INDUSTRY TRADE ADVISORY COMMITTEES
The Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) are an integral
link between industry and the United States Government. Jointly
administered by the Department of Commerce and the United States
Trade Representative (USTR), the ITACs provide a unique public-private
forum to ensure industry has a voice in formulating the trade
policy of the United States. The industry advisors serving on
the ITACs provide valuable input as the Administration advances
its trade agenda to improve economic opportunities for Americas
businesses, workers, and consumers.
U.S. Government policy makers rely on our trade advisors to
identify barriers and to provide advice on key objectives and
bargaining positions for multilateral, bilateral, and regional
trade negotiations, as well as other trade-related policy matters.
As a result of these efforts, the United States is able to display
a united front when it negotiates trade agreements with other
nations. The United States negotiating position is strengthened
because its objectives are developed with bipartisan, private-sector
input throughout the negotiations.
The ITACs were established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
Congress wanted to ensure that trade negotiators were consulting
with the private sector during trade negotiations. Following the
private-sector advisors important contributions to the successful
conclusion of the Tokyo Round of Trade Negotiations, Congress
amended the Trade Act, and included a broader mandate for the
ITACs under the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 and the Omnibus Trade
and Tariff Act of 1988, as well as legislated counterpart programs
at the Departments of Agriculture and Labor. The Trade Act of
2002 (Trade Promotion Authority legislation) re-authorized the
requirement of the trade advisory committees to provide reports
to the President, the USTR, and Congress on trade agreements.
The ITACs must include an advisory opinion as to whether and to
what extent the trade agreements promote the economic interest
of the United States and achieves the applicable overall negotiating
objectives as set forth in the Trade Act, and an advisory opinion
as to whether the agreements provide for equity and reciprocity
within a sectoral or functional area.
Commerce and the USTR created the Industry Trade Advisory Center
to jointly administer the work of sixteen ITACs, a Committee of
Chairs, and over 375 industry executives. The sixteen ITACs were
created to reflect the manufacturing and services sectors of the
U.S. economy, as well as issue-oriented matters that cut across
all sectors. The Committee of Chairs was created to provide a
channel for cross-sharing among the committees and to provide
input with respect to other matters arising in connection with
the development, implementation, and administration of the trade
policy of the United States.
Links to web sites outside the U.S. Federal Government or the
use of trade, firm, or corporation names within the International
Trade Administration web sites are for the convenience of the
user. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or
approval by the U.S. Commerce Department of any private sector
website, product, or service.