Duke Today – April 6, 2015
Duke university undergraduate students met with the chair of USCIB’s Competition Policy Committee, among others, during their visit to Washington, D.C. as part of their research into the politics of market competition in the global economy.
Students Travel To D.C. To Discuss Antitrust Law With Federal Officials
World Politics Review – March 17, 2015
An overview of the UN’s development of Sustainable Development Goals quotes USCIB’s Norine Kennedy.
Sustainable Partnership: Security and the Post-2015 Development Goals
Law360 – March 10, 2015
Addressing USCIB’s Internet policy conference (held jointly with BIAC and the OECD), Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill says looking to aspects of a contentious European ruling on the “right to be forgotten” could help inform U.S. consumer protections.
http://www.law360.com/privacy/articles/629481
The Hill – March 9, 2015
An op-ed by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson and former Congressman James Bacchus argues that the United States needs to capitalize on changes in global economics and energy markets to go on the offensive and negotiate new, market-opening trade agreements.
Washington, D.C., February 11, 2015 – The Internet forms a crucial pillar of the world’s economic infrastructure, and advancements in information and communications technology (ICT) have extraordinary potential to raise living standards across the world. Given recent developments in online privacy, cyber-security and freedom on a global scale, what are the policies that can best harness the transformational power of the Internet to create economic opportunity, address social challenges and include everyone in the digital economy?
These questions will be addressed at an upcoming conference organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), “Promoting Inclusive Growth in the Digital Economy: The OECD Evidence and Practice Base,” on today’s most pressing Internet policy questions for an audience of global business leaders and government officials. This second annual conference, which takes place March 10 at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington, D.C., is being presented by the United States Council Foundation, USCIB’s educational arm, along with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.
“It’s important for both business and government to recognize the unique and important role that the OECD has played in conducting evidence-based research and developing related policy recommendations aimed at enabling all sectors to access the economic and social benefits provided by ICTs and Internet-enabled innovation,” said Joseph Alhadeff, vice president of global public policy and chief privacy strategist, Oracle Corporation. Alhadeff chairs BIAC’s Committee on Digital Economy Policy. In this capacity has been a leading advocate for global ICT interests in OECD discussions.
The full-day conference will feature a strong lineup of policymakers and thought leaders from around the world, including:
Discussions will focus on the OECD’s broad stakeholder participation in Internet policy-making, enabling the benefits of digital innovation across all sectors, promoting trade, inclusion and trust in the digital ecosystem, and addressing online security challenges. The work of the OECD in developing better policies in an open and interconnected digital world is recognized and respected by policymakers and business leaders for the fact-based economic analysis informing its policy recommendations.
In view of the Internet’s importance to all sectors of the economy, the March 10 program will be open to business participants from the ICT community, as well as representatives of the Internet technical community and civil society. Read the full conference agenda here.
About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including BIAC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.
The Financial Times has published a letter from the head of the International Chamber of Commerce forcefully rebutting some of the more widespread canards, circulating in Europe and elsewhere, concerning investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). (See below for the full text of the letter.)
ISDS provisions provide for the referral of disputes between foreign investors and host governments to neutral tribunals, rather than local courts, in cases of expropriation or other government actions that impact a company’s investment. Strong ISDS rules have been developed over the years via numerous European, U.S. and other trade and investment agreements as a way to promote cross-border investment, by providing a measure of certainty in investment decisions that might otherwise be lacking.
ISDS has emerged as a major lightning rod for opponents of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which seeks to remove many remaining barriers to cross-border commerce between the United States and the European Union.
In his letter, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said that “too much of the recent European debate on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) has been driven by hearsay, superstition and myth,” and that anti-ISDS fervor has been largely motivated by misplaced anti-Americanism. Sixty percent of recent ISDS cases worldwide, he noted, were launched by European investors.
“A gold-standard agreement in TTIP,” Danilovich wrote, “could play a central role in fostering improved conditions for a much-needed expansion of global investment flows.”
Financial Times
February 9, 2015
Letters
Ditching investor-state dispute settlement may come at quite a cost
Sir, John Kay is no doubt correct to conclude that excluding investment protection standards from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would make it “much easier” to sell the proposed deal to a sceptical European public (“Free trade should not put democracy in the dock”, February 4). But would this be the right thing to do?
While greater public engagement in trade policy making is welcome, too much of the recent European debate on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) has been driven by hearsay, superstition and myth. Professor Kay shows that even the most reasoned commentators can fall into this trap, casually depicting big — “predominantly American” — businesses as rapacious users of ISDS.
The facts tell a different story: ISDS cases remain relatively rare and almost 60 per cent of claims filed over the past five years have been made by European investors. The importance of fact-based policy making is emphasised by the global dimension to the TTIP talks. Estimates may vary about the economic value of a transatlantic investment pact, but it would be short-sighted to ignore the negative precedent that a weak or non-deal would set for future negotiations.
By contrast, a gold-standard agreement in TTIP could play a central role in fostering improved conditions for a much-needed expansion of global investment flows. Prof Kay would be well advised not to lose sight of this broader perspective: ditching ISDS from TTIP might be the easy thing to do, but it may come at quite a cost in the long run.
John Danilovich
Secretary General,
International Chamber of Commerce,
Paris, France
View this letter on the Financial Times website (paid login may be required)
By Jerry Cook, HanesBrands, Chair of USCIB’s Customs & Trade Facilitation Committee
“A new year means new opportunities, especially in the trade world. With the recently resurrected World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement seemingly back on track, and Trans-Pacific Partnership close to completion, 2015 should be the year of trade.”
Read the full column at American Shipper.
New York, N.Y., January 21, 2015 – How can governments and the business community work together to stimulate growth by reducing bottlenecks in cross-border trade? The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) will hold a major conference to address this topic next month in Miami.
USCIB will partner with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Paris-based world business organization for which it serves as the U.S. national committee, to hold the ICC and USCIB Customs & Trade Facilitation Symposium: Finding Solutions to Cross-Border Challenges, February 22-24 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami.
“International trade is critical to keeping the global economy moving forward,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “In a world of just-in-time delivery and highly integrated global supply chains, unnecessary and burdensome barriers to trade can cost companies and national economies billions of dollars. This symposium will help forge a path toward removing the red tape that can complicate cross-border commerce.”
The symposium will feature a strong lineup of policy makers and other speakers from around the world, including:
In November, members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) took a welcome step toward lifting some of the administrative burdens on traders when they agreed to implement the landmark WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Once implemented, the TFA is expected to spur global economic growth and create some 21 million new jobs – 18 million in developing countries – while adding $1 trillion to global GDP.
In addition to the TFA, the symposium will address work being done worldwide on “single window” initiatives, trusted-trader programs and the expansion of the Panama Canal, among other things. The full conference agenda is available at www.icc-uscib-customs-event.org.
About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, including ICC, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.
New York, N.Y., January 20, 2015 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed President Obama’s commitment to a pro-trade agenda and specifically to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in his State of the Union address to Congress this evening. USCIB said its member companies look forward to working with the Administration and the Congress on a bipartisan effort to advance America’s national interests in this key area.
TPA will give the president the necessary authority to negotiate strong U.S. trade agreements, making it easier for the United States to close deals to benefit American workers and companies, and then move trade agreements to Congress for their review and approval.
“Trade is an important tax-free engine for U.S. economic growth and jobs,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “TPA will provide a boost to U.S.-led efforts to open international markets and eliminate trade barriers.”
Robinson continued: “Ambassador Michael Froman and his skilled team of negotiators should not have to negotiate with one hand tied behind their back. The business community is encouraged that the president has committed to move forward on an aggressive trade agenda that will enhance America’s competitiveness, economic growth, and jobs.”
Last week USCIB sent a letter to President Obama urging him to highlight his administration’s trade agenda and to call for passage of TPA. The letter emphasized that a strong, coordinated push from the administration, Congress and the business community is needed to get TPA over the finish line.
USCIB also praised the work being done by the United States Trade Representative Ambassador Froman, leading the charge on TPA and the trade negotiations under way including the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Pacific-Rim countries, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union and the Trade in Services Agreement.
A strong advocate for international trade and investment at home and around the world, USCIB is a member of the Trade Benefits America Coalition steering committee, an organization of American companies and business associations dedicated to getting the facts out about the benefits of TPA and U.S. trade agreements. International trade already supports over 38 million American jobs and TPA can help raise that number even higher.
About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network encompassing leading international business organizations, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.
Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org