Press Releases and Statements Archives - Page 55 of 107

NFTC and USA*Engage Express Disappointment Over Senate’s Approval of Additional Unilateral Iran Sanctions

Posted on May 22, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage today released the following statement in response to the Senate’s approval of the Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Human Rights Act of 2012.

“Last evening, the Senate voted to add further unilateral measures to the maze of sanctions directed at the Islamic Republic of Iran. While the provisions appear moderate as compared to the House-passed package the Senate rejected, their unilateral cast, in the midst of ongoing negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the P5 plus one countries, at best muddy the waters,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “We hope that Congress will take a collective breath and permit the Administration to carry through with the negotiations. The Administration has managed to date to effectively marshal a multilateral approach to using economic sanctions as a negotiating tool.”

“Imposing unilateral prohibitions on any entity involved in joint ventures with an Iranian entity anywhere in the world in the energy sector as a matter of law could entail unintended consequences for companies, U.S. or foreign, that have no involvement in Iran’s energy sector. Similarly, requiring companies that trade on the U.S. stock exchange to disclose any Iran-related business to the Securities and Exchange Commission, whether sanctionable or not, at best amounts to another unfunded mandate on the private sector and at worst may expose companies to unwarranted public attack,” said USA*Engage Director Richard Sawaya.

About USA*Engage

USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a coalition of small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. Established in 1997 and organized under the National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org), USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy worldwide.

U.S. Business Community Applauds Appointment of Ambassador, Encourages Continued Movement on Sanctions

Posted on May 17, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the National Foreign Trade Council today issued the following joint statement strongly endorsing the appointment of Derek Mitchell as Ambassador to Myanmar. The groups also endorsed the statement by the administration that the United States will suspend some of the economic sanctions it maintains against Myanmar.

“We applaud this announcement, which is a step forward in ending Myanmar’s international isolation. It demonstrates that the United States stands with other like-minded countries, including Australia, Canada, and the EU in recognizing the significant political and economic reforms that Myanmar has undertaken, and in seeking to ensure that the reform process continues. We encourage Congress to move forward with this nomination quickly and look forward to working with Ambassador Mitchell as the administration moves forward on allowing the resumption of economic ties with Myanmar.

“We look forward to receiving clear guidelines from the administration on exactly what changes will be made to the sanctions regime. We welcome Secretary Clinton’s statement that American companies from all sectors will be able to work in Myanmar. A situation where American companies are allowed to invest in certain sectors while excluding others will not prevent those sectors from being developed in Myanmar; it will simply ensure that our competitors fill the void, as they are already doing, and that jobs which could be given to American workers will go elsewhere.

“Further, we welcome Senator McCain’s recent call for American business to set the global standard for Corporate Social Responsibility in Myanmar. This is an area where American companies are leaders, and their CSR initiatives will benefit the people of Myanmar, as will their high standards of transparency and corporate governance. Myanmar’s leadership has made it clear that it welcomes American investment, and in many ways sees it as preferable to that of some of our competitors for precisely these reasons.

“We encourage the administration to continue to open pathways for economic engagement. We look forward to clear guidance on how businesses interested in working in Myanmar should proceed.”

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- 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.
Follow us on:

NFTC Welcomes Implementation of U.S.-Colombia FTA

Posted on May 15, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today welcomed the implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The NFTC released the following statement:

“We welcome today’s implementation of the Colombia FTA, an agreement that will increase U.S. competitiveness, boost U.S. exports and job growth, and further strengthen the economic and diplomatic relationship between the United States and Colombia.

“Colombia has seen significant economic growth in the past few years, and has grown to be a leading economic force in not only Latin America, but also the world. With the trade agreement now in place, U.S. companies and agricultural producers will have greater access to this dynamic market, ensuring the United States remains competitive there and providing more opportunities for economic growth and job creation here at home.

“With both the Colombian and South Korean trade agreements now implemented, we urge the Administration to work with the Panamanian government to implement the U.S.-Panama FTA as soon as possible.”

About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for Nearly A Century- 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.
Follow us on:

CEE, NFTC Welcome Senate Passage of H.R. 2072, “the Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011”

Posted on May 15, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The Coalition for Employment through Exports (CEE) and the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today applauded the Senate for passing H.R. 2072, the Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011, reauthorizing the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank of the United States. This critical piece of legislation ensures Ex-Im’s continued support of U.S. export sales and manufacturing jobs. CEE and NFTC welcome the bipartisan effort to provide the Bank with a reauthorization of extended duration, as it recognizes the important role Ex-Im Bank plays in leveling the playing field for U.S. exporters at a time when exports are increasingly critical to U.S. economic recovery and job creation.

John Hardy, President of CEE, said, “We are grateful to the Senate for the bipartisan work to provide the Bank with the authority needed for it to continue its critical role supporting small and large exporters. With the extension of the Charter expiring at the end of May, we hope the President will sign H.R. 2072 into law at his earliest convenience. The three-year extension and healthy increase in lending level sends the right message to our foreign competitors – American companies that export have the support of their government to level the playing field and help make those sales.”

The legislation also contains language that ensures support for the textile industry, tightens auditing rules, looks to broaden content requirements to support even more U.S. industries, and provides more transparency regarding transactions the Bank is considering.

CEE, NFTC Welcome House Passage of H.R. 2072, “the Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011”

Posted on May 9, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington, DC – The Coalition for Employment through Exports (CEE) and the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) applaud today’s passage of H.R. 2072, the Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011, reauthorizing the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank of the United States. This critical piece of legislation ensures Ex-Im’s continued support of U.S. export sales and manufacturing jobs.

CEE and NFTC welcomed the hard work of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) for their bipartisan effort to provide the Bank with a reauthorization of extended duration and which recognizes the important role Ex-Im Bank plays in leveling the playing field for U.S. exporters at a time when exports are increasingly critical to the U.S. economic recovery and job creation.

John Hardy, President of CEE, said, “We are grateful to Majority Leader Cantor and Minority Whip Hoyer for their bipartisan work providing the Bank with the authority needed for it to continue its critical role supporting small and large exporters. With the extension of the Charter expiring at the end of May, we are very hopeful that both Chambers will quickly pass the bill to be sent to the President for his signature. H.R. 2072, with its three-year extension and healthy increase in lending level, sends the right message to our foreign competitors – American companies that export have the support of their government to level the playing field and help make those sales.”

The legislation also contains language that ensures support for the textile industry, tightens auditing rules, looks to broaden content requirements to support even more U.S. industries, and provides a more transparency regarding transactions the Bank is considering.

CEE and the NFTC yesterday sent a letter to all Members of the House, urging them to support the bill.

###

About CEE
CEE is a not for profit association that operates as an educational and advocacy organization on behalf of our members on legislative and regulatory matters affecting U.S. government export finance and assistance programs: the Export Import Bank, OPIC, the Trade and Development Agency and the Commerce Department export promotion programs. We address any legislative or regulatory issue that may affect the ability of U.S. exporters to utilize these programs, thus we are active on: appropriations for these agencies, trade sanctions that may limit these agencies, and multilateral policies that may limit these agencies. Learn more at http://www.usaexport.org.

NFTC and USA*Engage Say Florida Governor Rick Scott Heeds the Constitution on Cuba, Syria Legislation, But Misses the Point

Posted on May 2, 2012August 2, 2023 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage today released the following statement regarding Florida Governor Rick Scott’s signing of a bill, HB 959, which prohibits companies from doing business with the state if they invest or have business operations in Cuba or Syria.

“We welcome Gov. Scott’s effective acknowledgement in his signing statement that the legislation is unconstitutional, but the fact remains that he signed the bill anyway, which will only continue the uncertainty and confusion over this fundamental point of law,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “In Crosby v. NFTC in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that in the case of sanctions, when the federal government has acted, the states are preempted. That case dealt specifically with a prohibition on state procurement, and HB 959 falls clearly within its ambit.”

“In the case of Syria and Cuba, the two countries affected by HB 959, the federal government has imposed sanctions and thus has clearly occupied the field, preempting state action,” said USA*Engage Director Richard Sawaya. “The right thing for Governor Scott to have done was to veto the bill and uphold the Constitution. Instead, having signed the bill, Florida will now be subject to extended debate, and ultimately expensive litigation, over whether and how to enforce it.”

###

About USA*Engage

Major U.S. Business and Good Government Groups Call on USTR to End Protectionist Treatment of Sugar in Trade Negotiations

Posted on April 30, 2012 by dcadmin

US Business Groups Issue Statement Expressing Deep Concern Following Announcement by the New Zealand government of a Public Consultation to Review the Mandated Destruction of Trademarks and Branding in the Tobacco Sector

Posted on April 20, 2012 by dcadmin

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue, the Emergency Committee for American Trade, the National Association of Manufacturers, the United States Council for International Business and the National Foreign Trade Council issued the following statement in light of the New Zealand government’s announcement that it is pursuing a public consultation regarding plain packaging for tobacco products:

“It is most troubling that as efforts are underway to deepen the opportunities for economic growth and opportunity between the United States and New Zealand, we now find that the New Zealand government is considering the destruction of an industry’s legitimate trademark protection and branding – rights long protected under law and international treaties.

While there is no question that protecting public health is a legitimate objective, there is also no question that trademarks and other forms of intellectual property stimulate innovation and are essential to building vibrant economies. There is no fact-based evidence which suggests that mandating the destruction of intellectual property (IP) will advance public health. We firmly believe the measure in question could instead undermine public health as a result of unintended consequences, such as an increased influx of counterfeit tobacco products.

New Zealand has made binding commitments under international obligations to protect IP while it has no such obligation to mandate plain packaging of tobacco products. There are numerous methods to effectively regulate the tobacco industry that do not undermine the protection of IP, do not have such damaging unintended consequences, and are consistent with New Zealand’s international trade obligations. New Zealand, as a world leader in the international trading system, surely recognizes the critical importance of abiding by international trade rules and the value of not undermining that system. We do not believe the current international trading system in any way impedes the ability of governments to regulate in the public interest. But, the mandated trademark destruction through government imposed plain packaging does violate international trade rules.

New Zealand has long called upon trading partners to avoid arbitrary measures not sufficiently grounded in science when regulating industry. The destruction of branding and the related trademarks of an industry without reliable evidence to support these actions defy these long-held views that science should be the foundation of regulation. This assault on trademark represents a fundamental challenge to the global IP system we have fought hard to build. Although presently this effort is only confined to tobacco products, we see this as a systemic threat to rules which intellectual property and the trading system is dependent upon. We hope the New Zealand government will consider the concerns we have raised for the possible impact on New Zealand exports, such as dairy and wine, should other governments feel emboldened to take similar measures.

As leading representatives of business, we rely on the rules-based international trade framework to sustain economic growth, employment, innovation and prosperity. We encourage governments, including in New Zealand, to reflect on not only the importance of the rules based international system in their actions, but also the science and evidentiary basis for such an extreme step, and call upon the New Zealand government to place the effort in the well-intentioned, yet ill-advised, category.”

For additional information please contact:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Trinh Nguyen 202-463-5379,
TransAtlantic Business Dialogue Kathryn Hauser +1-202-559-9299
Emergency Committee for American Trade Cal Cohen +1-202-659-5147
National Association of Manufacturers Frank Vargo +1-202 637 3144
National Foreign Trade Council Jennifer Cummings +1-202-887-0278
US Council for International Business Jonathan Huneke +1-212-703-5043“

NFTC Welcomes Announcement of May 15 Implementation Date

Posted on April 16, 2012 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today applauded the U.S. and Colombian governments for working together to set a date for implementation of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The NFTC welcomed the Administration’s announcement yesterday that the agreement will enter into force on May 15, 2012. The NFTC released the following statement:

“We welcome the announcement and applaud the Administration for working in concert with the Colombian government to set a date for implementation of the FTA, as the agreement will further strengthen our longstanding bilateral economic ties and promote U.S. export growth and job creation.

“Colombia is fast becoming a leading economic player in Latin America. With the third largest economy and more than 46 million consumers, Colombia is an expanding market for U.S. goods and services. Implementation of the agreement will ensure that American companies, farmers and ranchers will remain competitive in this critical market and have new opportunities to maximize economic growth and create American jobs.

“The NFTC urges the Administration to press forward and continue to work with the Panamanian government, as it did with South Korea and Colombia, to implement the U.S.-Panama FTA as soon as possible.”

###

U.S. Business Organizations Welcome Myanmar Elections and Encourage Continued Reform

Posted on April 2, 2012 by dcadmin

WASHINGTON DC – The National Foreign Trade Council, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement after Myanmar’s by-elections on April 1:

“We are encouraged by the positive developments in Myanmar, and what appears to have been a much improved electoral process compared to the last elections. This election is an important milestone in that country’s ongoing process of reform. Resolving political differences will be fundamental to Myanmar’s economic development, and to the welfare of its people.

“Further, we support the enhanced U.S. diplomatic engagement with Myanmar that has occurred over the past several months. We call for its continuation and expansion, including taking the next step in the administration’s already-announced plans to upgrade the status of our embassy in Yangon by nominating a U.S. ambassador as soon as possible. We believe that such engagement has been, and will be, crucial in encouraging and supporting further reform.”

# # #

The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) is the historic U.S. business organization advocating a rules-based world economy. Founded in 1914 by a group of American companies that supported an open world trading system, the NFTC and its affiliates serve more than 300 member companies through offices in Washington and New York.”

The US-ASEAN Business Council has represented the largest U.S. companies doing business in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for over 25 years. Council members span all industry sectors, and include newcomers to the region as well as those active in Southeast Asia for over 100 years.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization, and represents the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. Chamber members range in size from small enterprises and local chambers to leading industry associations and large corporations.

Contact:
Richard Sawaya, NFTC (202) 887-0278
Anthony Nelson, US-ASEAN Business Council (202) 289-1911
Bobby Maldonado, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (202) 463-5682