31546 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices

Brickenkamp, 6401 Security Blvd, 1–

A–21 Operations Bldg., Baltimore,

MD 21235.

Dated: June 3, 1998.

Frederick W. Brickenkamp,

Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security

Administration.

[FR Doc. 98–15298 Filed 6–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice No. 2836]

United States International

Telecommunications Advisory

Committee; Radiocommunication

Sector; Study Group 4—Fixed Satellite

Service; Meeting Notice

The Department of State announces

that the United States International

Telecommunications Advisory

Committee (ITAC),

Radiocommunication Sector Study

Group 4—Fixed Satellite Service will

meet on June 11, 1998 from 1:30 p.m.

to 4:30 p.m., in Room 5951 at the

Department of State, 2201 C Street,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520.

Study Group 4 studies and develops

recommendations concerning systems

and networks for fixed satellites and

inter-satellite links in the fixed satellite

service including associated tracking,

telemetry and telecommand functions.

This meeting will review Study Group

4 international activities and began

preparations for the October meeting of

Study Group 4.

Members of the General Public may

attend these meetings and join in the

discussions, subject to the instructions

of the Chairman, David Weinreich.

Note: If you wish to attend please send a

fax to 202–647–7407 not later than 24 hours

before the scheduled meeting. On this fax,

please include subject meeting, your name,

social security number, and date of birth.

One of the following valid photo ID’s will be

required for admittance: U.S. driver’s license

with your picture on it, U.S. passport, U.S.

Government ID (company ID’s are no longer

accepted by Diplomatic Security). Enter from

the ‘‘C’’ Street Main Lobby.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

John T. Gilsenan,

Chairman, U.S. ITAC for ITURadiocommunication Sector.

[FR Doc. 98–15350 Filed 6–4–98; 3:56 pm]

BILLING CODE 4710–07–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice No. 2837]

United States International

Telecommunications Advisory

Committee; Radiocommunication

Sector; Study Group 8—Mobile

Services; Meeting Notice

The Department of State announces

that the United States International

Telecommunications Advisory

Committee (ITAC),

Radiocommunication Sector Study

Group 8—Mobile Services will meet on

June 16, 1998 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in

Room 1207 at the Department of State,

2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, DC

20520.

Study Group 8 studies and develops

recommendations concerning technical

and operating characteristics of mobile,

radiodetermination, amateur and related

satellite services. This meeting will

prepare for the July 7–8, 1998

international meeting of Study Group 8.

Members of the General Public may

attend these meetings and join in the

discussions, subject to the instructions

of the Chairman, John T. Gilsenan.

Note: If you wish to attend please send a

fax to 202–647–7404 not later than 24 hours

before the scheduled meeting. On this fax,

please include subject meeting, your name,

social security number, and date of birth.

One of the following valid photo ID’s will be

required for admittance: U.S. driver’s license

with your picture on it, U.S. passport, U.S.

Government ID (company ID’s are no longer

accepted by Diplomatic Security). Enter from

the ‘‘C’’ Street Main Lobby.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

John T. Gilsenan,

Chairman, U.S. ITAC for ITURadiocommunications Sector.

[FR Doc. 98–15351 Filed 6–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–07–M

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

United States-European Union

Transatlantic Economic Partnership

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and Request for

Comments.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to their recentlyannounced Transatlantic Economic

Partnership (TEP) initiative, the United

States and the European Union (EU)

have proposed: to negotiate the

reduction of barriers to U.S.-EU trade in

goods, services, and agricultural

products; cooperate in promoting

international efforts to open markets

around the world, and encourage the

bilateral exchange of views between

governments, business, nongovernmental organizations on trade,

investment, and related issues. The

Office of the United States Trade

Representative seeks public comment

on the initiative, including possible

areas for negotiation and cooperation,

and on procedures to obtain advice from

interested parties.

DATES: Comments should be submitted

no later than July 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be

submitted to Gloria Blue, Executive

Secretary, TPSC, Office of the U.S.

Trade Representative, Room 503, 600

17th Street, N.W., Washington, DC

20508.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ralph Ives, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade

Representative for Europe and the

Mediterranean or Mark Mowrey,

Director for European Regional Affairs

(202) 395–4620.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May

18, 1998, President Clinton and his EU

counterparts issued a joint statement

announcing the TEP (reprinted

following this notice). The TEP will

have three components: (1) Negotiations

to reduce barriers to bilateral trade in

services, industrial goods, and

agricultural products; (2) cooperative

efforts in the World Trade Organization

(WTO) and other international

organizations to reduce or eliminate

barriers that hinder international trade

and capital flows and to address other

related issues; (3) and efforts to enhance

the transatlantic dialogue between

business, non-governmental

organizations, and governments on trade

and investment matters.

The bilateral trade and investment

component of the TEP will address

trade barriers, particularly unnecessary

regulatory impediments, that hinder

transatlantic trade in such sectors as

electronic commerce, services,

agricultural products, government

procurement, and intellectual property

rights (IPR), while seeking to advance

shared labor and environmental values.

U.S. and EU efforts to increase their

cooperative efforts in appropriate

multilateral organizations will

encompass such areas as services,

agricultural goods, industrial tariffs,

IPR, trade facilitation, electronic

commerce, government procurement,

trade and the environment, and support

for the observance of internationallyrecognized core labor standards.

The TEP will be implemented in a

transparent manner that places a high

priority on obtaining the views of

business, labor, environmental, and
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices 31547

other interested non-governmental

constituencies. As a first step toward

implementing the TEP, U.S. agencies

will work with the EU to develop an

action plan and timetable for achieving

results.

Public Comments

In conformity with the regulations of

the Trade Policy Staff Committee

(‘‘TPSC’’) (15 CFR Part 2003), the

Chairman of the TPSC invites written

comments from interested persons on

the scope of this initiative, proposals for

negotiation and/or cooperation, and

procedures to enhance transparency and

non-government participation in the

TEP. Comments are invited in particular

on: (a) Specific initiatives to reduce

barriers to bilateral trade and

investment in the sectors and subject

areas included in the TEP; (b) specific

proposals for enhanced bilateral

cooperation in the WTO or other

appropriate international organizations,

as described in the joint statement,

regarding trade in services, IPR,

agricultural products, electronic

commerce, trade and the environment,

and labor issues; (c) the economic

benefits and costs to U.S. producers and

consumers of trade and investment

barrier reduction under the TEP; (d)

specific proposals for procedures to

facilitate the exchange of views between

business and other non-governmental

constituencies and the governments

concerned regarding matters subject to

the TEP; and (e) other aspects of the

initiative, including its labor,

environmental, health, and safety

aspects.

Interested persons may submit written

comments, in five (5) typed copies, as

soon as possible but no later than July

6, 1998. Comments should state clearly

the position taken and should describe

the specific information (including data,

if possible) supporting that position.

Any business confidential material must

be clearly marked as such on the cover

page (or letter) and succeeding pages

and must be accompanied by nonconfidential summary thereof.

Non-confidential submissions will be

available for public inspection at the

USTR Reading Room, Room 101, Office

of the United States Trade

Representative, 600 Seventeenth Street,

NW, Washington, DC. An appointment

to review the file may be made by

calling Brenda Webb at (202) 395–6186.

The reading room is open to the public

by appointment only from 9:30 a.m. to

12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00

p.m., Monday through Friday.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

EU/US Summit, London 18 May 1998

The Transatlantic Economic Partnership

1. The transatlantic economic relationship

is underpinned by the most important trade

and economic links in the world. In order to

strengthen further these links to the benefit

of our people and firms, we have decided to

build on the New Transatlantic Agenda

signed in Madrid in 1995. This initiative will

reinforce our cooperation and joint

leadership in international economic

relations and fora.

2. The European Union (EU) and the

United States (US) share the world’s largest

and most complex economic relationship.

Two-way trade represents around one-fifth of

each other’s total for goods and one-third for

services. Furthermore the US and EU each

account for approximately half of the other’s

foreign direct investment abroad. The

prosperity of our populations is intertwined

to an ever-increasing extent; and as the

European Union has grown and deepened its

integration, this process has accelerated.

3. We have a fundamental interest in a

dynamic, respected system of international

trade rules. The size of our economies and

the volume of transatlantic trade and

investment have a significant effect on this

system. Past multilateral efforts to open

markets have often been led by the US and

EU. As we look ahead, it will be important

for the US and EU of demonstrate our

support for the further opening of markets

world-wide.

4. In 1995, we committed ourselves to

expand and deepen cooperation on economic

issues through the New Transatlantic Agenda

(NTA) by taking concrete steps to strengthen

the multilateral trading system and enhance

the transatlantic economic relationship. We

are pleased with the progress of the NTA so

far. Under the NTA, we have laid the basis

for multilateral trade negotiations and have

finalized agreements on mutual recognition

of testing and conformity assessment,

customs co-operation and equivalency in

veterinary standards and procedures. And in

December 1997 we committed ourselves to

enhance our regulatory cooperation while

facilitating consumer protection.

5. We now believe the time has come to

build on the NTA’s highly significant

achievements. Accordingly, we agree to

reinforce our close relationship through an

initiative involving the intensification and

extension of multilateral and bilateral

cooperation and common actions in the field

of trade and investment. Our reinforced

partnership can be instrumental in setting the

agenda for a more open and accessible world

trading system and at the same time can

greatly improve the economic relationship

between the EU and US, reduce frictions

between us, and promote prosperity on both

sides of the Atlantic.

6. The partnership will encompass

multilateral and bilateral elements as

outlined below.

Multilateral Action

7. In keeping with our leading role in the

world trade system, we reaffirm our

determination to maintain open markets,

resist protectionism and sustain the

momentum of liberalization. The most

effective means of maintaining open markets

and promoting the expansion of trade is the

continued development and strengthening of

the multilateral system. The EU and US will

give priority to pursuing their objectives

together with other trading partners through

the World Trade Organization. Today’s WTO

Ministerial Conference will play an

important role in carrying forward the

implementation of the WTO built-in agenda

and in laying the groundwork for further

multilateral negotiations leading to broadbased liberalization.

8. As part of our effort to strengthen further

the multilateral system and seek wider trade

liberalization, our shared objectives are:

(a) The full implementation of WTO

commitments and respect for dispute

settlement obligations;

(b) Ambitious objectives and offers for the

liberalization of services in forthcoming

WTO negotiations;

(c) The multilateral negotiations for the

continuation of the reform process in

agriculture in full conformity with Article 20

of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture;

(d) The intensification of forward-looking

work in the WTO on trade facilitation;

(e) A broad WTO work programme for the

reduction on an MFN basis of industrial

tariffs and the exploration of the feasibility of

their progressive elimination within a

timescale to be agreed;

(f) The adoption of common positions on

the respect for and further improvement of

the intellectual property rights identified in

the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of

Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS);

(g) The development of common

approaches in appropriate multilateral fora

on investment competition, public

procurement and trade and the environment;

(h) Cooperation on the accession of new

members and the better integration of LLDCs

in the multilateral trading system;

(i) The development of a comprehensive

work programme for electronic commerce in

the WTO covering trade-related aspects and

will continue the current practice of not

imposing customs duties on electronics

transmissions;

(j) Support for the observance of

internationally recognized core labour

standards and the goal of reaching agreement

on an ILO declaration and follow-up

mechanism, noting the important role of the

social partners in the process, and rejecting

use of labour standards for protectionist

purposes; and support for the continuation of

the dialogue on measures in the relevant fora

to combat corruption.

Bilateral Action

9. The EU and the US will intensify their

efforts to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade

and investment between them. This will be

done in ways which are in full conformity

with their international and, in particular,

WTO obligations and supportive of the

primary goal of multilateral liberalization
31548 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 110 /Tuesday, June 9, 1998 / Notices

1Nothing in this text constitutes an EU

negotiating mandate.

making as much progress as possible before

2000. Such efforts will expand transatlantic

commerce and reduce frictions, benefiting

both our peoples. We will maintain high

standards of safety and protection for health,

consumers and the environment. Our

partnership will not create new barriers to

third countries.

10. We will focus on those barriers that

really matter to transatlantic trade and

investment and to this end we will aim in

particular at the removal of those regulatory

barriers that hinder market opportunities,

both for goods and for services. We will

concentrate specifically on the following:

(a) Technical barriers to trade in goods,

reinforcing our efforts for the elimination or

substantial lowering of the remaining

barriers, while further pursuing our

commitment to high health, safety and

environmental standards;

(b) Services, with the aim of substantially

improving opportunities for market opening

to the benefit of consumers and small,

medium and larger enterprises;

(c) Agriculture, with the objective of

strengthening our regulatory cooperation in

the field of human, plant and animal health

issues, including biotechnology, while

recognizing the importance of continuing to

improve our respective regulatory processes

and of improving our scientific cooperation;

(d) Government procurement to increase

and facilitate access to public procurement

markets, including by enhancing the

compatibility of electronic procurement

information and government contracting

systems;

(e) Intellectual property as identified in the

Agreement on TRIPS in order to improve the

protection of rightholders and to reduce

costs.

11. We will build on efforts already

underway for goods but extending to

services, to cover as wide a range of barriers

and sectors as possible identifying the

priorities both for the near and longer term.

Instruments to achieve this will be:

(a) The mutual recognition of testing and

approval procedures, of equivalence of

technical and other requirements and, in

certain areas, where appropriate, the

progressive alignment or, where possible, the

adoption of the same standards, regulatory

requirements and procedures adopting

internationally agreed standards where

possible;

(b) The intensification of the dialogue

between scientific and other expert advisers,

standard setting bodies, and regulatory

agencies;

(c) High degree of transparency and

consultation with all interested parties.

12. Within the framework of our bilateral

partnership we will seek to advance our

shared values in the areas of labour and

environment.

13. We will explore the scope for further

cooperative dialogue and greater

compatibility of procedures between our

competition authorities.

14. We will maintain and extend our work

on electronic commerce as set out in the joint

statement at the Washington Summit of

December 1997.

Extending the Transatlantic Dialogue

15. The EU and US recall the imaginative

and practical approach of EU and US

business in the Transatlantic Business

Dialogue which has contributed directly to

many of the NTA’s successes, such as the

Mutual Recognition Agreement. We urge the

TABD to continue and extend its valuable

contribution to the process of removing

barriers to trade and investment. We reaffirm

our commitment in the New Transatlantic

Agenda to promote dialogue between

representatives of consumer and labour

interests as illustrated by the helpful second

meeting of the Transatlantic Labour Dialogue

held in London in April. We invite interested

non-governmental organizations to

participate and extend this dialogue on

consumer protection, scientific, safety and

environmental issues relevant to

international trade as a constructive

contribution to policy making.

16. In line with our commitment to

encourage greater transparency in the work of

international trade bodies, we will seek to

facilitate the closer association of business

and other interested non-governmental

constituencies with the activities of the WTO

and other international trade organizations,

as well as with our bilateral activities.

17. Within the framework provided by the

NTA we will establish a dynamic process

yielding concrete results with the intention

of applying them, where agreed, at the

relevant levels of government in the EU and

the US; and to this end we will pursue the

multilateral and bilateral actions set out in

this statement as follows:

(a) Establish as soon as possible a Plan

identifying areas for common actions both

bilaterally and multilaterally, with a

timetable for achieving specific results;

(b) Take all necessary steps to allow the

early implementation of this Plan, including

any necessary authority to start negotiations.1

[FR Doc. 98–15290 Filed 6–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG 1998–3927]

Chemical Transportation Advisory

Committee, Subcommittee on Proper

Cargo Names

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Chemical Transportation

Advisory Committee’s (CTAC)

Subcommittee on Proper Cargo Names

(PCN) will meet to discuss various

issues relating to use of proper cargo

names for the marine transportation of

hazardous materials in bulk. The

meeting will be open to the public.

DATES: The PCN Subcommittee will

meet on Tuesday, June 23, 1998, from 9

a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting may end

early if all business is finished. Written

material and requests to make oral

presentations should reach the U.S.

Coast Guard on or before June 19, 1998.

Requests to have a copy of your material

distributed to each member of the CTAC

Subcommittee should reach the U.S.

Coast Guard on or before June 19, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The Subcommittee will

meet at the American Bureau of

Shipping (ABS), ABS Plaza, 16855

Northchase Drive, Houston, TX 77060–

6008. Point of contact: Mr. Philip G.

Rynn; tel.: 281–877–6415; fax.: 281–

877–6795. Send written material and

requests to make oral presentations to

Mr. Curtis Payne, Commandant (G–

MSO–3), U.S. Coast Guard

Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20593–0001. This

notice is available on the

Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For questions on this notice, contact Mr.

Curtis Payne, telephone 202–267–1577,

fax 202–267–4570. For questions on this

docket, contact Ms. Carol Kelly, Coast

Guard Dockets Team Leader, or Ms.

Paulette Twine, Chief, Documentary

Services Division, U.S. Department of

Transportation, 202–366–9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of

these meetings is given under the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5

U.S.C. App. 2.

Meeting Agenda

Subcommittee on Proper Cargo Names

(PCN). The agenda includes the

following:

(1) Discussion of the industry’s cargo

naming/identification processes:

manufacturers, transfer facilities, tank

barge industry, tankship industry.

(2) Root cause analysis of proper cargo

name selection.

Procedural

The meeting is open to the public.

Please note that the meeting may end

early if all business is finished. At the

Chair’s discretion, members of the

public may make oral presentations

during the meeting. If you would like to

make an oral presentation at the

meeting, please notify Mr. Payne no

later than June 19, 1998. Written

material for distribution at the meeting

should reach the U.S. Coast Guard no

later than June 19, 1998. If you would

like a copy of your material distributed

to each member of the Subcommittee in

advance of the meeting, please submit

25 copies to Mr. Payne no later than

June 19, 1998 or make other

arrangements with Mr. Payne.