[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 213 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 213


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 31, 1998

           Received and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the Congress that the elimination of 
restrictions on the importation of United States agricultural products 
  by United States trading partners should be a top priority in trade 
                             negotiations.

Whereas on a level playing field, United States producers are the most 
        competitive suppliers of agricultural products in the world;
Whereas United States agricultural exports reached a level of $57,000,000,000 in 
        1997, compared to a total United States merchandise trade deficit of 
        $198,000,000,000;
Whereas the future well-being of the Unites States agricultural sector depends, 
        to a large degree, on the elimination of trade barriers and the 
        development of new export opportunities throughout the world;
Whereas increased United States agricultural exports are critical to the future 
        of the agricultural, rural, and overall economy of the United States;
Whereas the opportunities for increased agricultural exports are undermined by 
        unfair subsidies provided by trading partners of the United States, and 
        by various tariff and nontariff trade barriers imposed on highly 
        competitive United States agricultural products;
Whereas the Foreign Agricultural Service estimates that United States 
        agricultural exports are reduced by $4,700,000,000 annually due to the 
        unjustifiable imposition of sanitary and phytosanitary measures that 
        deny or limit market access to United States products;
Whereas Asian markets account for more than 40 percent of United States 
        agricultural exports worldwide, but the financial crisis in Asia has 
        caused a severe drop in demand for U.S. agricultural products and a 
        consequent drop in world commodity prices;
Whereas multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade 
        Organization and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum and trade 
        negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas represent significant 
        opportunities to reduce and eliminate tariff and nontariff trade 
        barriers on agricultural products;
Whereas negotiations for country accessions to the World Trade Organization, 
        particularly China, present important opportunities to reduce and 
        eliminate these barriers;
Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a number of outstanding trade 
        disputes regarding agricultural trade;
Whereas disputes with the European Union regarding agriculture matters involve 
        the most intractable issues between the United States and the European 
        Union, including--
                    (1) the failure to finalize a veterinary equivalency 
                program, which jeopardizes an estimated $3,000,000,000 in trade 
                in livestock products between the United States and the European 
                Union;
                    (2) the ruling by the World Trade Organization that the 
                European Union has no scientific basis for banning the 
                importation of beef produced in the United States using growth 
                promoting hormones, and that the European Union must remove by 
                May 13, 1999, its import ban on beef produced using growth 
                promoting hormones;
                    (3) the failure to use science, as in the beef hormone case, 
                which raises concerns about the European Union fulfilling its 
                obligations under the WTO Agreement on the Application of 
                Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures;
                    (4) the promulgation by the European Union of regulations 
                regarding the use of specified risk materials for livestock 
                products which have a disputed scientific basis and which serve 
                to impede the importation of United States livestock products, 
                despite the fact that no cases of bovine spongisorm 
                encephalopathy (mad cow disease) have been documented in the 
                United States;
                    (5) the ruling by the World Trade Organization in favor of 
                the United States that the European import regime restricting 
                the importation of bananas violates numerous disciplines 
                established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and 
                the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and that the 
                European Union must be in full compliance with the decision of 
                the World Trade Organization by January 1, 1999;
                    (6) the hindering of trade in products grown with the 
                benefit of biogenetics through a politicized approval process 
                that is nontransparent and lacks a basis in science; and
                    (7) continuing disputes regarding European Union subsidies 
                for dairy and canned fruit, and a number of impediments with 
                respect to wine: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) many nations, including the European Union, unfairly 
        restrict the importation of United States agricultural 
        products;
            (2) the restrictions imposed on United States agricultural 
        exports are among the most vexing problems facing United States 
        exporters;
            (3) the elimination of restrictions imposed on United 
        States agricultural exports should be a top priority of any 
        current or future trade negotiation;
            (4) the President should develop a trade agenda which 
        actively addresses agricultural trade barriers in multilateral 
        and bilateral trade negotiations and steadfastly pursues full 
        compliance with dispute settlement decisions of the World Trade 
        Organization;
            (5) in such negotiations, the United States should seek to 
        obtain competitive opportunities for United States exports of 
        agricultural products in foreign markets substantially 
        equivalent to the competitive opportunities afforded to foreign 
        exports in United States markets, and to achieve fairer and 
        more open conditions of trade;
            (6) because of the significance of the issues concerning 
        agricultural trade with the European Union, the United States 
        Trade Representative should not engage in any trade negotiation 
        with the European Union if the Trade Representative determines 
        that such negotiations would undermine the ability of the 
        United States to achieve a successful result in the World Trade 
        Organization negotiations on agriculture set to begin in 
        December 1999; and
            (7) the President should consult with the Congress in a 
        meaningful and timely manner concerning trade negotiations in 
        agriculture.

            Passed the House of Representatives August 4, 1998.

            Attest:

                                                ROBIN H. CARLE,

                                                                 Clerk.