The Bangladeshi government and industry have so far failed to complete worker rights and labor improvements necessary for reinstatement into the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on July 2 after concluding a review of progress in the country. The Obama administration removed Bangladesh from the GSP program in June 2013, urging the country to improve labor conditions through an action plan.

U.S. and Jordanian officials met on July 2 to review implementation of the labor mandates in the U.S.-Jordan free trade agreement, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The two sides signed the Labor Implementation Plan in 2013 to address anti-union discrimination against foreign workers and the conditions of their accommodations in Jordanian garment factories, along with gender discrimination and harassment. USTR did not elaborate on specific negotiation outcomes or topics during the meeting.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is asking for public comments on the environmental impacts of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (here) and Trade in Services Agreement (here) currently under negotiation. The agency, through its Trade Policy Staff Committee, is conducting environmental reviews of both potential agreements. Comments in response to both requests must be submitted by Sept. 2. The committee is asking for comments on the positive or negative environmental effects that may result from successful conclusion of each agreement, potential implications for U.S. environmental laws and regulations, and insight into best practices related to review methodology. The comments are intended to be one of many tools used to gauge the potential environmental impacts of the agreements, said USTR.

The U.S. and South Korea harmonized effective July 1 labeling regimes for organic processed products certified in both countries, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said. The equivalency agreement is intended to foster greater market opportunities in South Korea for U.S. organic farmers, processors, and businesses, by eliminating the need for two sets of fees, inspections, and paperwork, along with other barriers, said USTR. The agreement covers organic condiments, cereal, baby food, frozen meals, milk, and other processed products, USTR said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the South Korean National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service will likely lead oversight on the agreement, the agency added.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet with the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Africa on June 30, said the Office of the USTR in its weekly schedule. Froman will then on the same day meet with French Minister of Foreign Trade Fleur Pellerin. Froman will also hold separate July 1 meetings with German Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Wittig, South African Ambassador to the U.S. Ebrahim Rasool, and Chilean Director General of International Economic Relations Andrés Rebolledo. All the meetings Froman is scheduled to participate in will be held in Washington D.C. Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Wendy Cutler will meet with senior Japanese trade negotiators Hiroshi Oe and Takeo Mori from June 30 -- July 2 in Tokyo, Japan to discuss agriculture market access and auto market barriers in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well, USTR said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) appointed 19 new members to fill seats on six agricultural trade advisory committees, the agencies announced on June 26. USTR and USDA jointly oversee and manage the advisory committees, a USTR press release said. The agencies rely on the advisory committees for recommendations on how trade opportunities will impact U.S. industry, said USTR chief Michael Froman. The Obama administration is pushing for agricultural tariff elimination in Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for African Affairs Florie Liser will participate in the 23rd African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from June 23-27, said the Office of the USTR in its weekly schedule. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler will deliver remarks on June 24 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the 10th Anniversary of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Assistant USTR for Europe and the Middle East Dan Mullaney will also on June 24 deliver the keynote address at the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) Stakeholder Forum on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Deputy Assistant USTR Carlos Romero will then participate from June 25-26 in Amman, Jordan labor meetings in accordance with the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, USTR said.

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about Russian unwillingness to conform to wide-ranging trade liberalization principles and multilateral regimes, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a review on Russian participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Russia is continuing to implement sanitary and phytosanitary measures that violate WTO rules, said the report. Russia has a virtual “zero tolerance” for residues of the antibiotic tetracycline but has not yet provided WTO members with related risk assessment. “Russia also has adopted a zero tolerance for ractopamine and certain hormones,” said USTR. “While Russia published a purported scientific justification for its measure on ractopamine, which we are reviewing in close consultation with U.S. industry and interested stakeholders, Russia has not provided any risk assessment with regard to hormones.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will continue to work with Tunisian officials to address organic product certification, strengthen cooperation in sectors such as olive oil and handicrafts, and collaborate on quick implementation of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Facilitation, said USTR in a June 17 statement. A U.S. delegation, led by Assistant USTR for Europe and the Middle East Daniel Mullaney, met with Tunisian counterparts in Tunis on June 16 under the U.S.- Tunisia Trade and Investment Council framework. During the summit, the officials discussed market access, services, investment, and intellectual property rights. USTR did not elaborate on the details of the negotiations. USTR pledged to convene with Tunisian officials to review bilateral progress before the end of 2014.

The Obama administration is committed to fighting “illegal, unreported and unregulated” fishing through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman at the Department of State "Our Ocean" Conference. The administration is aiming to prohibit harmful fishery subsidies, such as those that foster overfishing, said Froman, while saying USTR is asking for European Union collaboration. “While the details of proposals are not yet fully agreed upon, they are gaining momentum,” said Froman. “When completed, the TPP will include the most advanced environment chapter of any trade agreement ever negotiated, and it will be fully enforceable and subject to the same strong dispute settlement mechanism that applies to other obligations in the agreement.” President Barack Obama recently called for a multi-agency task force to look at the issue (see 14061726).