Trade Agreements can create opportunities for Americans and help to grow the U.S. economy. They lay out “rules of the road” for U.S. companies looking to do business in markets around the world by reducing barriers to U.S. exports, protecting U.S. interests, and enhancing the rule of law in trade agreement partner countries. There are many types of trade agreements, including:
If you are looking to export your product or service, the United States may have negotiated favorable treatment through an FTA to make it easier and cheaper for you. Accessing FTA benefits for your product can also give your product a competitive advantage versus products from other countries.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements create an international trade legal framework for 164 economies around the world. These Agreements cover goods, services, intellectual property, standards, investment and other issues that impact the flow of trade.
U.S. law allows U.S. Department of Commerce to enter into an agreement to suspend an antidumping duty (AD) and/or countervailing duty (CVD) investigation when the relevant parties to the case reach an agreement and when certain statutory and policy criteria are met. Suspension agreements require ongoing monitoring by Commerce to ensure compliance and effectiveness.
A Bilateral Investment Treaty is designed to ensure that U.S. investors receive national or most favored nation treatment (whichever is better) in the other signatory country. It protects U.S. investors against performance requirements, restrictions on transfers and arbitrary expropriation.
Receive information and assistance regarding intellectual property rights such as guides, contact information, STOPfakes Roadshows, and toolkits.
These guides will summarize the 5 takeaways: What it is, what it does, who benefits from it, how it can help you, and where to find more information.
UNESCO experts meeting in Florence (It. Firenze), Italy in the early 1950s adopted the terms of an international agreement to promote international understanding and peace by lowering barriers to the exchange of cultural, scientific and educational materials, most importantly by waiving tariffs on such materials.
The World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) is a group of government and industry representatives from the wine-producing countries of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Georgia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, and Uruguay. Founded in 1998, the Group aims to facilitate international trade in wine through information sharing, discussion of regulatory issues in wine markets, and joint actions for the removal of trade barriers.
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20230
Connect With ITA
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.
