Eva Hampl Joins USCIB as Director of Investment Trade and Financial Services

Published on May 13, 2014

New York, N.Y., May 13, 2014 – Eva Hampl, an attorney and former Senate staffer, has joined the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) as director of investment, trade and financial services. She will be based in the organization’s Washington, D.C. office.

“We’re happy to welcome Eva to our trade and investment team,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “She brings valuable knowledge and experience in treaties and regulations affecting cross-border commerce. This will help us bolster USCIB’s leadership position in investment, trade and financial services.”

Hampl will work with Shaun Donnelly, USCIB’s vice president of investment and financial services, to coordinate the organization’s activities on cross-border investment and global finance. She will manage work in those areas by engaging with the U.S. government and working through USCIB’s global business network: the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD. Hampl will also support Robert Mulligan, senior vice president for policy and government affairs, on trade policy issues.

USCIB advocates for opening global markets by eliminating barriers to trade and investment, and promotes polices that spur sustainable, market-led economic growth that contributes to job creation in the United States and around the world. By providing innovative thinking on cross-border investment and financial services, USCIB helps build industry consensus for positions that facilitate international business.

Hampl recently completed a fellowship with GE’s Global Government Affairs and Policy division, and she has served as a trade associate with the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. She also interned with the trade section of the European Union delegation to the United States, and she served as a law clerk to the Connecticut Superior Court.

With a background in investment and trade law, Hampl holds a master’s of law in international and comparative law from The George Washington University Law School, as well as a law degree from Suffolk University Law School.

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, IOE and 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.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

(212) 703-5043 or jhuneke@uscib.org

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Great Opportunities Ahead for G20

Published on May 12, 2014

Delivering an update on B20 task force work to a meeting of ICC G20 CEO Advisory Group deputies in Paris last week, Robert Milliner, Australia’s B20 Sherpa, said that the G20 was starting to recognize business issues and that great opportunity lay ahead thanks to agreement among all G20 leaders that economic growth and job creation were their key drivers. The way forward now, he said, was to refine work to provide even more specific recommendations to G20 leaders.

Speaking to the representatives of business leaders from major corporations at ICC’s global headquarters, Milliner said that ICC’s B20 role was important to building a continuity framework, as presidency changes from year to year, and expressed appreciation for the experience ICC brings to the process. Milliner went on to outline B20 progress and gave an overview of plans for the G20 Summit, set to take place this July in Sydney ahead of the G20 leaders’ summit later in the year.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Rob Mulligan

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Mandarin Translation of ICC Marketing Code Launched

Published on May 9, 2014

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) unveiled the first official Mandarin translation of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, the updated version of a document first published in 1937. The ICC Code serves as an ethical rule-setting guide for self-regulatory bodies across all sectors, and is designed to build consumer trust in advertising practice while reducing the need for government regulation.

The Mandarin version of the ICC code was shared with the 1,300 delegates attending the 43rd World Advertising Congress in Beijing, presented by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and China Advertising Association, and hosted by China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the Municipal Government of the City of Beijing.

The ICC code is the gold standard for self-regulation around the world. It offers a globally consistent baseline for economies developing standards while also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a local code.

This ninth revision of the ICC code, published in 2011, expands its global principles to address new technology and practice changes. Now published in 11 languages, the code is used as a foundation and resource for most national and sector self-regulatory systems. Self-regulatory bodies implement the principles to monitor advertising and provide consumers with easy access to make complaints and redress problems.

“The ICC Code reflects the commitment of companies from all sectors of industry and all regions of the world to responsible marketing and advertising,” said Carla Michelotti, vice chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “IAA was pleased to facilitate this launch with ICC and encourage cooperation across the sector locally and internationally to promote consistent responsible practice across markets.”

Michelotti, who is the executive vice president, chief legal, government and corporate affairs officer at Leo Burnett Worldwide and serves as an IAA board member, took the initiative to bring partner organizations together on this launch to promote responsible advertising practice.

After the congress on May 11, IAA and ICC will co-host a working level meeting on responsible marketing. Forty representatives from Chinese and international stakeholders will participate including, China State Council, State Administration of Industry and Commerce, Chinese National Advertisers Association, China Central Television Advertising Center, Mars, Proctor and Gamble, as well as Unilever and Sony.

“This is a timely opportunity to share and discuss the universal principles with practitioners in China just as the Chinese government is revising the 1994 Advertising Law at present and within it they are encouraging industry to build self-regulation onto that legislative platform,” said Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud, ICC’s senior policy executive who staffs the ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission that produces the codes.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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Robinson Talks Trade and Investment at OECD Forum

Published on May 7, 2014

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson with Sharon Burrows, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.

Trade and investment have become more intertwined, reinforcing and interdependent, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson told the annual OECD Forum in Paris on Tuesday, stressing the importance of global value chains and the need for smarter policies to foster FDI – and the growth and jobs it creates.

Robinson took part in a panel discussion moderated by Shawn Donnan of the Financial Times on the new realities of cross-border trade, including the development of highly integrated global value chains where various stages of R&D, production and distribution are scattered across many different countries. The session encouraged debate among panelists and the audience about how to adapt policies to meet the new, interconnected trade and production landscape.

In his remarks, Robinson identified three important trends – the growth of global value chains, the interdependence of trade and investment, and the dangers of protectionist policies such as forced localization and data flow restrictions – as he had highlighted at the BIAC/TUAC pre-Ministerial consultations with the OECD and the Japanese last month in Tokyo. He called for policies that acknowledge that the world of trade has shifted towards global value chains, and noted that the role of foreign direct investment is crucial and should be central to the discussion along with trade.

Other speakers at the Future of Trade panel included Robert Carvalho de Azevêdo, director general of the WTO; James Bacchus of Greenberg Traurig, chair of the Commission on Trade and Investment Policy at the International Chamber of Commerce; Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Tim Groser, New Zealand’s minister of trade; and Tadayuki Nagashima, executive vice president of the Japan External Trade Organization.

Trade and investment are two sides of the same coin, Robinson explained, neither will occur alone. Cross-border trade requires investment as well as investment protection like the investor state dispute settlement to help balance legitimate government needs and dispute resolution.

Robinson also warned that trade barriers are going up behind the border, handicapping the development of integrated global value chains. He encouraged the OECD to continue research on the impact of policies that localize production and content and limit data flows on global value chains.

The business community ideally favors a global approach to trade and investment liberalization, Robinson said. But he noted its encouragement of regional and functional initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Trade in Services Agreement and leveraging where possible those plurilateral or bilateral coalitions of the willing into multilateral ones. Robinson also thanked the OECD for its high-quality work on trade analysis, such as Trade in Value Added.

The OECD Forum takes place each year around the OECD’s ministerial council meeting, which this year focused on “Resilient Economies and Inclusive Societies.” A high-level United States delegation participated in the OECD ministerial, advancing efforts to level the playing field for American businesses and promoting a more open and outward-oriented OECD. The delegation included U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Jason Furman and the new U.S. ambassador to the OECD, Daniel Yohannes.

Staff contact: Rob Mulligan

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Business Groups Line Up to Support Global Investment In American Jobs Act

Published on May 6, 2014

A Nissan Rogue rolls off the assembly line at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tenn. plant in October 2013, the 10 millionth vehicle produced at the facility.

USCIB joined the Organization for International Investment and a number of other trade associations last week in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell promoting the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013 (S. 1023/H.R. 2052).

H.R. 2052 passed the House of Representatives in September 2013, and was approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 9 of this year. Last week’s coalition letter urges Senators Reid and McConnell to take swift action on the bill. It follows a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2013, and one to the U.S. Senate in September 2013, constituting the third such effort in which USCIB has been involved.

“Foreign direct investment (FDI) is vital for American jobs and economic growth,” said Shaun Donnelly, USCIB’s vice president for investment and financial services. “In order to remain globally competitive and attractive to foreign investors, the United States should undertake the measures provided for in this bill.”

According to Donnelly, inward FDI brings not only needed capital but also technology, innovation and access to foreign markets. He said USCIB was pleased to see progress on the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013, and would continue to push for its passage.

Staff contacts: Shaun Donnelly and Eva Hampl

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At Japan Consultation Business Calls for Bold Action to Support Private Sector-Led Growth

Published on April 18, 2014

Renewed Focus on Investment Urged

USCIB and its partners in BIAC have urged the OECD to sharpen its focus on policies affecting cross-border investment. An April 17 letter from BIAC Secretary General Bernhard Welschke to OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria reflected on recent high-level BIAC-OECD discussions of FDI.

Welschke wrote that “business observes a proliferation of restrictions on foreign direct investment, often hidden and difficult to counter.” He said the OECD must continue to serve as a champion of cross-border investment – and the jobs and growth it spurs.

Other examples of the renewed focus on investment issues include the January annual BIAC Executive Board meeting with OECD ambassadors, where Charles Heeter, BIAC’s U.S. board member, played a lead role, and USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson’s participation at the Tokyo consultation (see main article).

At an April 8 consultation in Tokyo, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC) called on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and on the government of Japan to promote policies that facilitate open and efficient markets and lead to more sustainable growth.

BIAC, representing the leading business organizations in OECD countries, pointed to the importance of trade and investment as major engines of the world economy.

“We are at a crossroad for our economies and business,” said BIAC Chair Phil O’Reilly, the chief executive of Business New Zealand.

“Much has been said about ways to distribute income and wealth in our societies, but not enough concerning the question how we better encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and employment. We are prepared to support an OECD agenda that will promote structural reforms in OECD countries to strengthen the resilience of our economies and societies.”

BIAC Vice Chair Katsutoshi Saito, chairman of Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Company, underlined the need for a “more coordinated approach to financial regulation that is conducive to economic growth, financial stability and investment.”

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson said: “Implementation of the WTO Bali package is pivotal to strengthening international trade. The challenge for 2014 and beyond will be for governments to develop policies that reflect the needs and realities of the contemporary trade environment. The OECD has an important role to play in providing the economic analysis on global value chains that illustrate the positive impact of trade policies for our economies and societies.”

Staff contacts: Rob Mulligan and Shaun Donnelly

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Norman Schenk of UPS to Chair Global Customs Body

Published on April 2, 2014

Norman Schenk (left) of UPS will chair the ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission; Oliver Pelzer (right) of the German law firm Dabelstein & Passehl was named vice chair.

Paris and New York. April 2, 2014 – The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Paris-based world business organization, has announced the appointment of Norman Schenk of UPS as the new chair of the ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation, according to the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which serves as ICC’s American national committee.

Schenk is joined by Oliver Peltzer, a partner with the German law firm Dabelstein & Passehl, who has been named the commission’s vice chair.

“Norm Schenk is a terrific choice for this important role,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson. “ICC was instrumental in pushing for last December’s landmark WTO trade facilitation deal, and its influence on the global stage is an important point of leverage for American business as we seek to expand trade, modernize customs practices worldwide and cut red tape in cross-border commerce.”

As UPS’s vice president of global customs policy and public affairs, Schenk brings over 35 years of experience in customs and trade facilitation work to the post. He is responsible for shaping UPS’s global customs policy and border strategies to facilitate the smooth flow of shipments across international borders. He works directly with government leaders on reducing trade barriers, simplifying processes and supply chain security issues and, together with USCIB, has actively contributed to national discussions on customs reauthorization and de minimis provisions.

Schenk will take the reins as chair from Anthony Barone, who retired in February as director of global logistics policy with Pfizer. In his role as a member, vice chair and chair of the ICC commission over the past eight years, Barone greatly impacted its activities. Under his leadership, the commission produced several key products, including the recently published survey What border barriers impede business ability?, the revised ICC Customs Guidelines and new ICC Guidelines for Cross-Border Traders. He was also instrumental in maintaining ICC’s excellent relations with the World Customs Organization and in reorganizing the commission’s work around the theme of trade facilitation. ICC extended its deep appreciation to Barone for his leadership of the commission.

“Norm Schenk is a very experienced internationalist and I am certain he will bring deep insight to the commission and its stakeholders,” said Barone. “The commission has a challenging and important role to play amid the various multilateral agreements being discussed today. Governments need the practical insights the commission can provide.”

Schenk said: “The ICC Customs and Trade Facilitation Commission plays an important role in helping to develop the solutions and tools needed to implement the recent WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, ultimately driving economic growth. Customs officials and those engaged in the supply chain will benefit from an open dialogue designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of border processes around the world.”

The ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation has over 120 members from 25 countries. Commission members comprise customs, transport and logistics specialists from ICC member companies and business representative organizations. The central objective of the commission is to overcome trade barriers, to ensure that the liberalization of global trade and investment has a positive impact at the level of the individual international trade transaction.

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.

Contact:

Jonathan Huneke, USCIB

+1 212.703.5043 (office), +1 917.420.0039 (mobile), jhuneke@uscib.org

More on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee

USCIB Weighs in on the Effect of TTIP on the Global Fashion Industry

Published on March 18, 2014

L-R: Arthur Bodek (Grunfeld, Desiderio), Justine Badimon (USCIB), Maristella Iacobello (PVH Corp.), Steve Lamar (American Apparel & Footwear Association)

Justine Badimon, USCIB’s director of regional initiatives, spoke to students, faculty and stakeholders at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) on March 13 regarding the current status and backdrop of the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP).

A TTIP agreement is anticipated to be a comprehensive high-standard trade and investment agreement between the U.S. and the EU that will support U.S. jobs and international competitiveness.

“Regulatory differences will be a major stumbling block for the negotiations, but USCIB anticipates seeing improved regulatory cooperation in a successful outcome,” Badimon said. She discussed the negotiators’ uncertain timeline for a conclusion of the agreement, indicating that European parliamentary elections in May and a new European Commission taking office in November will likely draw out the talks.

Badimon sat on a panel of industry experts, discussing the effects of TTIP on the global fashion industry through the scope of international business. The panel was co-sponsored by the European American Chamber of Commerce and FIT’s Department of International Trade and Marketing. Other speakers included experts from the American Apparel & Footwear Association, PVH Corp. and Grunfeld, Desiderio Lebowitz Silverman & Klestadt LLP.

The timely event coincided with the fourth round of U.S.-EU trade talks in Brussels from March 10-14, where TTIP negotiators continued deliberations on market access, regulation and rules, with a focus on benefits for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). During the presentations, panelists gave an overview of the challenges facing negotiations, especially those affecting the fashion industry such as convergence on regulation of labeling, rules of origin, chemical management and product safety standards.

Staff contact: Justine Badimon

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Ambitious 2014 US Trade Agenda Hailed

Published on March 4, 2014

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is responsible for putting President Obama’s trade agenda into action. (Photo: USTR)

Washington, D.C., March 4, 2014 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomed today’s release of President Obama’s 2014 U.S. Trade Agenda. The agenda outlines an ambitious set of priorities for expanding American trade and investment around the world, in support of expanded job growth and enhanced U.S. competitiveness.

“We agree with the president that international trade and investment play a critical role in creating jobs, promoting growth and strengthening the middle class,” said USCIB Senior Vice President Rob Mulligan.”The American business community is working hard to advance and support this agenda both at home and abroad.”

“President Obama’s trade strategy for 2014 is driven by a commitment to create jobs, promote growth, and strengthen the middle class through the creation of new export opportunities for American farmers, workers, and businesses,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “In the coming year, USTR will continue to execute the President’s trade vision that relies on opening markets, leveling the playing field for American workers and producers, and fully enforcing our trade rights around the world.”

Mulligan said the USTR agenda dovetailed well with USCIB’s own 2014 Global Trade and Investment Agenda, Key goals in the USCIB agenda include:

reaching bipartisan agreement on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation
completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations
finalizing agreement on expansion of the Information Technology Agreement
making significant progress on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as well as the Trade in International Services Agreement negotiations, and
advancing discussions of a U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty.

“We are working closely with USTR and the other relevant U.S. agencies to advance this ambitious agenda across the board,” said Charles R. Johnston, chair of USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee and managing director of global government affairs at Citigroup. “In addition, USCIB will work with its overseas business partners to foster support for U.S. trade and investment goals among our trading partners.”

USCIB serves on the steering committee of the Trade Benefits America Coalition (www.tradebenefitsamerica.org), which seeks to enhance understanding among lawmakers and the public about the benefits of U.S. trade agreements and advocates for passage of Trade Promotion Authority. USCIB also plays a leading role in U.S. business coalitions on the TTIP and TPP talks and has provided industry insight to U.S. negotiators on many aspects of these negotiations.

“The most essential piece of the trade puzzle is Trade Promotion Authority,” said Johnston. “Without TPA, we cannot negotiate effectively, and Congress’s ability to help guide U.S. trade policy is limited. For these reasons, we urge the Obama administration and Congress to work together to swiftly pass effective TPA legislation.”

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 the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, 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

More on USCIB’s Trade and Investment Committee

USCIB Competition Committee Leadership Transition

Published on February 26, 2014

It was the end of an era at the February 20 meeting of USCIB’s Competition Committee in Washington, D.C., as longtime Chair Michael Blechman (Kaye Scholer) and Vice Chair Jim Rill (Baker Botts), stepped down and passed the baton to new Chair John Taladay (Baker Botts) and Vice Chair Jennifer Patterson (Kaye Scholer).

Handing off the reins at USCIB’s Competition Committee (L-R): Jennifer Patterson (Kaye Scholer), John Taladay (Baker Botts), Michael Blechman (Kaye Scholer), Jim Rill (Baker Botts), Rob Mulligan (USCIB)

Blechman and Rill, who have been esteemed and productive leaders of the committee for 20 years, said it has been a great pleasure to work together. Rob Mulligan, USCIB’s senior vice president for policy and government affairs, marked the leadership transition by recognizing Blechman and Rill’s contributions and welcoming Taladay and Patterson. USCIB looks forward to working with the new Competition Committee leadership and to continuing the committee’s high-quality work.

Taladay is currently the vice chair of the Competition Committee at BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Council to the OECD, a lead drafter on consultations and responses to the OECD’s Competition Committee, and a non-governmental advisor to the International Competition Network.

Patterson co-chairs the International Chamber of Commerce’s Task Force on Due Process, and also serves as a non-governmental advisor at the International Competition Network. Taladay and Patterson will work with all members to ensure that USCIB’s Competition Committee remains an active and engaged forum for dialogue, puts forth strong messaging on important antitrust issues and coordinates with USCIB’s partner organizations.

The committee was also honored to host Chairwoman Edith Ramirez of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for remarks over lunch regarding the global policy direction of the FTC’s antitrust activities and her recent meetings with officials from China’s antitrust agencies.

Staff contact: Justine Badimon