USTR, SBA Launch New Effort to Help U.S. Small Businesses Export to the European Union
September 6, 2013
(SBA)
Small Businesses to Offer Suggestions for Increasing Exports under the
Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP)
WASHINGTON –U.S. small businesses currently exporting to the European Union (EU)
will have the opportunity to voice their concerns on existing barriers to trade
with the EU through a series of roundtables across the country. The roundtables
will be held as part of broader outreach efforts under the recently launched
U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. The
objective of the roundtables is to listen to and better understand small
business’ suggestions on how to reduce and eliminate those barriers, and help
expand U.S. small business exports to the EU.
In July, the United States and the European Union held the first round of TTIP
negotiations aimed at increasing jobs, economic growth and international
competitiveness on both sides of the Atlantic. The transatlantic economic
relationship is already the world’s largest, accounting for one third of total
goods and services trade and nearly half of global economic output, while
supporting 13 million U.S. and EU jobs. In both the United States and the EU,
small and medium businesses are critical motors of growth, job creation and
innovation. Negotiators intend to conclude an agreement that recognizes the
important role small businesses play in the transatlantic relationship and
enhances their ability to participate in and benefit from new trade and
investment opportunities.
The roundtables were commissioned by the Office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR), which asked the U.S. International Trade Commission
(USITC) to conduct a study on the existing trade barriers that
disproportionately affect U.S. small business exporters. Since the President’s
National Export Initiative (NEI) goal to double exports by the end of 2014 has
focused on increasing the current base of 295,000 small business exporters, an
increase in small business participation could result in expanded trade between
two regions whose two-way trade already exceeds $630 billion.
USITC responded by organizing the TTIP roundtables, which will be held from
September 9th through September 27th in key cities. The schedule for the
roundtables is:
Month/Day -- City
9/9 -- Detroit
9/10 -- Cleveland
9/11 -- Minneapolis
9/12 -- Milwaukee
9/13 -- Chicago
9/16 -- Raleigh
9/17 -- Raleigh
9/17 -- Denver
9/18 -- Atlanta
9/18 -- Albuquerque
9/19 -- Houston
9/19 -- Miami
9/20 -- Salt Lake City
9/23 -- Philadelphia
9/23 -- Los Angeles
9/24 -- New York
9/24 -- Irvine
9/25 -- Long Island
9/25 -- Sacramento
9/26 -- Boston
9/27 -- Providence
9/27 -- Fresno
If you’d like to take part in a roundtable, please contact sme@usitc.gov for
more information.
In addition to participating in the roundtables, exporters will have other means
to convey their concerns and suggestions through public
hearings in San Jose, Calif. (Sept. 26th) and Washington, D.C. (Oct. 8th).
Business owners who are interested in having their voices heard but cannot
attend the roundtables or public hearings can submit written statements by
sending an email to sme@usitc.gov (by Oct. 15, 2013) or by mail to EU-SME
Project, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20436 (no later than Sept. 30, 2013).
For more detailed information, visit http://www.usitc.gov/332_541_Trade_Barriers.htm and http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/332/332_541_notice07252013sgl.pdf
Download Adobe Reader to read this link content. For more information on the
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and U.S trade with the European
Union, visit www.USTR.gov/TTIP.
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