The two leading carbon market trade associations have announced they are to join forces as they attempt to strengthen their lobbying position ahead of critical international negotiations.

The Carbon Markets Association (CMA) and International Carbon Investors and Services (INCIS) are to merge to form the Carbon Markets and Investors Association (CMIA), a trade group incorporating 60 organisations accounting for an estimated three quarters of the transaction value in the $64bn (£33bn) global carbon market.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, Adam Nathan, director of communications and public affairs at the CMIA, said that the new group had agreed a set of principles and governance structure and was now looking to make the case for an expanded global carbon market ahead of UN negotiations to agree a successor to the Kyoto deal.

"The two different organisations evolved at a similar time, so the merger is really about tightening up the sector," he explained. "There is great potential for a larger group to have a louder voice… There is only a short time until the [final round of UN talks in] Copenhagen next year, so what is needed is good, clear communication on all sides."

The organisation's newly elected president, Abyd Karmali, managing director and global head of carbon markets at investment bank Merrill Lynch, said that the new group would focus on making the case for carbon markets and their having an expanded role in any post-2012 international deal.

"We are now entering the adolescent phase of the carbon market and the transition to a global carbon market is likely to be extremely challenging," he said. "During this period, almost certainly taking place against a backdrop of rising energy prices and a softer economic footing, the underlying basis and principles behind the carbon market will likely be questioned by a variety of stakeholders. It is important that market myths and inaccuracies be corrected by those who have had first-hand experience putting capital at risk."

He added that the CMIA would also seek to ensure that any deal results in " well-designed, liquid, and efficient carbon markets" that give investors a clear carbon price signal that allows them to allocate capital accordingly.

Nathan said that in particular the group would look to address issues surrounding carbon market oversight, policies affecting the voluntary market, plans for expanding the EU ETS and US carbon markets, the introduction of forestry credits, and the emergence of new markets in Asia.

In related news, the EU is reportedly poised to announce a starting date for linking its carbon trading systems with the UN's international carbon registry. According to reports from analyst firm Point Carbon, the EU has now completed the successful testing of the software designed to track the importing of UN-approved carbon credits into the bloc.