Category: Press Releases and Statements
NFTC Foundation Honors Ambassador Froman, Secretary Pritzker for Leadership on Trade
Washington DC – Last night, at its annual World Trade Dinner and Award Ceremony, the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) Foundation honored both U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker for their leadership and contributions to the trade community.
Ambassador Froman, recipient of the NFTC World Trade Award for his lifetime achievement in opening markets worldwide to U.S. trade and investment,
“When you step back and consider everything that TPP will help achieve, it’s clear that TPP’s importance is strategic as well as economic – it’s a victory for the open, rules-based system the United States has helped lead for decades. It’s a concrete manifestation of our commitment to the Asia Pacific and a long-term investment in global peace and prosperity,” said Ambassador Froman. “We know that every additional billion dollars
Secretary Pritzker was presented with the Trade Leadership for the Digital Age award in recognition of her leadership in fostering policies beneficial to the way global companies conduct business in the Internet age and awareness of the ways digital trade connects ideas with people to transform the world.
“The Safe Harbor Framework – administered by the Department of Commerce – is a foundational policy that protects privacy and facilitates data transfers across borders. This Framework is a critical infrastructure that underpins every sector of the global economy, and for the last 15 years, it has enabled American and European businesses to remain interconnected and thrive,” said Secretary Pritzker. “The best way to protect privacy and restore confidence in transatlantic data flows is to promptly release the strengthened Safe Harbor Framework that we have negotiated over the last two years with the European Commission.”
Now in its 101st year, NFTC Foundation’s World Trade Dinner has become a valued tradition for guests, ranging from senior U.S. government officials and diplomats to executives of critical global industries.
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About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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NFTC President Bill Reinsch Announces Retirement
Washington DC – National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch today announced he has informed the NFTC Board of Directors that he intends to retire from his position in April 2016, having led the organization for the past 15 years.
“For the past 100 years, the NFTC has been a strong voice for an open rules-based trading system and rational international tax policies, and I am honored to have been a part of that. However, it is time for me to do something different. I don’t know what that will be, but I look forward to finding out,” said Reinsch in making the announcement. “I also have no doubt the NFTC will continue to be a thought leader in the areas of trade,
“I have known and worked with Bill Reinsch for nearly 40 years, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to partner with him in his capacity as president of the NFTC,” said Ambassador Alan Wolff, Chairman of the NFTC. “He has been with the NFTC for close to 15 years as our leader and has done an outstanding job in every capacity in which he has served during his long and distinguished career of public service. We are thankful for his many contributions to the shaping of American public policy over this entire period. We will work over the next several months to find our next NFTC president to take the organization into its second century.”
Prior to joining the NFTC, Reinsch served in the Clinton Administration as the Under Secretary for Export Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that position, he administered and enforced the export control policies and anti-boycott laws of the U.S. government and monitored the condition of the nation’s defense industrial base. Prior to serving at Commerce, Reinsch spent 20 years on Capitol Hill from 1973 to 1993, most of them as Senior Legislative Assistant to the late Senator John Heinz and subsequently to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV.
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About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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Remarks by Ambassador Michael Froman to the National Foreign Trade Council Upon Receiving the World Trade Award
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Awarded Trade Leadership in the Digital Age Award From National Foreign Trade Council
NFTC Statement on U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework Decision
Washington DC – In response to the decision by the European Court of Justice to invalidate the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, a longstanding policy bridge that permitted companies to transfer personal data of European citizens while ensuring privacy, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch released the following statement:
“Government and business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic recognize that trade between the United States and the countries of the European Union is clearly and deeply mutually beneficial, and commerce in the 21st century involves numerous data-driven services and applications that support that trade in ways that are critical to consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.
“Appropriate protections for privacy and data security are likewise shared priorities, and nobody should lose sight of that fact due to process differences in how results are achieved.
“The National Foreign Trade Council joins others calling for quick and responsible follow up to the recent court ruling on the Safe Harbor to permit consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to continue to engage in commerce in a manner that benefits consumers and businesses of all sizes while at the same time ensuring proper data safeguards. This is an eminently achievable goal.”
About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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TPP Agreement Reached – A Milestone in Rules Governing Trade and Investment in the Asia-Pacific Region
Washington DC – Today, the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) welcomed expected benefits to regional trade and investment from the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations between the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
“Through increased market access, the TPP we have supported has the potential to provide prospective long-term benefits that reach across the U.S. economy – from providing better jobs to increasing investment and economic growth. Through better rules and opening foreign markets further, an effective TPP agreement has the potential to improve the conditions for mutual trade and investment among countries accounting for 40 percent of world economic output,” said Bill Reinsch, President of NFTC. “We thank Ambassador Michael Froman and the team of negotiators for the years of strenuous effort to reach
“Given the range of economies involved and the subjects covered, followed by a strong Trans-Atlantic agreement, these agreements can transform the world trading system with wide-ranging benefits,” said Alan Wolff, NFTC Chairman.
“Through the TPP negotiations, the United States and other 11 member countries set out to define a model for trade in the 21st century, while also increasing global trade and investment in this important economic region,” said Chuck Dittrich, Vice President of Regional Trade Initiatives for NFTC. “We look forward to having the opportunity to examine the details of the completed deal in the coming weeks and providing our views on the specific provisions of the agreement during this process.”
About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
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