[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 155 (Friday, August 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-19704]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: August 12, 1994]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Accession to the European Union by Austria, Finland, Norway and
Sweden: Request for Comments; Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public
Comments on Market Access Implications of Accession of Austria,
Finland, Norway and Sweden to the European Union (EU)
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for written submissions from the public regarding the
market access implications of accession of Austria, Finland, Norway and
Sweden to the European Union.
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SUMMARY: Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden signed a treaty of
accession on June 24, 1994 with the European Union. This treaty is
expected to be ratified by the end of 1994 and implemented on January
1, 1995. The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) requests written
submissions from the public concerning the market access implications
of the EU accession of these four countries, for U.S. production and
trade in goods and services.
These items would include any expected increases in tariff rates in
the four countries due to their application of the EU's common external
tariff.
DATE: Submissions must be received on or before noon, September 16,
1994.
ADDRESS: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW.,
Washington, D.C. 20506
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Kasper, Director for EFTA Affairs (202-395-3320), Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20506.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 24, 1994, Austria, Finland, Norway
and Sweden signed a treaty of accession with the European Union (EU)
and its member states. This treaty is expected to be ratified by the
end of 1994 and implemented on January 1, 1995.
Under Article XXIV: 7(a) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT), GATT contracting parties must formally notify the GATT of
their intention to enter into a customs union, such as the European
Union. A GATT working party will then be established to examine the
proposed customs union in relation to the standards of Article XXIV,
including the rule that the ``duties and other regulations of commerce
imposed * * * in respect of trade with contracting parties not parties
to such union * * * shall not on the whole be higher or ore restrictive
than the general incidence of the duties and other regulations of
commerce applicable in the constituent territories prior to the
formation of such union
* * *'' The GATT working party will examine the agreement to determine
whether the duties and trade regulations of the enlarged EU will be
higher or more restrictive with respect to the EU's trading partners
than the duties and trade regulations of the EU and the four countries
individually prior to accession.
Under the treaty of accession, Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden
will begin to apply the EU's trade regime, including the EU's common
external tariff schedule, for almost all items, on January 1, 1995.
While the United States has yet to receive trade information from the
European Union upon which to evaluate the expected trade consequences
of this accession, it is likely that U.S. production and trade in some
sectors will be adversely affected.
If a country joining a customs union plans to raise a duty rate
which is bound in its GATT schedule of concessions, it may renegotiate
the tariff concession under GATT Article XXIV: 6 and the procedures of
Article XXVIII. This renegotiation may result in the provision of
tariff compensation (reduction of duties) covering an equivalent value
of trade.
The Chairman of the Trade Policy Staff Committee invites written
submissions from the public on the expected implications of the
accession treaty on access to the markets of Austria, Finland, Norway,
Sweden, or the existing EU member states for U.S. products and
services. Submissions will be used in decisions regarding U.S.
negotiating priorities with respect to the EU enlargement. The
information obtained from these submissions will be considered during
the GATT working party examination of the EU accession and the GATT
Article XXIV: 6 tariff compensation negotiations.
Submissions should describe the product or service in question,
and, in the case of products, should include the Harmonized System
tariff heading(s). Submissions should describe the present market
access for the products or services, including value and quantity of
exports, any existing problems, and should identify the changes that
are expected to result from the implementation of the accession treaty.
Submissions may also include recommendations for appropriate
compensation to be sought for instances of diminished market access.
These recommendations could include such items as reductions in the EU
common external tariff on goods, improvements to EU market access
commitments on services, or other changes in the EU trade regime for
goods and services.
Comments must be submitted in English and provided in twenty copies
to Carolyn Frank, Secretary of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Room
414, 600 17th Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20506, no later than 12:00
noon on Friday, September 16, 1994.
Public Inspection of Submissions
Except for information granted ``business confidential'' status
pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.6, submissions will be available for public
inspection by appointment at the USTR Public Reading Room, in room 101,
Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. An appointment to review the file may be made by
calling Brenda Webb, (202) 395-6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to
the public from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00
p.m., Monday through Friday. Any business confidential material must be
clearly marked as such on the cover letter or page and each succeeding
page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential summary of the
confidential information. The nonconfidential summary will be open to
public inspection.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 94-19704 Filed 8-11-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M
