U.S. & Russia Reach Bilateral Agreements Needed for Russia’s WTO Bid
On October 1, 2010, U.S. Trade Representative Kirk announced bilateral resolutions to issues that need to be addressed in the terms for the Russian Federation’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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U.S., Russian Negotiators Working Since June
U.S. and Russian negotiators have been meeting intensively since the June 24, 2010 meeting between Presidents Obama and Medvedev, in which the two leaders noted their shared interest in completing Russia’s WTO accession process as soon as possible and directed their negotiators to settle the small number of bilateral issues related to Russia’s WTO accession by September 30, 2010. (See ITT’s Online Archives or 06/28/10 news, 10062820, for BP summary of the June U.S.-Russia meeting.)
Agreement Reached on IPR, Government Procurement, Transparency Issues
Through these meetings, the U.S. and Russia have reached agreement on the substance of a number of Russian commitments that should be reflected in the final terms for its accession. These commitments relate to areas of particular importance to U.S. trade policy interests, such as intellectual property rights (IPR), government procurement, and transparency in the decision-making process on trade-related issues.
Bilateral Agreements Will be Considered in WTO Accession Process
USTR states that given the multilateral nature of the WTO accession process, these bilaterally-agreed solutions will be considered by other members of the Working Party on Russia’s accession. (USTR notes that Russia has also enacted amendments to laws related to IPR protection, to reflect relevant WTO requirements and earlier commitments made to the U.S. on IPR, which also contribute to its WTO accession process.)
U.S. Plans Ongoing Engagement, Especially in Meat/Ag Trade, Encryption
As Russia continues to advance in its efforts to join the WTO, USTR states that the U.S. looks forward to further enhancing bilateral trade relations with Russia. Ongoing and vigorous efforts will be required with respect to a number of important areas, such as IPR enforcement, trade in meat and other agricultural products, and Russia’s regulation of imports of products containing encryption technology.
House Ways & Means Republicans Praise Agreements, But Want More Progress
House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Camp (R) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Brady (R) released statements immediately following USTR’s announcement. Both Representatives praised the agreements and welcomed Russia’s progress. However, they stated that more progress is needed on several fronts, including ensuring the protection of IPR, full access for U.S. agricultural products, sanitary and phytosanitary issues over meat and other products, and other non-tariff barriers.