[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57526-57527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24979]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2018-0035]


Request for Comments on Negotiating Objectives for a U.S.-
European Union Trade Agreement

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: On October 16, 2018, the United States Trade Representative 
notified Congress of the Administration's intention to enter into 
negotiations on a trade agreement with the European Union (EU). The 
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking 
public comments on a proposed U.S.-EU trade agreement, including U.S. 
interests and priorities, in order to develop U.S. negotiating 
positions. You can provide comments in writing and orally at a public 
hearing. The Administration's aim in negotiations with the EU is to 
address both tariff and non-tariff barriers and to achieve fairer, more 
balanced trade.

DATES: 
    December 10, 2018: Deadline for the submission of written comments 
and for written notification of your intent to testify, as well as a 
summary of your testimony at the public hearing.
    December 14, 2018: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will 
hold a public hearing beginning at 9:30 a.m., at the Auditorium of the 
Herbert C. Hoover Building, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

ADDRESSES: You should submit notifications of intent to testify and 
written comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments in 
parts 2 and 3 below. For alternatives to on-line submissions, please 
contact Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
written comments, please contact Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475. 
Direct all other questions to David Weiner, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade 
Representative for Europe, at (202) 395-9679.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background

    The decision to launch negotiations for a U.S.-EU trade agreement 
is an important step toward achieving fairer, more balanced trade with 
the EU and follows the July 25, 2018 meeting between President Trump 
and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. In the joint 
statement issued following their July 25th meeting, President Trump and 
President Juncker affirmed the intention of the United States and the 
EU to address both tariff and non-tariff barriers in their trading 
relationship.
    On October 16, 2018, following consultations with relevant 
Congressional committees, the United States Trade Representative 
informed Congress that the President intends to commence negotiations 
with the EU for a U.S.-EU Trade Agreement.

2. Public Comment and Hearing

    The TPSC invites interested parties to submit comments and/or oral 
testimony to assist USTR as it develops negotiating objectives and 
positions for the agreement, including with regard to objectives 
identified in section 102 of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade 
Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4201). In 
particular, the TPSC invites interested parties to comment on issues 
including, but not limited to, the following:
    a. General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the 
proposed agreement.
    b. Relevant barriers to trade in goods and services between the 
U.S. and the EU that should be addressed in the negotiations.
    c. Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of 
removal or reduction of tariffs and removal or reduction of non-tariff 
barriers on articles traded with the EU.
    d. Treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under 
the proposed agreement, including comments on:
    i. Product-specific import or export interests or barriers.
    ii. Experience with particular measures that should be addressed in 
the negotiations.
    iii. Ways to address export priorities and import sensitivities in 
the context of the proposed agreement.
    e. Customs and trade facilitation issues that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    f. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to 
trade that should be addressed in the negotiations.
    g. Other measures or practices that undermine fair market 
opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers, farmers, and ranchers that 
should be addressed in the negotiations.
    USTR must receive written comments no later than Monday, December 
10, 2018.
    USTR requests that small businesses, generally defined by the Small 
Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees, or 
organizations representing small business members, which submit 
comments to self-identify as such, so that we may be aware of issues of 
particular interest to small businesses.
    The TPSC will hold a hearing on December 14, 2018, in the 
Auditorium of the Herbert C. Hoover Building, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230. If 
necessary, the hearing will continue on the next business day. Persons 
wishing to testify at the hearing must provide written notification of 
their intention by December 10, 2018. The notification of intent to 
testify must be made in the `type comment' field under docket number 
USTR-2018-0035 on the www.regulations.gov website and should include 
the name, address, and telephone number of the person presenting the 
testimony. You should attach a summary of the testimony by using the 
`upload file' field. The file name also should include who will be 
presenting the testimony. The TPSC limits remarks at the hearing to no 
more than five minutes to allow for possible questions.

3. Requirements for Submissions

    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 website. Persons submitting 
a notification of intent to testify and/or written comments must do so 
in English and must identify (on the first page of the submission) the 
``U.S.-EU Trade Agreement.''

[[Page 57527]]

    To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number 
USTR-2018-0035 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 website, please consult the resources provided on 
the website by clicking on `How to Use This Site' on the left side of 
the home page.
    The www.regulations.gov website 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 you provide comments 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 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 also must 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. You must make any alternative arrangements before 
transmitting a comment and in advance of the applicable deadline with 
Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475.
    USTR will place comments in the docket for public inspection, 
except business confidential information. General information 
concerning USTR is available at www.ustr.gov.

Edward Gresser,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2018-24979 Filed 11-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F9-P