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ECAT 2007 AGENDA

Prepared for the ECAT Annual Meeting
April 19, 2007

Introduction

PART I: OVERVIEW

Section 1: Importance of Trade and Investment and ECAT’s Role

Why International Trade and Investment Are Important

ECAT’s Activities to Promote Greater Trade and Investment

The Continued Need for Trade Outreach

Section 2: Summary of ECAT’s Position on the Issues

PART II: INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS

Section 1: Renewal of Trade-Negotiating Authority

History of Trade-Negotiating-Authority Procedures

Trade-Negotiating-Authority Framework

Major Provisions of 2002 Trade Promotion Authority

TPA Timeline

Usage of Trade-Negotiating Authority

Importance of Renewing Trade-Negotiating Authority as Soon as Possible

Section 2: World Trade Organization

Doha Development Agenda Negotiations

    Background
    Doha Development Agenda
    2004 Framework Agreement
    Sixth Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong
    2006 - 2007 Developments
    ECAT Priorities
      Market Access
      Trade Facilitation
      WTO Rules - Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Rules
      Dispute Settlement
      Government Procurement
    Importance of the WTO Negotiations

WTO Institutional Framework

    Implementation of WTO Agreements

WTO Accessions

    Accession of Vietnam

Status of WTO Committees

    Rules of Origin
    Trade and Environment

WTO Dispute Settlement

    Foreign Trade Barriers Addressed through the WTO Dispute Settlement System

Section 3: Russia’s WTO Accession and Permanent Normal Trade Relations

Russia’s Proposed WTO Accession

Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia

Section 4: Major Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

Completed Free Trade Agreements

U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement

    Major Provisions of CAFTA
    Opportunities Created

U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement

    Major Provisions of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement
    Opportunities Created

Recently Negotiated Free Trade Agreements

    Andean Pact Agreements
      U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
      U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement
      Opportunities Created
    U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement
      Major Provisions of the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion
           Agreement
      Opportunities Created
    Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
      Major Provisions of the KORUS Free Trade Agreement
      Opportunities Created

Ongoing Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

    U.S.-Malaysia FTA Negotiations

Other Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

    U.S.-Southern African Customs Union FTA Negotiations
    U.S.-Thailand FTA Negotiations
    Free Trade Area of the Americas Negotiations
      Background on the Negotiations
      Status of the Negotiations and Outlook for 2007
      Importance of the FTAA Negotiations

Consideration of Future FTAs

PART III: TRADE AND INVESTMENT POLICY ISSUES

Section 1: Trade Legislation

Building a Consensus on Trade and Investment Liberalization

Trade Preference Program Legislation

    Generalized System of Preferences
    African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
    Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership
      Encouragement (HOPE) Act
    Andean Trade Preferences Extension Act

Trade Remedy Law Legislation and Issues

    WTO Rules Negotiations
    Congressional Trade Remedy Proposals
    WTO Dispute Settlement Cases Involving U.S. Trade Remedy Laws

2006/2007 Legislative Proposals on the Enforcement of Trade Agreements

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Issues

    Transfer of Customs Functions to Department of Homeland Security Automation Modernization
    Customs Modernization

Section 2: Investment

Importance of Investment to Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction

    ECAT Studies and the Importance of International Investment to the U.S. Economy

National Security Reviews of Foreign Investments

    Existing Legal Framework
    House and Senate Reform Proposals
    Key Issues

Protection of U.S. Investment Abroad

    Importance of Strong Investment Protections
    Trade Promotion Authority Provisions on Investment
    Investment Protections in Recent Free Trade Agreements, the
    Model Bilateral Investment Treaty and the Uruguay BIT

Operation of Bilateral Investment Treaties and NAFTA Chapter 11

OECD Policy Framework for Investment

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

Section 3: Government Procurement

WTO Government Procurement Agreement

    Key Elements of the GPA
    Efforts to Expand Membership in the GPA
    Efforts to Reform and Simplify the GPA
    Other WTO Government Procurement Activities

Government Procurement Chapters in Free Trade Agreements

APEC Principles

Section 4: Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Protections in Recent Free Trade Agreements

WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

WTO Dispute Settlement

STOP! Initiative

Special 301

Optical-Media Products Piracy, Organized Crime and End-User Piracy of Software

Implementation of World Intellectual Property Organization Treaties

Promoting International Patent Harmonization

Section 5: Transparency

Transparency in the World Trade Organization

Transparency Provisions in U.S. Free Trade Agreements

APEC Transparency and Anticorruption Activities

Antibribery Initiatives

Section 6: Sanctions Reform

Trade Sanctions Reform

Issue-Specific Sanctions Legislation

    Religious Persecution
    Narcotics Enforcement

Country-Specific Sanctions

    Iran Sanctions
    India-Pakistan Nuclear Proliferation Sanctions
    Lifting of Libya Sanctions
    Helms-Burton Cuba Sanctions
    Easing of Cuba Embargo
    Sanctions on Myanmar
    Sanctions on Sudan

Section 7: Export Promotion and Financing and Development Assistance

Export-Import Bank

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Trade and Development Agency

Millennium Challenge Corporation

Multilateral Development Banks and International Monetary Fund

Section 8: Export Controls

Computer and Software Export Restrictions

Encryption

Microprocessor Controls

Dual-Use Export Control Policy with Respect to China

Export Administration Act Reauthorization

Wassenaar Arrangement

Section 9: Taxation of Foreign Source Income

Reform and Simplification of U.S. International Tax Laws

American Jobs Creation Act, Extraterritorial Income Act and Foreign Sales Corporation Rules

    Background
    American Jobs Creation Act
    Revision of American Jobs Creation Act

Bilateral Tax Treaties

Section 10: Addressing Concerns about Trade and Investment Liberalization

Global Outsourcing

    ECAT Studies

Reform of Trade Adjustment Assistance and Worker Retraining Programs

    Major Provisions of TAA as Reformed by the Trade Act of 2002
    Renewal and Reform of TAA
    Private Sector Retraining Efforts

Temporary Entry Issues

Labor and Environment Issues

    Labor Issues
    Environmental Issues

Food Trade Issues

    Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms
    Biosafety Protocol
    EU Beef Hormone Case
    ECAT’s Food Chain Coalition Proposal

Health Policy and Intellectual Property Rights Protection

PART IV: COUNTRY- AND REGION-SPECIFIC ISSUES

Section 1: China

China and the WTO

    Background on China’s WTO Commitments
    U.S.-China Relations Act and Congressional-Executive Commission on China

China’s Implementation of WTO Commitments and Key Commercial Issues

    Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Enforcement
    Government Procurement
    Industrial Policy
    Financial Services Liberalization
    Other Non-Tariff Barriers on Agriculture, Manufactured Goods and
    Services
    Transparency
    Discriminatory Consumption and Value-Added Taxation Policies

Mechanisms to Improve the U.S.-China Economic Relationship

Strategic Economic Dialogue

Section 2: The European Union

EU Integration Efforts

    European Monetary Union and the Euro
    Other Preferential Trade Arrangements

U.S.-EU Trade and Economic Relations

    Positive Economic Agenda and Regulatory Cooperation
    Agricultural Issues
    Aircraft Issues
    Other WTO Dispute Settlement Cases
    REACH
    Corporate Accounting Standards
    Privacy
    Other Trade Barriers
    “Open Skies” Bilateral Agreements

Section 3: Western Hemisphere

North American Free Trade Agreement

    Success of NAFTA
    Final NAFTA Implementation - Sugar
    NAFTA Dispute Settlement - Chapter 20
    NAFTA Dispute Settlement - Chapter 19
    NAFTA Dispute Settlement - Chapter 11
    NAFTA and the Environment
    NAFTA and Labor

Canada

    U.S.-Canadian Trade and Investment
    Major U.S.-Canadian Trade Issues
    Canadian Trade Agreements and Negotiations

Mexico

    U.S.-Mexican Trade and Investment
    Major U.S.-Mexican Trade Issues
    Mexican Trade Agreements and Negotiations

Central America and the Caribbean Basin

    Implementation of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act

Andean Pact Countries

MERCOSUR

    U.S.-MERCOSUR Trade and Investment
    MERCOSUR Trade Agreements and Negotiations

Section 4: Asia

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum

    Background on APEC
    Recent APEC Initiatives

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Japan

Singapore

    Major Provisions of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
    Opportunities Created

India

Australia

    Major Provisions of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement
    Opportunities Created

Indonesia

Vietnam

Section 5: Russia, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa

Middle East

    Saudi Arabia

    Bahrain

      Major Provisions of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement
      Opportunities Created

    Morocco

      Major Provisions of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement
      Opportunities Created

    Jordan

      Major Provisions of the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement
      Opportunities Created