apparelindia - Apparel Export Promotion Council

TRADE Policies
domestic environmental laws and adopt, maintain and
implement laws, regulations, and all other measures to
fulfill obligations under covered multilateral environmental
agreements. Environmental obligations are subject to the same
dispute settlement and enforcement mechanisms as commercial
obligations.
Fair and Open Government Procurement
U.S. suppliers are granted rights to non-discriminatory
treatment in bidding on procurement opportunities offered by
a broad range of Colombian government ministries, agencies,
public enterprises, and regional governments. The Agreement
requires the use of fair and transparent procurement procedures,
such as advance notice of purchases and timely and effective
bid review procedures.
A Level Playing Field for U.S. Investors: U.S.
companies in Colombia are protected against discriminatory or
unlawful treatment, and the Agreement provides a neutral and
transparent mechanism for settlement of investment disputes.
More Manufacturing Exports to Colombia:
The U.S.-Colombia TPA creates new opportunities for U.S.
manufacturers seeking to export to Colombia, giving American
manufacturers more market access in two ways: (1) by
eliminating tariffs, or duties, charged when U.S. exports enter
Colombia, and (2) by laying out a framework to address other
barriers to U.S. exports – including those that may arise in the
future.
Increased Textile Access for U.S. Apparel
Colombia is an important market for U.S. textiles and
apparel. The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement
opens new market access opportunities for U.S. textiles and
apparel manufacturers and strengthens customs enforcement
mechanisms to verify claims of origin and deny illegal customs
circumvention. Qualifying U.S. textile and apparel exports to
Colombia would receive duty-free treatment immediately upon
implementation of the Agreement.
Small Business Exporters
Thousands of small businesses across the United States export
goods to Colombia. In 2009, U.S. small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) exported $3.1 billion in merchandise to Colombia.
This represented 34.4 percent of U.S. merchandise exports to
Colombia -- above the 32.8 percent SME share of U.S. exports
to the world. Of the 13,177 U.S. firms that exported to Colombia
in 2008, 11,562 or 87.7 percent, were small and medium
businesses.
Telecommunications
In an increasingly dynamic environment, U.S.
telecommunications operators continue to look for opportunities
to extend the reach of their global networks in order to deliver
the advanced telecommunications their customers demand.
The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement provides a
new opportunity for U.S. operators to gain the legal certainty
necessary to either make significant investments abroad or tap
into existing telecommunications infrastructure to better expand
their businesses.
26 APPAREL INDIA