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there is no existing international stadad setting boy in this area. is As a result, the potential
for the EC to act as the centrize stadad setting organiztion is enhance.
For U. S. firms in the MEI industr, institutions outside of the EC ca have importt influences
on the competitive position of U.S. firms. For example, the U.S. Radio Technica Commission
for Martime Services (RTCM) has parcipate in the constrction of international tehnica
stadards for GPS recivers, electronic char display systems, and "stadard C" INMARSAT
recivers, among others. Ironicaly, in the case of the "stadad C" recivers, foot-dragging by
the U.S. Federa Communications Commission (FCC) has ben one factor hindering the ealy
entr of U.S. firms into this market. This is beuse the relate "land mobile" receiver market
in the United States is thought to be large enough to justify the investments necssa to
manufacture both the marne and land recivers. But the FCC, which would regulate the land-
mobile market, has refuse to issue regulations.
19 As a result, Europe (Danish, French,
Norwegian, and-British) and Japanese fims have ben the fist out of the box (Fuechsel, 1989).
Conclusions
We ca make several conclusions from our study of the effects of shifting government policies
and institutions on the competitive position of
U.S. firms in the MEI industr. The industr in
Europe has potential for growth, base upon our evaluation of the primar end use setors,
including defense, offshore oil and gas, commercial fisheries, merchant marne, and
ocography. The Europe market for advance marne electronics is approximately $1
bilion, as measured by tota saes--this is about 30-40 percent of the size of the U.S. market.
U.S. firms supply perhaps 25% of the Europe market, and there probably is a trade surplus
with Europe as a whole (ths is heavily influenced by saes of defense manufactures).
The restrcturing of the Europe defense electronics industr is symbolically significat,
representing an envisioned "new Europe" charcterize by enhance ecnomies of sce and
improved international competitiveness. This restrcturing may be evidence of a changed attitude
on the par of Europe governments with regard to Europe integration. However, differences
still exist among the member states of the Europe Communities, and these differences may
hamper full integration as a tre common market. The integration itself may have a minimal
impact on trde and investment in Europe for U.S. firms sellng into the common market.
is In the United States, ocographic instrments are caibrated to meet the nees of
scientific or environmenta monitoring end users by manufacturers, at ocographic resech
institutions, at NORDA in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, or at the Nortwest Regional Calibration
Center in Seattle. The NATO Underse Resech Center (SACLANTCEN) at La Spezia, Itay
maintans a caibration center for conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) sensors.
19 In the United States, the FCC regulates telecmmunications on land. INMARSA T
regulates telecmmunications by satellte at se. COMSA T, a quasi-public corpration,
paricipates as the U.S. member (and contrbutes 25% of the budget) in INARSAT.
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