The U.S. asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body to establish a panel to evaluate the legality of Indonesian licensing restrictions on horticultural products, animals, and animal products, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman said on May 8. The WTO previously established a panel on the matter in April 2013, after bilateral consultations failed to broker compromise (here). The U.S. is now requesting additional consultation to address recent changes to the licensing requirements, said the Office of the USTR.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act continues to lay the foundation for U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa, and the Obama administration is committed to “seamless” renewal of the program, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in a statement to reporters. Froman attended the World Economic Forum on Africa conference in Abuja, Nigeria on May 8. The law expires at the end of fiscal year 2015, and industry officials say renewal legislation must be passed by the end of 2014 in order to maintain current sourcing relationships. “Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world and there has been important progress in establishing an improved business environment in several African countries," said Froman, while noting the administration aims to recommend enhancements to the law. “President Obama is committed to a robust and fruitful trade relationship with Africa, and USTR will continue working to spur the growth and development that brings our peoples closer together.” Some industry officials have called for changes to the rules of origin and investment protections, among other enhancements, in reauthorization legislation (see 14040402).

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman will travel to Abuja, Nigeria on May 8 to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa, said the Office of the USTR.

The success of other World Trade Organization (WTO) priorities is contingent on full implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman at a WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Paris, France on May 7. Froman pledged further financial support to those countries that need the most facilitation development assistance. The WTO partners should also continue to work to reconcile differences on agriculture provisions as part of the Doha Round, still currently underway, said Froman.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) customs and trade facilitation chapter would ensure U.S. agricultural goods, including perishables, enter Asian-Pacific markets more efficiently and faster, said acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler at a May U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on agriculture trade policy. The chapter has not been made public to date. The intellectual property chapter also seeks to protect agricultural trademarks, while the chapter on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures aims to guarantee transparency and accountability in SPS risk determinations, added Cutler.

The Bangladeshi government announced during a recent trade forum with U.S. officials plans to eliminate tariffs and other “charges” on fire safety equipment, such as sprinklers, fire doors and electrical equipment, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said. The planned removal of the import barriers is aimed at enabling factory owners to bring conditions in line with the U.S. - Bangladesh Action Plan. Officials also discussed at the forum bilateral investment rules and intellectual property rights protection (see 14043016).

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman will travel to Paris, France on May 6-7 to participate in an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ministerial, along with a World Trade Organization mini-ministerial, according to a USTR schedule release. Froman will also meet with French Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Laurent Fabius on May 6, and participated in a launch of the OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index. Froman will then participate in a May 7 WTO ministerial meeting in Paris hosted by Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb. Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler will deliver a keynote address on the Obama Administration’s trade policy agenda and the Trans-Pacific Partnership at a trade policy conference organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council. Froman participated in a host of meetings with EU officials on May 5.

The Obama administration remains committed to comprehensive elimination of tariffs on industrial and agricultural products in a final Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) pact, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman told the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin on May 5. But the Office of the USTR also continues to prioritize regulatory coherence in TTIP that will provide small and medium sized business on both sides of the Atlantic greater access to markets, said Froman.

U.S. and Bangladeshi officials held an inaugural trade forum on April 28 in accordance with the bilateral Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The two sides vowed to work to improve labor conditions in Bangladesh in order to restore Generalized System of Preferences eligibility, said USTR. The U.S. aims to bolster its trade relationship with Bangladesh in the following areas, said USTR:

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has determined to not list any countries as denying fair market opportunities for U.S.products, suppliers, or bidders in foreign government-funded airport construction projects. USTR is required to publicize such countries in accordance with the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of 1982, as amended.