April 2004 News

Ten New Members Accede to European Union

On May 1, 2004, the EU will undergo its greatest single transformation since its original inception in the early-1950's (as the six member country European Coal and Steel Community). On that day, the number of nations in the EU will nearly double, from 15 to 25 members. The ten new countries, which, to various degrees, have been phasing themselves into the EU over several years, will now have a voice in the EU's major institutions: the Council, the Commission and, following elections in mid-June, representatives in the European Parliament. With the new member countries, the large EU market will grow by nearly 20 percent or about 75 million persons, from about 380 million, to 455 million. The acceding countries include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Cyprus, and Malta.

New EU Members Accede to WTO Government Procurement Agreement

Following a decision of the WTO Government Procurement Committee on April 23, the newly acceding EU member states of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia will officially become members of the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) on May 1, 2004. U.S. suppliers will now gain access to these 10 countries’ government procurement markets, and will enjoy the procedural protections of the GPA when competing for government contracts in these countries. To learn more about public procurement opportunities in Europe, check the U.S. Commercial Service in the European Union’s Tenders Database, or contact John Liuzzi at (202) 482-0539 or john_liuzzi@ita.doc.gov.

Global Trade Talks Could Resume by July, USTR Zoellick Says

According to a USIS Washington File report, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick told the House Agriculture Committeen April 28 that a completed framework for a resumption of global trade talks could be achieved by July. Zoellick said the re-start of negotiations depends on continued progress on the issue of trade facilitation and on agreement of a draft document related to agricultural trade. Zoellick said other issues that some developing countries had been holding as conditional for furthering trade talks -- the so-called "Singapore Issues" -- should not be used to continue to delay negotiations. The focus of the negotiation framework should "solely" be trade facilitation, Zoellick said. Zoellick added that the U.S. is still considering whether to file in the WTO another objection to new regulations in the EU on the labeling of agricultural products derived from biotechnology, Zoellick said. On the issue of counties' exclusive use of geographic locations for marketing agricultural products, Zoellick said the U.S. doesn't want such "geographic indicators" to "become a new device for protectionism."

View USIS Washington File report

U.S. Officials See Slight Hope on Reversing Foreign Drug Price Fixing

According to a USIS Washington File report, Bush Administration officials indicate they have some hope that European countries and Japan will reform their policies of fixing prices on consumer drugs, which they say lead to sharply higher drug prices for U.S. consumers. At the same time, Under Secretary of Commerce Grant Aldonas and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Josette Shiner discouraged any legislation that would aim to fix pharmaceutical prices in the U.S. In their April 27 testimony before Senate Finance subcommittees, Aldonas and Shiner argued that because fixed prices in Europe and Japan prevent U.S. pharmaceutical companies from collecting a fair return on enormous research and development investments, those companies make up the difference by charging far higher prices for the same drugs in the U.S. The resulting high U.S. drug prices hurt not only the health of U.S. consumers who cannot afford expensive medicine but also the competitiveness of U.S. businesses whose productivity gains are eroded by soaring health insurance costs, Aldonas said. In response to a question from Senator John Breaux, who asked how foreign governments could be persuaded to make the politically sensitive reforms that would effectively raise drug prices in their countries, Aldonas replied that, in Europe and Japan at least, governments are beginning to recognize the long-term problems their price-fixing policies are causing. For example, he said, Europe's pharmaceutical companies, unable to earn a fair return on their investment at home, have moved most of their operations to the U.S.

View USIS Washington File report

View text of Aldonas testimony

USTR's Advisory Groups Report on U.S.-Dominican Republic FTA

View the Advisory Groups’ reports on the U.S.-Dominican Free Trade Agreement.

U.S. and Korea Resolve Major Trade Dispute in Telecom Sector

On April 23, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick announced that the U.S. and Korea resolved a long-standing trade dispute that threatened to shut U.S. firms out of an important part of the Korean telecommunications market. Zoellick said, �Based on the deal we reached with Korea, American telecommunications companies can now be assured of unimpeded access to this important market. American businesses and workers will continue to provide cutting-edge products and services to the growing Asian market." The dispute with Korea arose more than two years ago when the U.S. learned that the Korean Government had launched the development of the "Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability" (WIPI) which it intended to promulgate as a mandatory standard in the Korean market. As originally envisioned, WIPI would have been the exclusive technology for downloading content from the Internet onto cell phones, thereby shutting out competing systems, including a U.S. system that already had over seven million Korean subscribers and is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars over the next five years.

View USTR press release (pdf)

U.S. Seeks WTO Consultations with China Regarding Value-Added Tax on Integrated Circuits

USTR is providing notice that on March 18, 2004, in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO Agreement, the U.S. requested consultations with the People's Republic of China (China) regarding its value-added tax (VAT) on integrated circuits (ICs). USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute. Although USTR will accept any comments received during the course of the dispute settlement proceedings, comments should be submitted on or before May 17, 2004, to be assured of timely consideration by USTR. For information on submitting comments, please refer to the Federal Register notice

China Fact Sheets

View the following China fact sheets:

The U.S.-China JCCT: Outcomes on Major U.S. Trade Concerns

Making U.S.-China Trade a Two-Way Street: A Track Record of Results

America's Trade with China

Nepal Joins WTO

On April 23, Nepal became the 147th member of the World Trade Organization. Nepal started its accession negotiations in 1989. Another 24 countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, are in the process of negotiating to become members of the WTO; Vanuatu has completed the negotiations but no further action has been taken since the last meeting of the Working Party on 29 October 2001. Cambodia completed negotiations in 2003 but the process of ratification in Parliament is still pending.

View WTO press release

U.S.-China: Meeting of Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade

This year’s U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) – chaired by Commerce Secretary Don Evans, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi – achieved concrete results on key U.S. systemic concerns and laid the foundation for further progress. One of President Bush’s key goals in the trade arena is to ensure that the playing field is level, meaning that competition is determined by the market, rather than government intervention. In prior decisions, the Commerce Department has found that China does not yet qualify as a market economy under the U.S. antidumping law. In order to assess China’s reforms to date, as well as to identify the steps China would have to take, under U.S. law, to achieve market economy status, China and the U.S. agreed during the JCCT meetings to the establishment of a working group which will: consult closely regarding the criteria under U.S. law needed to achieve market economy status; review, under the framework established by U.S. law, the broad spectrum of policies and practices that are a part of the ongoing structural reform in China; and identify the steps necessary for China to qualify as a market economy under U.S. law. View USDOC press release on JCCT outcomes (no longer available)

Commerce Official Call NAFTA's First Decade a Resounding Success

On the 10th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), each of the three signatory countries -- Mexico, Canada, and the United States -- has "grown considerably faster" than during the previous decade, "and each [country] witnessed a significant rise in productivity" as well, according to Grant Aldonas, under secretary of commerce for international trade. In his April 20 testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relation's Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Export, and Trade Promotion, Aldonas hailed NAFTA as a "resounding" success. Besides the significant growth rates experienced under NAFTA, "each of the three [NAFTA partners'] economies recovered more quickly from the worldwide recession that began in 2000 than all of our other major trading partners with the exception of China," he pointed out. While acknowledging the fears of NAFTA opponents, he firmly rejected their claims that the pact has accelerated the rate of job loss within the region. "The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 6.9 percent in 1993; today, that figure is roughly 5.7 percent," according to Aldonas. Similar figures obtain for both Canada and Mexico, he indicated. Aldonas emphasized the need to fully utilize the openings that NAFTA offers, in order to maximize the benefits it confers. View USIS Washington File report (includes text of Aldonas testimony)

U.S., Canada Complete Step to Simplify Trade of Telecommunications Equipment

According to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) press release, U.S. makers of telecommunication equipment now can certify their products in the U.S. and ship directly to Canadian markets, thanks to the latest step in carrying out a 1998 trade agreement. Two-way trade of telecommunications equipment between the two neighbors totals about $7 billion a year. Industry Canada, a cabinet-level department, recently recognized seven NIST-recommended U.S. testing and inspection organizations to certify, prior to export, that U.S.-made telecommunications products meet Canadian requirements. Canada’s recognition of these so-called “certification bodies” simplifies the regulatory approval process and provides U.S. manufacturers of wire and wireless telecommunications products with an uninterrupted path to the Canadian market. For Canada and the U.S., the latest simplifying step nearly completes the second phase of a six-year-old trade agreement among members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC. The neighbors are the first of 21 APEC economies to implement the second phase of the 1998 APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Telecommunication Equipment, which initiated actions to enable mutual acceptance of test data, inspection results and, ultimately, certifications that products conform to a trading partner’s regulatory requirements. It was not intended to supplant the standards and regulations of individual economies.

View NIST press release

State Department Official Hails Benefits From NAFTA

According to a USIS Washington File report, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs E. Anthony Wayne said that, while the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is not without its problems, the trade pact has proven to be a boon for the U.S. and its two NAFTA partners, Canada and Mexico. In April 20 congressional testimony, Wayne said that following NAFTA's entry into force in 1994, total merchandise trade between the U.S. and Canada has grown by over 120 percent, while U.S. trade with Mexico has nearly tripled, from $81.5 billion in 1993 to $235.5 billion in 2003, translating to an average annual growth in trade with Mexico of 11 percent. Calculations by the IMF show that total trade among the three NAFTA countries has more than doubled over the last decade, growing from $306 billion in 1993 to $621 billion in 2002. These figures show that NAFTA has promoted export-led growth in North America, Wayne said. He added that the success of the trade pact has "encouraged" the U.S. to complete other bilateral and multilateral free-trade agreements (FTAs) with countries around the world. View USIS Washington File report (includes text of Wayne’s remarks)

Employment Impact of Panama and Thailand Free Trade Agreements

The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) gives notice that USTR and the Labor Department are initiating reviews of the impact of the proposed U.S.-Panama and U.S.-Thailand free trade agreement negotiations on U.S. employment, including labor markets. The TPSC is seeking written public comments on potentially significant sectoral or regional employment impacts (both positive and negative) in the U.S., as well as other likely labor market impacts of the FTA. While USTR and Labor will accept any comments received during the course of the negotiations of the FTAs, interested parties should submit comments on the U.S.-Panama and U.S.-Thailand FTAs by noon, May 24, 2004, to be assured of timely consideration in the preparation of the report. For information on how to submit comments, please consult the Federal Register notices.

TCC On-Line Features China Gateway

The Trade Compliance Center is featuring the China Gateway (no longer available) in its Trade Compliance Resources website section. Businesses can use the China Gateway to learn more about market opportunities or seek assistance in resolving trade problems with China. The TCC also added a link to the U.S. Embassy in China's IPR Toolkit under Trade and Government Sites. According to U.S. Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt, "The Toolkit contains materials describing the scope of the IPR problem in China and suggestions regarding what American companies can do to protect their IPR and steps you should consider after an infringement comes to your attention."

Mexico: IPR Piracy to be Treated as Organized Crime

On April 6, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that reforms the federal law against organized crime by making crimes of copyright infringement and trademark counterfeiting punishable under the penal code for organized crime. The same bill passed the Senate in December 2002. This bill obligates the Office for Special Investigation into Organized Crime (SIEDO) of the Office of the Prosecutor General (PGR) to prosecute intellectual property rights (IPR) crimes when suspects make up an organized group. SIEDO will bring three new tools to IPR enforcement in Mexico: holding suspects under house arrest for up to 30 days; tapping phones; and witness protection. Under SIEDO prosecution, major copyright and trademark pirates will now face up to 20-40 years in jail for associating with organized crime. In addition to the penalty for the underlying IPR crimes, which are punishable by 8-16 years in prison. Music industry investigators state that the new law will strengthen the capacity of the GOM to enforce IPR, and are confident that it will result in more high-profile arrests and convictions of major IPR pirates. The reform should appear in the Diario Oficial before the end of April, when it will then become law.

Singapore: Potential Problems with IPR Legislation

At an April 13 public hearing on Singapore’s draft IPR bills (which are posted at: http://www.newiplaws.org.sg/index.htm), concerns were raised regarding the bills in some areas. On parallel imports, an Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) official explained that the private right of action would apply only when "the patentee or its licensee has not previously distributed the product in Singapore", an interpretation that does not appear consistent with U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) obligations. The draft plant variety protection bill, intended to implement the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention, will not apply to all species, but only a list of 15 species drawn up unilaterally by Singapore. IPOS says this is the minimum standard of protection Singapore must provide under the UPOV Convention, at least for an initial 10-year period after accession. The comment period for the bills closes on April 25.

Singapore Seeks Comments on Draft Competition Bill

Singapore has released the first draft of its planned competition policy legislation for public comment, with comments due by May 15. The text of the bill, as well as accompanying explanatory papers, are available on the Internet at: www.mti.gov.sg. Interested parties can email comments on the bill to: mti_draftcompetitionbill@mti.gov.sg. The U.S.-Singapore FTA commits Singapore to enact a competition law by January 2005. Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry plans to revise the draft after this initial public comment period, and expects to hold a second round of consultations on the revised draft in July/August. The government plans to introduce the legislation in parliament by the fourth quarter of this year.

U.S. Seeks Stronger IPR Enforcement by China

On April 13, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Grant Aldonas addressed an international trade association prior to the April 21 meeting in Washington of the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which Commerce Secretary Evans, U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick, and Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi are scheduled to attend. While Aldonas said the U.S. wants to work with Chinese leaders within the JCCT and other fora on market reform problems, as well as on specific trade issues, he left no doubt that Washington is strongly committed to the enforcement of trade agreements and laws against unfair trade practices. Aldonas cited the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) as the number one issue in the bilateral trade relations and the main source of trade friction between the two countries. He said the administration would like to know the extent of China's commitment to the enforcement of IPR protection and willingness to consult it on relevant issues. It also would like to see some kind of enforcement "guideposts," he said. U.S. officials say that, although the Chinese have strengthened their IPR laws, enforcement falls short.

View USIS Washington File report

Environmental Reviews for Andean, Panama, and Thailand Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental review of the proposed U.S. Free Trade Agreements with certain Andean countries , Panama , and Thailand. The TPSC is requesting written comments from the public on what should be included in the scope of the environmental reviews, including the potential environmental effects that might flow from the free trade agreements and the potential implications for U.S. environmental laws and regulations, and identification of complementarities between trade and environmental objectives, such as the promotion of sustainable development. The TPSC also welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies and sources of data for conducting the review. Persons submitting written comments should provide as much detail as possible on the degree to which the subject matter they propose for inclusion in the review may raise significant environmental issues in the context of the negotiation. For the Andean and Panama FTAs, Public comments should be received no later than May 14, 2004; for the Thailand FTA, Public comments should be received no later than June 1, 2004. For more information, please consult the Federal Register Notices

Bangladesh: Request for Public Comments on GSP Status

As part of an ongoing country practice review, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is considering whether to recommend that duty-free treatment accorded to imports from Bangladesh under the U.S. GSP program be withdrawn, suspended, or limited on the grounds that Bangladesh has not implemented long-standing commitments to the U.S. to allow its national labor law to be applied in its Export Processing Zones (EPZs). The GSP Subcommittee is seeking public comments on which products of Bangladesh should no longer be eligible for GSP duty-free treatment if the Subcommittee decides to recommend limiting Bangladesh's GSP benefits. All Public comments must be received by May 12, 2004. For more information on submitting comments, please refer to the Federal Register notice

Draft Texts of Free Trade Agreement with Dominican Republic Released

View the draft texts of the U.S.-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which were released by USTR on April 9.

Evans Announces Commerce Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services Nominee

During an April 8 meeting in Ohio with employees of the Ariel Corporation, Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans announced the Bush Administration’s intention to nominate Al Frink for the position of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services. Frink is co-founder and Executive Vice President of Fabrica International, a California manufacturer of carpets and rugs. Once nominated and confirmed, Frink will serve as the Bush Administration’s point person on manufacturing and will focus on ways to help the sector grow, create jobs and compete in the global economy. Evans also appointed Don Wainwright as Chairman and Karen Wright as Vice-Chair of the Manufacturing Council. The Manufacturing Council will ensure manufacturers of all sizes have a voice in the ongoing implementation of the administration’s manufacturing initiative. View Commerce Department press release (no longer available)

U.S. Wins Key Issues in WTO Wheat Dispute With Canada

On April 6, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick announced that a WTO panel agreed with the U.S. that Canada�s grain distribution system is unfair and violates Canada's WTO obligations. This result is consistent with a long history of WTO rulings that additional regulatory hurdles cannot be placed only on foreign products. The panel accepted the U.S. claims that Canada's grain handling system and Canada's rail transportation measure known as the "rail revenue cap" discriminate against foreign grain. Zoellick commented, "In matters involving dairy, lumber, and now wheat, the United States has successfully prevailed at the WTO on key issues concerning unfair Canadian practices."

View USTR press release

U.S.-Based Delivery Services Face Overseas Barriers, USITC Says

In an April 6 news release, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) stated that U.S.-based express delivery services operating in foreign markets face a range of trade impediments that could be alleviated through postal reforms, customs improvements and trade negotiations. After completing a fact-finding investigation requested by the House Ways and Means Committee on the extent to which competition among express delivery suppliers in foreign markets may be affected by government-sanctioned monopolies, USITC found that U.S.-based express delivery services increasingly compete with postal service monopolies overseas and that, in some cases, these monopolies impede competition by subsidizing competitive services with profits gained from monopoly-protected operations, the news release said. The study also concluded that international trade of express delivery services is affected by a range of issues, including laws and regulations in the areas of telecommunications, storage and warehousing, postal and courier services and customs clearance. "Impediments in any one of these areas holds the potential to hinder market entry, reduce geographic coverage, narrow the scope of service offerings, or otherwise adversely affect the competitive posture of U.S. firms in foreign markets," USITC said.

View USITC press release

State Department Official Discusses EU Enlargement, WTO Doha Round

In comments to participants at an April 2 conference on EU enlargement in Graz, Austria, Assistant Secretary of State E. Anthony Wayne stated that the U.S. looks forward to "deepening our already dynamic relations" with the 10 nations soon to accede to the EU. "While EU membership will mean closer relations with Brussels for the accession states, it will also mean even more robust relations with the U.S.," he said. In his remarks about expanding trade and development, Wayne stated that getting the Doha Round moving again is "crucial." While noting that it will be difficult to complete negotiations by the end of 2004, as called for in the Doha Declaration, he added, “ …we cannot turn our back on the multilateral approach to trade liberalization that has served us so well since the founding of the GATT." View USIS Washington File report (includes text of Wayne’s remarks)

Trade Advisory Groups Report on U.S.-Morocco FTA

On April 7, 2004, USTR transmitted to the President and the Congress reports from 32 trade advisory committees, comprising more than 750 practitioners representing diverse interests and views, regarding the recently completed U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The Trade Act of 2002 requires these committees to prepare reports on proposed trade agreements for the Administration and Congress. Support for the agreement was widespread among nearly all the committees.

View Trade Advisory Committee reports

2004 Review of Telecom Trade Agreements Highlights Market Access Barriers

On April 7, USTR announced the results of its 2004 annual review of foreign compliance with telecommunications trade agreements (the “Section 1377 Review”). The report identifies global barriers facing U.S. consumers and businesses in the estimated $1.3 trillion telecommunications services and equipment market. Three key barriers identified this year that impede access to foreign telecommunications markets include: (1) proposed exclusionary standards for equipment and services in China and Korea; (2) high interconnection rates for mobile and wireline networks in Europe and Asia; and (3) restrictions on accessing wholesale transmission capacity in Germany, India, Switzerland, and Singapore. In addition, at least two countries (Mexico and South Africa) have been slow in implementing their commitment to permit U.S. suppliers to resell basic telecommunications services in their markets. And, as in past years, the lack of fully independent regulators continues to weaken the competitive landscape in numerous countries. (links no longer available) View USTR press release View 2004 Section 1377 Report

Singapore Seeks Public Comment on Draft Intellectual Property Bills

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has posted for public comment draft bills intended to implement its obligations under the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The bills, which cover patents, trademarks, UPOV and copyright term extension, can be viewed at http://www.newiplaws.org.sg/index.htm, where interested parties can also find information regarding how to provide comments. Comments must be submitted by April 25, in order to keep to IPOS’s timeframe of submitting the bills to Singapore's Parliament by mid May. IPOS is open to considering changes. Most of the other copyright provisions will be implemented through separate legislation, to be rolled out later this year. Key provisions include Section 19(e) of the Patents Bill, which concerns parallel imports.

Mexico: Proposed Standards (for February 2004)

View recently proposed and enacted Mexican Government standards View Standard (doc)

Secretary Evans Addresses Minnesota Manufacturers

On April 5, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans spoke to a group of manufacturers in Minneapolis on the Administration's commitment to create the conditions to grow the manufacturing sector, with a focus on Administration trade policy. Noting that “support for free trade goes hand-in-hand with vigorous enforcement,” the Secretary assured the audience that “this Administration is taking aggressive action to level the field.” At the Commerce Department, three new offices are targeting unfair trade practices and enforcing U.S. trade agreements. When he travels to China this summer, the Secretary will emphasize the message that “free trade requires fair rules.” Secretary Evans warned that economic isolationism “would bring economic hardship for the United States and a descent into depression for the world economy. We must not only remain a country that works with the world—-we must lead.” View text of Secretary Evans’ remarks (no longer available)

Commerce's Juster Outlines Next Steps in Strategic Partnership with India

According to a USIS Washington File report, current and former officials from India and the U.S. said bilateral relations have experienced an incredible upturn in the past decade, following decades of mistrust during the Cold War years. Speakers at an April 1 conference at George Washington University in Washington discussed how the relationship has recently developed and how best to move it forward. Commenting on the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) plan agreed to by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in January 2004, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Kenneth Juster said that, despite the fact the U.S. is currently the single largest single market for Indian goods, "the potential exists for much more trade and investment and it's just not occurring." Juster attributed the unfulfilled trade and investment potential to two factors -- the "perception" among U.S. businessmen that the Indian market is hamstrung by bureaucratic pitfalls and the real need for India to accelerate the pace of lowering tariffs and simplifying customs procedures. He added that he wants to see India create more incentives for the private sector to improve the country's economic infrastructure.

View USIS Washington File report

U.S.-Morocco FTA Draft Texts Released

View the draft texts (no longer available) of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which were released by USTR on April 2.

Justice Department Creates Intellectual Property Task Force

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has created an Intellectual Property Task Force that will explore ways to improve protection of patents, trademarks, copyrights and other forms of intellectual property (IP). In a March 31 news release, DOJ noted the importance of IP industries to the U.S. economy and said that organized crime groups have recently increased "the scale, scope, and sophistication of international piracy and counterfeiting." The new task force will be headed by David Israelite, deputy chief of staff at DOJ and counselor to Attorney General John Ashcroft, according to the news release. View USIS Washington File report (includes text of Justice Department press release)

National Trade Estimate Report for 2004 Released

On April 1, USTR released the 2004 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. The NTE is a comprehensive list of unfair trade practices and barriers to American exports of goods, services and farm products. It surveys U.S. trade with 58 major trading partners in every region of the world and profiles each country’s significant barriers to trade, including: import policies; standards, testing, labeling, and certification; government procurement; export subsidies; lack of intellectual property protection; services barriers; investment barriers; lack of government action against anti-competitive practices of state-owned and private firms that restrict the sale of U.S. products and services; trade restrictions affecting electronic commerce; and any other barriers that restrict market access. The NTE also notes many examples where countries have reduced or eliminated trade barriers described in earlier reports. The International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce is one of the key interagency contributors to the NTE Report; working closely with our colleagues at USTR and other agencies, we take a proactive approach in identifying and resolving these issues. Ensuring full trade agreement implementation by our trading partners and helping U.S. companies (particularly small and mid-sized firms) take advantage of these agreements are key Departmental objectives. (links no longer available) View USTR press release (pdf) View 2004 National Trade Estimate Report