March 2002 News

Determinations Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined that Ghana has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with shipments of textile and apparel articles and has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Therefore, imports of eligible products from Ghana qualify for the textile and apparel benefits provided under the AGOA. View the Federal Register Notice: HTML (no longer available) PDF (no longer available)

United States-European Free Trade Association Mutual Recognition Agreement

The United States is considering a proposal to negotiate a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) with European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries who are part of the European Economic Area (EEA)-- i.e., Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Such an agreement would parallel the provisions of the 1998 U.S.-EU MRA, but would be restricted to sectoral annexes on telecommunications equipment, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and recreational craft. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) seeks public comment on the desirability of negotiating a mutual recognition agreement in these sectors with EFTA EEA.

View the Federal Register Notice: HTML

PDF

Notice of Procurement Thresholds Under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement and Chapter 10 of NAFTA

Executive Order 12260 requires the U.S. Trade Representative to set the U.S. dollar thresholds for application of Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2511 et seq.), which implements U.S. obligations under the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and Chapter 10 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These obligations apply to covered procurements valued at or above the specified U.S. dollar thresholds. In the following notice, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined the tresholds for calendar years 2002-2003.

View the Federal Register Notice: HTML

PDF

U.S. Government Reaction to Repeal of EU Hushkit Regulation

On March 26, State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher expressed the U.S. Government's pleasure that the European Parliament and Council have reached agreement to repeal the European Hushkit regulation. Boucher said that the EU's action will remove a major obstacle to productive engagement on aviation environmental issues between the U.S. and the EU.

View State Department press release

U.S. Urges Worldwide Harmonization of Patent System

James Rogan, U.S. under secretary of commerce and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), said March 26 that the United States has "an incredible interest" in a harmonized worldwide system of patent law that would allow inventors to receive international protection by filing a single claim. Mr. Rogan told reporters during a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) meeting on the future of the international patent system that a harmonized system would benefit businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and other countries.

View text of Rogan's remarks

Jamaica Launches Intellectual Property Office, Signs WIPO Internet Treaties

During a March 12 visit by World Intellectual Property (WIPO) Director General Kamil Idris, Jamaica signed the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. The Jamaican Government also used the occasion of the director general's visit to formally launch the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). JIPO consolidates copyright, trademark, and patent administration in one semi-independent agency attached to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology. JIPO is also charged with heightening public awareness of the economic importance of intellectual property rights and the need for those rights to be respected.

Bush Administration Submits 2001 Annual Report and 2002 Trade Policy Agenda

On March 19 the Bush Administration submitted to Congress the 2002 Trade Policy Agenda and the 2001 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program. Created in accordance with the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, the document outlines the Administration's guiding principles and trade priorities for the year ahead and reviews the principal trade policy developments of 2001. (Links no longer available) View the report Read the transcript

India Drops Appeal in WTO Auto Investment Case

The WTO issued the Appellate Body report on India's measures affecting the automotive sector on March 19, 2002. The report notes that India withdrew its appeal on March 14, 2002.

View the WTO panel report

Cameroon Seeks Greater Transparency in Government Procurement Process

Cameroon is attempting to reform its government procurement process. For the first time, individual project owners will be responsible for contract awards, assisted by two new commissions with oversight authority. The commissions are technical structures established to monitor and control the contract awards process. Before these reforms, a sole independent observer was tasked with monitoring the opening bids and the bid analysis stages of the procurement process, while other stages in the process were ignored.

Request for Comments: Doha Multilateral Trade Negotiations and Agenda in the WTO.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), on behalf of the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is seeking public comments on U.S. negotiating objectives and the work program launched at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November at Doha. These views will be considered as the Administration develops its positions for U.S. participation in the negotiations. Comments are due by May 1.

Assistant Secretary Lash Says U.S. Direct Investments in Qatar Set to Rise

On a one-day trip to Qatar March 9th, the Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance at the US Department of Commerce William H Lash said American direct investments in Qatar, which stands at $1.8 billion currently, is set to rise substantially given the solid nature of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Read the news item

TRIPS Council Starts on DOHA Agenda Items and Two-Phase Negotiations on Geographical Indications for Wines and Spirits

The WTO’s TRIPS ( trade related intellectual property) Council has started work on a list of issues from the November 2001 Ministerial Conference in Doha. These include, as part of the regular meeting, specific aspects of TRIPS and public health, geographical indications, protecting plant and animal inventions, biodiversity, traditional knowledge, the general review of the TRIPS Agreement, and technology transfer as well as, in a special session, a two-phase programme for completing negotiations on a multilateral register for geographical indications for wines and spirits.

View documents on the regular meeting

View documents on the special session

WTO Governments Pledge Assistance for Developing Countries in New Trade Round

On March 11, WTO member governments promised to contribute 30 million Swiss francs to help developing countries participate in the Doha Development Agenda. WTO Director-General Moore stated that their contribution will help "ensure that the world's most vulnerable countries have a more effective voice in the new Trade Round."

View WTO press release

President Announces Temporary Safeguards For Steel Industry

On March 5, President Bush issued a proclamation to put in place temporary safeguards to protect the U.S. steel industry from foreign steel products "being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or threat of serious injury, to the domestic industries producing like or directly competitive articles".

Read the President's steel products proclamation

Read the Presidential Memo on steel

Mexico Exempts High Fructose Corn Syrup

On March 5, USTR Zoellick said he was pleased to learn that the Government of Mexico exempted soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from a protectionist and discriminatory tax imposed by Mexico's Congress. Read the USTR press release(No longer available)

Peru Signs WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty

On March 2, Peru's Foreign Ministry published the decree making Peru signatory to the World Intellectual Property Organization's Performances and Phonograms Treaty, which will enter into force on May 20. By signing and publishing the treaty, Peru finalizes its pending WIPO commitments, since the GOP had already signed the WIPO Copyright Treaty in July 2001.

Commerce Assistant Secretary Discusses Textiles Agreement Compliance in North Carolina and South Carolina

During recent visits to North Carolina and South Carolina, Commerce Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance William Lash emphasized that textiles are at the "tip top of the trade negotiation agenda" and "at the top of the heap" of trade law compliance issues in the Bush administration. In North Carolina, Mr. Lash stated that the administration "would be aggressive and unrelenting in achieving market access" for textiles. The Assistant Secretary said the administration is committed to several enforcement goals, including taking action against foreign countries that intentionally devalue their currencies to make exports cheaper and uncovering illegal subsidies by foreign governments to their domestic textile industries. Mr. Lash's visit was made in conjunction with the recently established Textile Working Group, an interagency group the administration said it formed to ensure fulfillment of the commitments made in advance of the TPA vote.

View press article on Lash visit to North Carolina

View press article on Lash visit to South Carolina

Chile and U.S. Agree on Further FTA Negotiations

On February 28, the United States and Chile announced that they will hold the next round of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement during the week of April 8. The parties will discuss market access for both agricultural and industrial products, labor, environment, dispute settlement, and investment. View USTR press release(No longer available)

Mexico: Proposed Standards (February 18 to March 1, 2002)

View recently proposed and enacted Mexican Government standards

WTO/IADB Cooperation on Trade-Related Technical Assistance

On February 27, the WTO and the Inter-American Development Bank signed a memorandum of understanding, under which they will seek to deepen cooperation to provide technical assistance on trade negotiations and capacity-building to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The WTO believes that the memorandum could serve as a model for regional development banks to support their borrowing member countries through technical assistance and capacity-building programs that will allow them to play a larger role in the Doha Development Agenda.

View WTO press release