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Monday, October 26, 2009
CBP Creates Electronic Reading Room to Increase Public Access to Documents
Washington - U.S. Customs and Border Protection today launched improvements in Web-based technology designed
to increase public access to agency records and documents. The upgraded CBP Freedom of Information Act Electronic
Reading Room will feature records and documents formerly only available through FOIA request. Documents and records responding
to certain FOIA requests are now available at foia.cbp.gov. ( FOIA Reading Room )
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Obama faces new push from Dems on WTO
Ian Swanson today reported President Barack Obama is under increasing pressure from House Democrats to chart a new course
for international trade talks. Trade Unions and public interest groups backed by half the Democratic Caucus want Obama to
renegotiate the agreements that form the World Trade Organization (WTO) and radically shift the agenda from talks launched
by the George W. Bush Administration.
11:41 am edt
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Small & Medium Companies Encouraged to Export
Government Moves to Boost Exports by Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced Oct. 5 the first steps in a
new initiative aimed at increasing exports by small and medium-sized enterprises. The same day, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
highlighted an expansion of the department’s Corporate Partnership Program, which is also designed to boost SME exports.
USTR has requested that the International Trade Commission investigate how U.S. SMEs export now, the role of SMEs
in generating domestic employment and economic activity, and how increased trading opportunities, including free trade agreements,
might benefit SMEs and their workers. USTR is also convening an agency-wide working group to ensure that its policymaking
and enforcement efforts immediately seek to better serve SMEs. These efforts will focus on identifying and increasing opportunities
for SMEs to export both goods and services.
USTR also anticipates taking further steps as part of this initiative
and plans to announce specifics in the coming months. For example, USTR plans to work in conjunction with agencies tasked
with trade promotion, such as the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration, that have complementary programs
on export expansion for SMEs. USTR will also seek to set priorities for new trade agreements and for the implementation of
existing trade agreements that are more responsive to the needs of SMEs and their workers so that export promotion programs
at other agencies have a better chance to succeed.
Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, called
USTR’s announcement “a step in the right direction” but asked that USTR also consider their request to create
an assistant USTR position for small business. According to press reports, however, Kirk declined this request, saying he
believes USTR already takes the export needs of SMEs sufficiently into account.
In related news, the Department
of Commerce announced that eight additional firms have joined the 11 already participating in the Corporate Partnership Program,
which promotes exporting through cooperative public-private sector export tools and resources provided through DOC’s
U.S. Commercial Service. These partners can expect to expand their current customer services and international networks, increase
brand recognition, broaden public awareness of their services and deepen information resources, a DOC press release states.
In addition, said Locke, clients of these partner firms, especially those that “have yet to take that first step into
world markets,” will benefit from new export tools to help increase sales and boost their bottom lines.
11:21 am edt
Friday, October 2, 2009
US & EU Trademark & Copyright Webtool
2:23 pm edt
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making skills to effectively import and export goods. Find out more About Us, then look at our Services to make your possibilities a reality.
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