| Author (Corporate) | United States: Library of Congress: Congressional Research Service (CRS) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | USA Congress: Library of Congress |
| Series Title | Reports and Issue Briefs |
| Series Details | January, 2011 |
| Publication Date | 14/01/2011 |
| Content Type | Report |
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The Congressional Research Service, a department of the Library of Congress, conducts research and analysis for Congress on a broad range of national and international policy issues. Some of the CRS work is carried out specifically for individual members of Congress or their staff and is confidential. However, there is also much CRS compiled material which is considered public but is not formally published on the CRS website. For that reason a number of other organisations try to keep track of these publications and make them publicly available via their own websites. Currently, ESO uses the following websites to track these reports and allow access to them in ESO: EveryCRSReport.com In some cases hyperlinks allows you to access all versions of a report, including the latest. Note that many reports are periodically updated.South Korea has negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States and the European Union (EU), but neither agreement has yet been approved. The U.S. Congress must approve the United States and South Korea free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) and the European Parliament must vote on the European Union and South Korea free trade agreement (KOREU FTA) before the FTAs can take effect. If the FTAs are ratified, it is possible there could be a "first mover" advantage for either the United States or the European Union, depending on which FTA is approved first. Some argue that both agreements have shortcomings and should not be approved. This report provides U.S. lawmakers with a comparison of the manufacturing components in the KORUS and KOREU FTAs. Congressional interest in an FTA between the European Union and South Korea mostly centers on those U.S. industries competing with European industrial sectors, especially motor vehicles. The two pending FTAs raise questions about what it could mean for U.S. manufacturers if the United States takes longer, or fails altogether, to implement the KORUS FTA, while the European Union and South Korea possibly move ahead to approve and implement their outstanding FTA. In such a case, the possibility exists that the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers between the European Union and South Korean markets could result in U.S. manufacturers losing South Korean market share to European competitors. On balance, most U.S. and European manufacturing sectors, with some auto manufacturers in particular among notable dissenters, argue that the pending FTAs will be beneficial and are largely supportive. On the other side, labor unions in the United States and the European Union are considerably more skeptical, claiming that South Korean companies could be the biggest beneficiaries, since they could gain even greater access to the significantly larger U.S. and EU markets. Labor union leaders say the FTA will result in further job losses as their respective manufacturing workforces compete for market share with competitive South Korean manufacturers in their own domestic markets. Various forces will affect how and when each side might move forward on its respective FTA. Congress has a direct role in the approval of the KORUS FTA, but until recently legislative consideration of the agreement had been at a standstill. In June 2010, President Obama directed the United States Trade Representative to initiate new discussions with the South Korean government to resolve outstanding issues in time for the G-20 Summit in Seoul in November 2010, such as autos and beef. Some lawmakers argue that the KORUS FTA provides a greater advantage to South Korean manufacturers than to U.S. manufacturers. Others have expressed their support for economic and national security reasons. No specific date has been announced by the European Union on when it expects to approve its FTA with South Korea, but the European Commission (the EU's executive charged with negotiating agreements with other countries, among its areas of responsibility) has indicated that it would like to move forward in 2010 or 2011. Automotive trade is the primary focus of this report because it is one of the most contentious and high-profile manufacturing issues in the KORUS and KOREU FTA deliberations. Additionally, brief overviews are included of other selected U.S. manufacturing sectors that could be affected by these FTAs, such as home appliances, consumer electronics, and pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Trade in agricultural products and services are not covered by this report. |
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| Source Link | https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41389.html |
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| Countries / Regions | Eastern Asia, Europe |
