Government Relations, LLC Defends US Small Business in European Trade Agreement
Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 25, 2013 -- Dr. David Ellison, representing Government Relations, LLC, testified before the US International Trade Commission (USITC) on behalf of US small businesses that are unfairly affected by European Union (EU) trade barriers. His testimony focused on overcoming trade practices hurting the US medical device and nanomaterial industries. Supported by witnesses from the European Senior Director of the US Chamber of Commerce and major trade associations, Dr. Ellison’s testimony will be used by the Commissioners of the USITC to set the agenda for potentially the largest free trade agreement in history, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
While the already low tariffs are expected to be eliminated during the TTIP negotiations, it is the regulations that cause the most concerns for US small businesses. For this reason, Dr. Ellison focused his testimony on the regulations stating “Every regulatory hurdle that falls allows more small businesses to enter the market simply because they have a fair chance to do so.” After this Dr. Ellison pointed out four actionable items to help US companies export medical devices to the European Union before moving on to the discussion regarding nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are currently regulated under EU’s expansive Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program which has heaped an enormous amount of red tape onto small businesses. The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) quoted a report by Bloomberg Government which showed “that the regulatory compliance cost [of REACH] add 22.2% to the goods tariff on chemicals.”
After the testimony, for the majority of the four hour session, the Commissioners of the USITC grilled the witnesses on specifics, exploring the effects of regulation, tariffs, intellectual property rights, and the rule making process itself had on small businesses. The USITC will use these testimonies in a report to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) who is conducting the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations on behalf of the US to the European Union.
To download Dr. David Ellison’s testimony visit http://www.drdavidellison.com.
About Government Relations, LLC
Government Relations, LLC is a Washington-based consulting firm specialized in helping companies navigate federal regulations and win government contracts. For 30 years they have helped small and medium-sized companies with personalized service while growing to international recognition for their ability to cut red tape.
Eric Vu Tran, Government Relations, LLC, http://www.gov-relations.com, +1 703-644-4557, [email protected]
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