment while avoiding support for protectionist policies. Using these guidelines the Group demonstrated it's concerns regarding the Ministerial Conferences of the WTO in Singapore in 1996 and Geneva 1998 in front of the German government.
•  A position paper on UNCTAD IX in South Africa in April 1996. This paper was compiled with the intention of rekindling the debate on UNCTAD's role, function and importance.
•  An analysis on the linkages between GATT's Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Agreement and plant genetic resources for the 4th FAO International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources (Leipzig/ Germany, June 1996).
•  A comprehensive dialogue with the German Ministry of Economies with a focus on trade and environment and trade and human rights standards, as well as transparency and democracy within the WTO and the role of the German Federal Government.

In Germany, NGO networking and campaigning on trade issues is still weak considering the importance of trade for the German economy. One positive result of the Working Group Trade is doubtless the establishment of a forum that facilitates the exchange of ideas and information and leads to a certain degree of continuity regarding the NGOs' trade-related activities.
The trade negotiation package of the WTO is a broad one. In order to identify the future work agenda of the working group, the group organised a strategy meeting in autumn 1998. It was decided that the group would concentrate its work on issues like agricultural trade and environment, issues of transparency and democracy within the WTO and developmental issues. Concerning these topics, the Working Group is elaborating four different position papers, which are available on this page (see position papers).

The working group has been particularly active with regard to the failed third WTO- Ministerial Conference in Seattle, where it was represented by 13 participants (see press releases). In the run-up to the conference some members of the group had composed a comprehensive comment including a critical evaluation of the proposals for negotiations made by the EU in view of the Seattle Conference.
Recent activities of the group also include subjects concerning the General Agreement on Tariffs and Services (GATS). Within this context the Group organized an international conference on trade with services witch took place in Bonn in May of 2001.