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House Calendar No. 240
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 213
[Report No. 105-672]
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is
unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural
products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top
priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 11, 1998
Mr. Ewing submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
August 3, 1998
Additional sponsor: Mr. Watkins
August 3, 1998
Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered
to be printed
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[Strike out the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text and preamble of introduced concurrent resolution, see copy of
concurrent resolution as introduced on February 11, 1998]
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is
unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural
products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top
priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.
Whereas on a level playing field, United States producers are the
most competitive suppliers of agricultural products in the
world;
Whereas United States agricultural exports reached a level of
$57,000,000,000 in 1997, compared to a total United States
merchandise trade deficit of $198,000,000,000;
Whereas the future well-being of the United States agricultural
sector depends, to a large degree, on the elimination of
trade barriers and the development of new export
opportunities throughout the world;
Whereas increased United States agricultural exports are critical
to the future of the agricultural, rural, and overall
economy of the United States;
Whereas the opportunities for increased agricultural exports are
undermined by unfair subsidies provided by trading partners
of the United States, and by various tariff and nontariff
trade barriers imposed on highly competitive United States
agricultural products;
Whereas the Foreign Agricultural Service estimates that United
States agricultural exports are reduced by $4,700,000,000
annually due to the unjustifiable imposition of sanitary
and phytosanitary measures that deny or limit market access
to United States products;
Whereas Asian markets account for more than 40 percent of United
States agricultural exports worldwide, but the financial
crisis in Asia has caused a severe drop in demand for U.S.
agricultural products and a consequent drop in world
commodity prices;
Whereas multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of the
World Trade Organization and the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum and trade negotiations for a Free Trade
Area of the Americas represent significant opportunities to
reduce and eliminate tariff and nontariff trade barriers on
agricultural products;
Whereas negotiations for country accessions to the World Trade
Organization, particularly China, present important
opportunities to reduce and eliminate these barriers;
Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a number of
outstanding trade disputes regarding agricultural trade;
and
Whereas disputes with the European Union regarding agriculture
matters involve the most intractable issues between the
United States and the European Union, including--
(1) the failure to finalize a veterinary
equivalency program, which jeopardizes an estimated
$3,000,000,000 in trade in livestock products between
the United States and the European Union;
(2) the ruling by the World Trade Organization that
the European Union has no scientific basis for banning
the importation of beef produced in the United States
using growth promoting hormones, and that the European
Union must remove by May 13, 1999, its import ban on
beef produced using growth promoting hormones;
(3) the failure to use science, as in the beef
hormone case, which raises concerns about the European
Union fulfilling its obligations under the WTO
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures;
(4) the promulgation by the European Union of
regulations regarding the use of specified risk
materials for livestock products which have a disputed
scientific basis and which serve to impede the
importation of United States livestock products,
despite the fact that no cases of bovine spongisorm
encephalopathy (mad cow disease) have been documented
in the United States;
(5) the ruling by the World Trade Organization in
favor of the United States that the European import
regime restricting the importation of bananas violates
numerous disciplines established by the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the General
Agreement on Trade in Services, and that the European
Union must be in full compliance with the decision of
the World Trade Organization by January 1, 1999;
(6) the hindering of trade in products grown with
the benefit of biogenetics through a politicized
approval process that is nontransparent and lacks a
basis in science; and
(7) continuing disputes regarding European Union
subsidies for dairy and canned fruit, and a number of
impediments with respect to wine: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) many nations, including the European Union, unfairly
restrict the importation of United States agricultural
products;
(2) the restrictions imposed on United States agricultural
exports are among the most vexing problems facing United States
exporters;
(3) the elimination of restrictions imposed on United
States agricultural exports should be a top priority of any
current or future trade negotiation;
(4) the President should develop a trade agenda which
actively addresses agricultural trade barriers in multilateral
and bilateral trade negotiations and steadfastly pursues full
compliance with dispute settlement decisions of the World Trade
Organization;
(5) in such negotiations, the United States should seek to
obtain competitive opportunities for United States exports of
agricultural products in foreign markets substantially
equivalent to the competitive opportunities afforded to foreign
exports in United States markets, and to achieve fairer and
more open conditions of trade;
(6) because of the significance of the issues concerning
agricultural trade with the European Union, the United States
Trade Representative should not engage in any trade negotiation
with the European Union if the Trade Representative determines
that such negotiations would undermine the ability of the
United States to achieve a successful result in the World Trade
Organization negotiations on agriculture set to begin in
December 1999; and
(7) the President should consult with the Congress in a
meaningful and timely manner concerning trade negotiations in
agriculture.
Amend the title so as to read: ``Concurrent resolution
expressing the sense of the Congress that the elimination of
restrictions on the importation of United States agricultural
products by United States trading partners should be a top
priority in trade negotiations.''.
House Calendar No. 240
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 213
[Report No. 105-672]
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is
unfairly restricting the importation of United States agricultural
products and the elimination of such restrictions should be a top
priority in trade negotiations with the European Union.
_______________________________________________________________________
August 3, 1998
Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered
to be printed
Pages: 1 Other Popular 105th Congressional Bills Documents:
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