This puts exporters on notice that bribery makes them ineligible for Ex-Im Bank financing and can assist us in prosecuting those firms that may ultimately found to have violated the law. The United States has also led a major international effort in a variety of fora to reduce corruption. Now that we have the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in place, we call upon our partners in the OECD to support the Convention by actively prohibiting bribery in the transactions that their ECAs support. It is one of our priorities to reach agreement among ECAs so that they can be part of an all-out assault on bribery and corruption in international trade. In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to Jim Harmon and the entire Ex-Im Bank staff on the 65th Anniversary of the institution.
Institutions survive over time by adapting to meet new circumstances.
Of course, one must first identify the challenges correctly, and this conference demonstrates that Ex-Im Bank remains alert to new developments. I have every confidence that Ex-Im Bank will meet the challenges identified during this conference and ensure that U.S. exporters remain competitive. By providing lines of trade finance when markets first retrenched, Ex-Im Bank made a major contribution to the orderly functioning of the international economy and at the same time protected and promoted the interests of U.S. exporters. I look forward to working with Jim Harmon to set a sound policy path for the future of officially supported export financing competition. Thank you, and Happy Birthday Ex-Im Bank.