IV

House Calendar No. 240

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 213

[Report No. 105–672]

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European Union is unfairly

restricting the importation of United States agricultural products and

the elimination of such restrictions should be a top priority in trade

negotiations with the European Union.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 11, 1998

Mr. EWING submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Ways and Means

AUGUST 3, 1998

Additional sponsor: Mr. WATKINS

AUGUST 3, 1998

Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered to

be printed

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic]

[Strike out the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]

[For text and preamble of introduced concurrent resolution, see copy of concurrent resolution

as introduced on February 11, 1998]

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the European

Union is unfairly restricting the importation of United

States agricultural products and the elimination of such
2

•HCON 213 RH

restrictions should be a top priority in trade negotiations

with the European Union.

Whereas on a level playing field, United States producers

are the most competitive suppliers of agricultural

products in the world;

Whereas United States agricultural exports reached a level

of $57,000,000,000 in 1997, compared to a total

United States merchandise trade deficit of

$198,000,000,000;

Whereas the future well-being of the United States agricultural sector depends, to a large degree, on the elimination of trade barriers and the development of new

export opportunities throughout the world;

Whereas increased United States agricultural exports are

critical to the future of the agricultural, rural, and

overall economy of the United States;

Whereas the opportunities for increased agricultural exports are undermined by unfair subsidies provided by

trading partners of the United States, and by various

tariff and nontariff trade barriers imposed on highly

competitive United States agricultural products;

Whereas the Foreign Agricultural Service estimates that

United States agricultural exports are reduced by

$4,700,000,000 annually due to the unjustifiable imposition of sanitary and phytosanitary measures that

deny or limit market access to United States products;

Whereas Asian markets account for more than 40 percent

of United States agricultural exports worldwide, but

the financial crisis in Asia has caused a severe drop

in demand for U.S. agricultural products and a consequent drop in world commodity prices;
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•HCON 213 RH

Whereas multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices

of the World Trade Organization and the Asia Pacific

Economic Cooperation Forum and trade negotiations

for a Free Trade Area of the Americas represent significant opportunities to reduce and eliminate tariff

and nontariff trade barriers on agricultural products;

Whereas negotiations for country accessions to the World

Trade Organization, particularly China, present important opportunities to reduce and eliminate these

barriers;

Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a number of outstanding trade disputes regarding agricultural trade; and

Whereas disputes with the European Union regarding agriculture matters involve the most intractable issues

between the United States and the European Union,

including—

(1) the failure to finalize a veterinary

equivalency program, which jeopardizes an estimated $3,000,000,000 in trade in livestock products between the United States and the European

Union;

(2) the ruling by the World Trade Organization that the European Union has no scientific

basis for banning the importation of beef produced in the United States using growth promoting hormones, and that the European Union
4

•HCON 213 RH

must remove by May 13, 1999, its import ban on

beef produced using growth promoting hormones;

(3) the failure to use science, as in the beef

hormone case, which raises concerns about the

European Union fulfilling its obligations under

the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures;

(4) the promulgation by the European

Union of regulations regarding the use of specified risk materials for livestock products which

have a disputed scientific basis and which serve

to impede the importation of United States livestock products, despite the fact that no cases of

bovine spongisorm encephalopathy (mad cow disease) have been documented in the United States;

(5) the ruling by the World Trade Organization in favor of the United States that the European import regime restricting the importation

of bananas violates numerous disciplines established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade and the General Agreement on Trade in

Services, and that the European Union must be

in full compliance with the decision of the World

Trade Organization by January 1, 1999;
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•HCON 213 RH

(6) the hindering of trade in products

grown with the benefit of biogenetics through a

politicized approval process that is nontransparent and lacks a basis in science; and

(7) continuing disputes regarding European

Union subsidies for dairy and canned fruit, and

a number of impediments with respect to wine:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) many nations, including the European

4 Union, unfairly restrict the importation of United

5 States agricultural products;

6 (2) the restrictions imposed on United States ag7 ricultural exports are among the most vexing prob8 lems facing United States exporters;

9 (3) the elimination of restrictions imposed on

10 United States agricultural exports should be a top

11 priority of any current or future trade negotiation;

12 (4) the President should develop a trade agenda

13 which actively addresses agricultural trade barriers

14 in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations and

15 steadfastly pursues full compliance with dispute set16 tlement decisions of the World Trade Organization;
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•HCON 213 RH

1 (5) in such negotiations, the United States

2 should seek to obtain competitive opportunities for

3 United States exports of agricultural products in for4 eign markets substantially equivalent to the competi5 tive opportunities afforded to foreign exports in

6 United States markets, and to achieve fairer and

7 more open conditions of trade;

8 (6) because of the significance of the issues con9 cerning agricultural trade with the European Union,

10 the United States Trade Representative should not en11 gage in any trade negotiation with the European

12 Union if the Trade Representative determines that

13 such negotiations would undermine the ability of the

14 United States to achieve a successful result in the

15 World Trade Organization negotiations on agri16 culture set to begin in December 1999; and

17 (7) the President should consult with the Con18 gress in a meaningful and timely manner concerning

19 trade negotiations in agriculture.

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the elimination of restrictions on the importation of United States

agricultural products by United States trading partners

should be a top priority in trade negotiations.’’.

House Calendar No. 240

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 213

[Report No. 105–672]

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Eupean Union. top priority in trade negotiations with the Euro- the elimination of such restrictions should be a tion of United States agricultural products and ropean Union is unfairly restricting the importaAUGUST 3, 1998

Reported with amendments, referred to the House

Calendar, and ordered to be printed