Notice2024-13470
Request for Comments on Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity-Trade Track
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Published
June 20, 2024
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
The United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay have launched the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (Partnership) to deepen economic collaboration and integration in the Western Hemisphere. In November 2023, leaders of these countries issued the East Room Declaration, directing Ministers responsible for trade, foreign affairs and finance each to commence work in their respective areas to fulfill Partnership objectives. USTR is seeking public comments on matters described below, including U.S. interests and priorities, in order to develop trade-related lines of effort in the trade track of the Partnership.
Full Text
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51935-51936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13470]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2024-0009]
Request for Comments on Americas Partnership for Economic
Prosperity--Trade Track
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay
have launched the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity
(Partnership) to deepen economic collaboration and integration in the
Western Hemisphere. In November 2023, leaders of these countries issued
the East Room Declaration, directing Ministers responsible for trade,
foreign affairs and finance each to commence work in their respective
areas to fulfill Partnership objectives. USTR is seeking public
comments on matters described below, including U.S. interests and
priorities, in order to develop trade-related lines of effort in the
trade track of the Partnership.
DATES: Submit comments no later than July 22, 2024.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. See the
submission instructions below. The Docket Number is USTR-2024-0009. For
alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact the individuals
listed below before transmitting a comment and in advance of the
deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Courtney Smothers, Deputy Assistant
Trade Representative for Latin America, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f9ba968c8b8d979c80d7aa94968d919c8b8ab98c8a8d8bd79c9689d79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="34775b4146405a514d1a67595b405c51464774414740461a515b441a535b42">[email protected]</span></a>, or 202.395.7657, or Randall Oliver,
Director for Canada, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5b093a353f3a3737750f751437322d3e291b2e282f29753e342b753c342d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="97c5f6f9f3f6fbfbb9c3b9d8fbfee1f2e5d7e2e4e3e5b9f2f8e7b9f0f8e1">[email protected]</span></a>, 202.395.9449.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
President Biden first announced the Partnership at the 2022 Summit
of the Americas. On November 3, 2023, the United States welcomed
representatives of the founding Partnership countries to the White
House for the first Leaders' Summit. Following the Summit, leaders of
the United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay released
the East Room Declaration, which directs Ministers to begin work in
three tracks--Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Finance--to support the
Leaders' intention that the Partnership serve as a lasting regional
platform to pursue an ambitious, flexible and goal-oriented regional
economic and development agenda. Leaders further identified five
initial cross-cutting priorities:
<bullet> Strengthening regional competitiveness and integration;
<bullet> Fostering shared prosperity and good governance;
<bullet> Building sustainable infrastructure;
<bullet> Protecting the climate and environment; and
<bullet> Promoting healthy communities.
Leaders also called on Ministers responsible for trade to develop
inclusive and sustainable approaches to trade and investment that will
support regional sustainable development and resilient supply chains
for goods and services, enhance a predictable and transparent
regulatory environment that can boost trade flows, and remove barriers
to greater economic integration among our countries.
On March 18, 2024, the Partnership Trade Ministers met virtually.
They took note of the work of the Partnership's Council on Trade and
Competitiveness (CTC), which is comprised of senior officials for
trade. The CTC has established committees on Trade Rules and
Transparency, Sustainable Value and Supply Chains, and Inclusive Trade
and SMEs.
The Ministers emphasized how the Partnership can complement and
build on existing trade ties, further deepen economic integration in
the region, and develop sustainable and inclusive approaches to trade
and investment. They also recalled Leaders' expectation that the trade
agenda under the Partnership promote formal jobs that lead to decent
work and promote internationally recognized labor rights, environmental
sustainability, and economic inclusion.
Trade Ministers plan to meet in person in Ecuador in August 2024 to
review progress by the CTC and discuss priorities for next year.
Ministers also will discuss preparation for the Leaders' Summit in
Costa Rica in 2025.
II. Public Comment
The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites interested parties
to submit comments to assist USTR in the development of priorities and
lines of effort consistent with the regional scope and collaborative
nature of the Partnership, as elaborated below. Because the Partnership
will build on, and coexist with, existing U.S trade agreements, its
work should not detract from or unnecessarily duplicate work that is
taking place in the committees of existing U.S trade agreements,
including free trade agreements, trade and investment framework
agreements, and other similar agreements.
USTR is committed to broad and inclusive stakeholder engagement in
developing projects for the trade work of the Partnership. In
particular, the TPSC invites interested parties to comment on the
following matters as they relate to trade and investment:
<bullet> Customs and trade facilitation;
<bullet> Value and supply chain resilience and sustainability, with
particular focus
[[Page 51936]]
on clean energy, medical supplies and semiconductors;
<bullet> Inclusive Trade, including for women, Indigenous Peoples,
and other underrepresented groups;
<bullet> Issues of particular relevance to small and medium-sized
enterprises;
<bullet> Labor standards and worker rights;
<bullet> Environment, climate, and conservation;
<bullet> Transparency and good regulatory practices;
<bullet> Anti-corruption;
<bullet> Trade capacity building needs and priorities; and
<bullet> Other matters related to trade and investment in the
Americas that are consistent with the mission and scope of the
Partnership.
USTR requests small businesses (generally defined by the Small
Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees) or
organizations representing small business members that submit comments
to self-identify as such, so that we may be aware of issues of
particular interest to small businesses.
III. Requirements for Submissions
To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments by the
July 22, 2024 11:59 EDT deadline. All submissions must be in English.
USTR strongly encourages submissions via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, using Docket
Number USTR-2024-0009. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions.
To make a submission via <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, enter docket number USTR-
2024-0009 on the home page and click `search.' The site will provide a
search-results page listing all documents associated with this docket.
Find a reference to this notice by selecting `notice' under `document
type' and click in the `refine document results' section on the left
side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment.'
Regulations.gov allows users to submit comments by filling in a `type
comment' field, or by attaching a document using an `upload file'
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an in an attached
document and note `see attached' in the `comment' field on the online
submission form.
USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat
(.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate
the name of the application in the `type comment' field.
On the first page of the submission, identify the subject matter of
the comment as ``Request for Comments on the Americas Partnership for
Economic Prosperity--Trade Track''. File names should reflect the name
of the person or entity submitting the comments. Please do not attach
separate cover letters, exhibits, annexes or other attachments to
electronic submissions. Instead, to the extent possible, please include
these in the same file as the submission itself. Submissions should not
exceed 30 single-spaced, standard letter-size pages in 12-point type,
including attachments.
You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the
submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is
confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the
confirmation for your records.
USTR is not able to provide technical assistance for
Regulations.gov. For further information on using Regulations.gov,
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on
`How to Use Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may
not consider submissions that are not made in accordance with these
instructions.
If you are unable to submit comments as requested, please contact
Courtney Smothers, Deputy Assistant Trade Representative for Latin
America, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1e5d716b6c6a707b67304d73716a767b6c6d5e6b6d6a6c307b716e30797168"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="57143822252339322e79043a38233f32252417222423257932382779303821">[email protected]</span></a>, or 202.395.7657, or Randall
Oliver, Director for Canada, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#580a39363c393434760c761734312e3d2a182d2b2c2a763d3728763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abf9cac5cfcac7c785ff85e4c7c2ddced9ebded8dfd985cec4db85ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>,
202.395.9449, before transmitting a comment and in advance of the
deadline to arrange for an alternative method of transmission.
General information concerning USTR is available at <a href="https://www.ustr.gov">https://www.ustr.gov</a>.
IV. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions
If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at
the top of that page. Additionally, you must include `Business
Confidential' in the `type comment' field. Filers of submissions
containing BCI also must submit a public version of their submission
that will be placed in the docket for public inspection. The file name
of the public version should begin with the character `P.' USTR will
post the non-confidential version in the docket and it will be open to
public inspection.
V. Public Viewing of Review Submissions
USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view submissions at
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> by entering Docket Number USTR-2024-0009 in the search
field on the home page.
Laura Buffo,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2024-13470 Filed 6-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P
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