[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 213 Reported in House (RH)]






                                                 House Calendar No. 240
105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 213

                          [Report No. 105-672]

    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is 
  unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural 
   products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top 
        priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 1998

  Mr. Ewing submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

                             August 3, 1998

                    Additional sponsor: Mr. Watkins

                             August 3, 1998

 Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered 
                             to be printed
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
    [Strike out the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text and preamble of introduced concurrent resolution, see copy of 
       concurrent resolution as introduced on February 11, 1998]

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is 
  unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural 
   products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top 
        priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.

    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 United 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; 
            and
    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.
            Amend the title so as to read: ``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.''.
                                     





                                                 House Calendar No. 240

105th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                            H. CON. RES. 213

                          [Report No. 105-672]

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is 
  unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural 
   products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top 
        priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             August 3, 1998

 Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered 
                             to be printed