[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19566-19568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07430]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Comments Concerning Proposed Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of a public hearing.
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SUMMARY: On March 20, 2013, the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) notified Congress of the Administration's intention to enter
into negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
(TTIP) agreement with the European Union (EU) aimed at achieving a
substantial increase in transatlantic trade and investment. Before
initiating such negotiations, the Trade Act of 1974 requires that, with
respect to any proposed trade agreement, any interested persons be
afforded an opportunity to present his or her view regarding any
matters related to the proposed trade agreement. Accordingly, USTR is
seeking public comments on the proposed TTIP, including regarding U.S.
interests and priorities, in order to develop U.S. negotiating
positions. Comments may be provided in writing and orally at a public
hearing.
DATES: Written comments are due by midnight, May 10, 2013. Persons
wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide written
notification of their intention, as well as a summary of their
testimony, by midnight, May 10, 2013. The hearing will be held on May
29 and 30 beginning at 9:30 a.m., at the main hearing room of the
United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20436.
ADDRESSES: Public comments should be submitted electronically at
www.regulations.gov. If you are unable to provide submissions at
www.regulations.gov, please contact Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC), at (202) 395-3475, to arrange for an alternative
method of transmission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments, please contact Yvonne Jamison at the above number.
All other questions regarding the TTIP agreement should be directed to
David Weiner, Deputy Assistant USTR for Europe, at (202) 395-9679.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
The decision to launch negotiations for a TTIP agreement follows a
year-long exploratory process conducted by the U.S.-EU High Level
Working Group on Jobs and Growth (HLWG), established by President Obama
and EU leaders during their November 2011 Summit Meeting, and led by
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and EU Commissioner for Trade Karel
De Gucht. USTR provided two opportunities for the public to comment as
part of the HLWG mandate in 2012; comments received in response to
these solicitations, and during a large number of advisory committee
briefings and other meetings with stakeholders, played an important
role in shaping the HLWG's recommendations. In its February 11, 2013
Final Report, the HLWG concluded that an agreement that addresses a
broad range of bilateral trade and investment policies, as well as
global issues of common interest, could generate substantial economic
benefits on both sides of the Atlantic. (See http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/reports-and-publications/2013/final-report-us-eu-hlwg).
USTR is observing the consultative and administrative procedures of
the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002 (19 U.S.C. 3804)
with respect to notifying and consulting with Congress regarding the
TTIP negotiations. These procedures include providing Congress with 90
days advance written notice of the President's intent to enter into
negotiations and consulting with appropriate Congressional committees
regarding the negotiations. To that end, on March 20, 2013, after
having consulted with relevant Congressional committees, the USTR
notified Congress that the President intends to enter into negotiations
of an agreement with the EU, with the objective of concluding a high-
standard agreement that will benefit U.S. workers, manufacturers,
service suppliers, farmers, ranchers, innovators, creators, small- and
medium-sized businesses, and consumers.
In addition, under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C.
2151, 2153), in the case of an agreement such as the proposed TTIP
agreement, the President must (i) afford interested persons an
opportunity to present their views regarding any matter relevant to the
proposed agreement, (ii) designate an agency or inter-agency committee
to
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hold a public hearing regarding the proposed agreement, and (iii) seek
the advice of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding
the probable economic effect on U.S. industries and consumers of the
modification of tariffs on imports pursuant to the proposed agreement.
USTR intends to hold a public hearing on specific issues pertaining to
the proposed negotiations on May 29 and 30, 2013. In addition, USTR has
requested that the ITC provide advice to USTR on the probable economic
effects of an agreement.
2. Public Comments
Written Comments: The TPSC Chair invites interested parties to
submit written comments to assist USTR as it works with other U.S.
government agencies and continues to consult with Congress to develop
U.S. negotiating objectives and proposals for the proposed TTIP
agreement. Comments may address the reduction or elimination of tariffs
or non-tariff barriers on any articles provided for in the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) that are products of the
EU, any concession that should be sought by the United States, or any
other matter relevant to the proposed agreement. The TPSC Chair invites
comments on all of these matters and, in particular, seeks comments
regarding:
(a) General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the
proposed agreement;
(b) economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of
removal of tariffs and removal or reduction in non-tariff barriers on
articles traded with the EU;
(c) treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under
the proposed agreement, including comments on--
(1) product-specific import or export interests or barriers,
(2) experience with particular measures that should be addressed in
the negotiations, and
(3) approach to tariff negotiations, including recommended staging
and ways to address export priorities and import sensitivities in the
context of the proposed agreement;
(d) adequacy of existing customs measures to ensure that duty rates
under an agreement with the EU apply only to goods eligible to receive
such treatment, and appropriate rules of origin for goods entering the
United States under the proposed agreement;
(e) existing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical
barriers to trade that should be addressed in the negotiations;
(f) opportunities for greater transatlantic regulatory
compatibility, including concrete ideas on how greater compatibility
could be achieved in a particular economic sector, without diminishing
the ability of the United States to continue to meet legitimate
regulatory objectives, for example with respect to health, safety and
the environment, and which sectors should be the focus of such efforts;
(g) opportunities to reduce unnecessary costs and administrative
delays stemming from regulatory differences, including how that could
be achieved in a particular economic sector;
(h) opportunities to enhance customs cooperation between the United
States and the EU and its member states, ensure transparent, efficient,
and predictable conduct of customs operations, and ensure that customs
measures are not applied in a manner that creates unwarranted
procedural obstacles to trade;
(i) existing barriers to trade in services between the United
States and the EU that should be addressed in the negotiations;
(j) relevant electronic commerce and cross-border data flow issues
that should be addressed in the negotiations;
(k) relevant investment issues that should be addressed in the
negotiations;
(l) relevant competition-related matters that should be addressed
in the negotiations;
(m) relevant government procurement issues, including coverage of
any government agencies or state-owned enterprises engaged in
procurements of interest, that should be addressed in the negotiations;
(n) relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the
negotiations;
(o) relevant labor issues that should be addressed in the
negotiations;
(p) relevant transparency and anticorruption issues that should be
addressed in the negotiations; and
(q) relevant trade-related intellectual property rights issues that
should be raised with the EU.
In addition to the matters described above, the TPSC invites
comments on new principles or disciplines addressing emerging
challenges in international trade that should be pursued in the
negotiations and that would benefit U.S.-EU trade as well as strengthen
the multilateral rules-based trading system and support other trade-
related priorities, including, for example, with respect to state-owned
enterprises, ``localization'' barriers to trade, and other developments
on which the United States and the EU may share similar concerns.
At a later date, USTR, through the TPSC, will publish notice of
reviews regarding (a) the possible environmental effects of the
proposed agreement and the scope of the U.S. environmental review of
the proposed agreement, and (b) the impact of the proposed agreement on
U.S. employment and labor markets.
Oral Testimony: A hearing will be held on May 29 and May 30 in the
Main Hearing Room at the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E St.
SW., Washington, DC 20436. Persons wishing to testify at the hearing
must provide written notification of their intention by May 10, 2013.
The intent to testify notification must be made in the ``Type Comment''
field under docket number USTR-2013-0019 on the regulations.gov Web
site and should include the name, address and telephone number of the
person presenting the testimony. A summary of the testimony must
accompany the notification. Remarks at the hearing should be limited to
no more than five minutes to allow for possible questions from the
TPSC.
3. Requirements for Submissions
Persons submitting comments must do so in English and must identify
(on the first page of the submission) the ``Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership.'' In order to be assured of consideration,
comments should be submitted by May 10, 2013.
In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of
comments, USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line
submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments
via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2013-0019 on the home
page and click ``search.'' The site will provide a search-results page
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to
this notice and click on the link entitled ``Comment Now!'' (For
further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page).
The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a document
using an ``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that comments be provided
in an attached document. If a document is attached, it is sufficient to
type ``See attached'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. USTR prefers
submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If the
submission is in an application other than those
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two, please indicate the name of the application in the ``Type
Comment'' field.
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions
containing business confidential information must also submit a public
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should
begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed
by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business
confidential information should name their file using the name of the
person or entity submitting the comments.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through
www.regulations.gov, if at all possible. Any alternative arrangements
must be made with Ms. Jamison in advance of transmitting a comment. Ms.
Jamison should be contacted at (202) 395-3475. General information
concerning USTR is available at www.ustr.gov.
4. Public Inspection of Submissions
Comments will be placed in the docket and open to public
inspection, except business confidential information. Comments may be
viewed on the http:www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the
relevant docket number in the search field on the home page.
Douglas Bell,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-07430 Filed 3-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F3-P