FTA 제도적 깊이와 환경조항이 한국의 환경상품 수출에 미치는 영향

FTA Depth, Environmental Provisions, and Exports of Environmental Goods: Evidence from Korea

Purpose – This research analyzes the impact of the institutional depth and environmental provisions of FTAs on Korea’s exports of environmental goods. Design/Methodology/Approach – We employ a modified structural gravity model to examine the environmental trade effects of FTA depth and environmental provisions, taking into account Korea’s fixed position as the exporting country. The analysis uses a bilateral panel dataset covering over 200 countries from 2002 to 2024, drawing on the World Bank’s Deep Trade Agreements database for institutional depth and legal provisions, and UN Comtrade data for environmental goods trade. Findings – The empirical results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between the depth of FTAs and exports of environmental goods, indicating that deeper institutional commitments initially promote trade, but the effect diminishes beyond a certain point. In contrast, environmental provisions show no statistically significant impact on environmental goods exports, even when they are legally enforceable Research Implications – These results imply that an effective and reasonable number of provisions is needed to lower trade costs for environmental goods. Also, to enhance the effectiveness of environmental provisions, we might consider specifying the environmental goods list, ensuring higher legal enforceability, and introducing trade sanctions similar to those adopted in the GEA and the EU–NZ FTA, which have recently incorporated such measures. However, careful negotiation is crucial, since some of Korea’s environmental goods remain less competitive than those produced by developed countries.