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EU report focuses on trade barriers in US
06 Mar '06
3 min read
The European Commission released its twenty-first annual report on barriers to trade and investment in the US, detailing the obstacles that EU exporters and investors face in the US market.
The report highlights non-tariff barriers in investment and public procurement and addresses some long running WTO problems such as issues concerning the US Jobs Act (FSC) and the repeal of the Byrd Amendment.
The report comes out on the day the EU and US are lifting telecoms procurement sanctions against each other, bringing to an end a more than a decade-long dispute. The Transatlantic Economic Initiative is also offering new possibilities to advance trade, and tackle the regulatory and non-tariff barriers identified in this report.
The report shows that non-tariff barriers are now the major obstacle to increased EU-US trade. Barriers to free and fair government procurement are particularly prevalent once again in this report. A wide variety of discriminatory Buy America provisions are highlighted as well as those impacting on federally funded infrastructure programmes.
Investment issues also remain important, given the huge flows of investment across the Atlantic. But US restrictions remain, notably in the shipping, energy and telecoms areas. These problems are often compounded by the plethora of different state level laws and regulations which make overcoming US barriers a very complex operation.
Progress has been made in a number of areasrecently. Government procurement sanctions are being withdrawn simultaneously by both sides today, healing a dispute that has dogged both sides of the Atlantic for over a decade. Last month's repeal of the Byrd amendment by the US Congress has already been welcomed by the Commission, with EU sanctions now being reduced in tandem with remaining Byrd payments.
The report highlights non-tariff barriers in investment and public procurement and addresses some long running WTO problems such as issues concerning the US Jobs Act (FSC) and the repeal of the Byrd Amendment.
The report comes out on the day the EU and US are lifting telecoms procurement sanctions against each other, bringing to an end a more than a decade-long dispute. The Transatlantic Economic Initiative is also offering new possibilities to advance trade, and tackle the regulatory and non-tariff barriers identified in this report.
The report shows that non-tariff barriers are now the major obstacle to increased EU-US trade. Barriers to free and fair government procurement are particularly prevalent once again in this report. A wide variety of discriminatory Buy America provisions are highlighted as well as those impacting on federally funded infrastructure programmes.
Investment issues also remain important, given the huge flows of investment across the Atlantic. But US restrictions remain, notably in the shipping, energy and telecoms areas. These problems are often compounded by the plethora of different state level laws and regulations which make overcoming US barriers a very complex operation.
Progress has been made in a number of areasrecently. Government procurement sanctions are being withdrawn simultaneously by both sides today, healing a dispute that has dogged both sides of the Atlantic for over a decade. Last month's repeal of the Byrd amendment by the US Congress has already been welcomed by the Commission, with EU sanctions now being reduced in tandem with remaining Byrd payments.
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