CIEL provides separate comments to TEPAC reports on the recently completed U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Central American Free Trade Agreement

March 23, 2004

CIEL, in its role on the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC), helped shape TEPAC's advice letters to Congress on the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). In a separate statement attached to the report, CIEL argues that the investment provisions of the agreements are problematic and fail to meet the standard set by the Trade Act of 2002 that investment rules provide foreign investors with "no greater substantive rights" than those available to U.S. investors under U.S. law. CIEL is joined on those comments by other TEPAC members.

The following resources are available on this subject:

• See CIEL's comments on the U.S.-Australia FTA here: Set1 and Set2

• The committee report from TEPAC and other USTR Trade Advisory committees can be found here: http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Australia/advisor/index.htm

• And the U.S. Australia draft text of the agreement here: http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Australia/text/index.htm

• See CIEL's comments on CAFTA here

• And the CAFTA draft text of the agreement here: http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Cafta/text/index.htm
  
  

For more information, please contact Marcos Orellana.