CAFTA Negotiators to Meet in New Orleans

Mayor Ray Nagin has announced that New Orleans will host the 6th round of the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) negotiations from July 28 to August 1. Official representatives from each of the six countries forming the CAFTA region (the U.S., Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) will be participating. The business program includes a forum on Tuesday, July 29 at the World Trade Center which offers a unique opportunity for U.S. and Central American executives to interact and learn more about CAFTA. The program also includes visits to several important port and airport sites in the New Orleans area.

The business forum on July 29 will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Plimsoll Club of the World Trade Center. The forum includes two keynote speakers and two panels featuring experts from various fields and industries discussing the likely effects of CAFTA on business from the U.S. and Central American perspectives. The keynote breakfast speaker is Amb. Anabel Gonzalez, Costa Rican Special Ambassador for U.S. Trade Affairs and Costa Rica’s Chief CAFTA Negotiator. The keynote luncheon speaker is Hon. Regina K. Vargo, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas.

Additional information about the CAFTA business program is available by clicking here or by calling the International Trade Development office of the City of New Orleans at (504) 565-7230.

COMMERCE OFFICIAL TO LEAD MANUFACTURING DISCUSSION

William H. Lash, III, Assistant Secretary, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, will conduct a Manufacturing Roundtable breakfast discussion at the Plimsoll Club of the World Trade Center on Tuesday, July 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The Department of Commerce is seeking feedback and insights for a report requested by Commerce Secretary Don Evans describing the problems that U.S. manufacturers are facing and to make recommendations on actions the Administration should take to revitalize the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy.

Topics at the breakfast will include: what elements of the U.S. business environment are influencing U.S. manufacturers in world markets; the effects of outsourcing and off-shoring trends; the effect of trade barriers; and what government policies best advance our manufacturing competitiveness. For details about the breakfast meeting, contact the WTC (504) 529-1601, ext. 222 or call the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center at (504) 589-6546. 

LOUISIANA TRADE MISSION TRAVELS TO COSTA RICA

More than 50 representatives of Louisiana business, transportation, tourism, medical, and sports interests are participating on a trade mission to San Jose, Costa Rica on July 1-5. The mission is designed to promote greater ties in commerce and tourism between Louisiana and Costa Rica. Another major objective is to encourage members of the Costa Rican business community to attend the next negotiating round of the proposed U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) to be held in New Orleans on July 28-August 1.

The mission to San Jose was organized by the MetroVision Economic Development Partnership and the World Trade Center of New Orleans, in conjunction with the Consulate General of Costa Rica, Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the City of New Orleans, the Port of New Orleans, the New Orleans International Airport, TACA Airlines, and other organizations.

Throughout the three-day mission, the Louisiana delegation will meet with Costa Rican corporate and public officials, including President Abel Pacheco and Minister of Foreign Trade Alberto Trejos.

Another highlight will be the official Fourth of July reception hosted by U.S. Ambassador John Danilovich and featuring Louisiana cuisine and music, with the mission members as special invited guests. An estimated 500 Costa Rican business, professional, cultural and public-sector leaders are expected to attend. The Louisiana delegation also will meet with their counterparts and be briefed on economic conditions in Costa Rica by the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce.

Primary areas of promotion for the Louisiana delegation include trade and transportation, tourism, healthcare, and sports management. The latter group includes representatives of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team, the New Orleans Hornets NBA basketball team, and the New Orleans Zephyrs Triple-A baseball team.

The Costa Rica trade mission is the third consecutive July trade mission to Central America organized by MetroVision and the World Trade Center where the Louisiana delegation has been featured at the U.S. Ambassador’s official Fourth of July reception for senior host country dignitaries. Similar delegations traveled from Louisiana to Honduras in 2002 and Nicaragua in 2001.

COSTA RICA MISSION MEMBERS

The following organizations and companies are participating in the July 1-5 Louisiana Trade Mission to Costa Rica see article on page 1.

Louisiana Economic Development

Louisiana Office of Tourism

Louisiana Tax Free Shopping

Louisiana State University Agricultural Center

City of New Orleans

American Construction Management

ARP Consulting

Bossier Chamber of Commerce

Chef Roy’s Frog City Cafe

Exportadores del Pac’fico

First National Bank USA

First United Methodist Church

Fowler Rodriguez & Chalos

Greater Bossier Economic Development

Grupo TACA

Hernandez Hamilton Consulting Inc.

Hispanic American Medical Association of Louisiana

J.C. International Ltd.

Lake Ascension Physicians

Locke, Liddell & Sapp, LLP

London Livery Ltd.

Loyola University New Orleans, College of Business

MC Media

MetroVision Economic Development Partnership

Nature Tours

New Orleans CityBusiness

New Orleans Hornets

New Orleans International Airport

The New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Zephyrs

Ochsner Clinic

Port of New Orleans

RAM Trading Company

Red River International Trade Council

Shreveport/Bossier Convention & Visitors Bureau

Sludge Solutions International, LLC

Southwest Engineers of Louisiana

Tetra Tech, Inc.

Tulane Medical Center

World Trade Center of New Orleans

SHANGHAI HOSPITAL WASTE DISPOSAL STUDY

On May 13, the U.S Trade and Development Agency (TDA) and the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau signed a $204,000 Grant Agreement to conduct a Feasibility Study for Shanghai’s proposed Centralized Hospital Waste Disposal System. The study will review Shanghai’s current medical waste policy and management system; examine and categorize the municipality’s waste stream; and analyze alternative methods for collecting, transporting, treating, and disposing of medical waste in Shanghai. (Visit http://www.tda.gov/trade/press/May15a_03.html for details on this announcement.)

The opportunity for interested U.S. firms to bid on the contract to perform the feasibility study will be advertised on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.fedbizopps.gov. For information on Trade Development Agency activities in China, log on to www.tdka.gov, or www.buyusa.gov/china/en/tda.html, or email: Export.China@ mail. doc.gov.

LUNCHEON FOR AFRICAN TRANSPORTATION MANAGERS

A group of 19 transportation, economic development, and planning officials from five Southern Africa countries will visit Louisiana July 21-23 as part of a two-week management training program in the United States on intermodal logistics. The countries represented are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, which comprise the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). In Louisiana, the group will visit several of Louisiana’s principal deep-water ports and intermodal facilities.

On Wednesday, July 23, the World Trade Center and other organizations will host a luncheon for the African visitors to meet their transportation and other counterparts from Louisiana. For details on the luncheon or to register, click here, or call (504) 529-1601, ext. 222.

The Management Training for Africa (MTA) Program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration designed to offer trade capacity building for the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries as they embark upon free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States.

EU ECO-LABEL PROGRAM

The European eco-label (with a green flower symbol) distinguishes environmentally friendly products and services. The aim of the voluntary label program is to encourage manufacturers to design products that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal. It also aims to provide consumers with better information on the environmental performance of products and encourage them to buy "green" products. Specific information, a list of eligible products, and how to apply for the eco-label may be found on the Internet at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/description/description.htm.

A manufacturer who wishes to apply for the eco-label must contact a national competent body and prove that its product meets the criteria for awarding of the label. For a list of national competent authorities in the fifteen European Union (EU) member states log on to: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ecolabel/general/competentbodies.htm. The eco-label can be a good marketing tool for U.S. exporters to show consumers that their product or service has a superior environmental performance.The same green flower logo is used and recognized in all EU member states and will soon be used in the Central and Eastern European countries.

EXPORT PROGRAMS GUIDE

The "Export Programs Guide" is an official publication of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, a group of 19 U.S. government agencies that jointly encourage U.S. exports of goods and services.

The "Guide" contains dozens of services for trade promotion and financing. For instance, the first three chapters focus on export counseling and assistance; general, industry-specific, and country-specific programs. U.S. firms will find numerous International Trade Administration (ITA) services listed there, including those of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Trade Information Center, the U.S. Commercial Service, and the Trade Development division. The directory lists contact names, phone numbers, and websites.

The new edition may be obtained from these sources:

• Download from the Internet at: www.trade.gov/media/publications;

• Download from the Trade Information Center website: www.export.gov/tic; and

• For sale by the Government Printing Office on-line at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/

INDONESIA INTRODUCES NEW COPYRIGHT LAW

The Government of Indonesia passed a new copyright law that becomes effective July 29. It covers industries ranging from science to arts and literature and contains important provisions long sought by international and domestic copyright holders. Provisions include legislative supports for forthcoming optical disc and computer software regulations, criminal penalties for copyright violators, and the ability for copyright holders to seek civil injunctions against pirates. For details, contact Henry Sutanto, Commercial Specialist/U.S. Embassy Jakarta at: henry.sutanto@mail.doc.gov.

DELAY IN MANDATORY CHINA COMPULSORY CERTIFICATE

The U.S. Commercial Service at the American Embassy in Beijing has announced that the Government of China postponed the mandatory enforcement date of the China Compulsory Certifcate (CCC Mark) from May 1 to August 1, 2003. The China Compulsory Certification (CCC) mark is China’s newest quality and safety mark. There are 132 types of products requiring the CCC mark. The list of products is on the China Gateway site at www.mac.doc.gov/China/Docs/BusinessGuides/cccguide.htm. For a copy of "China’s CCC Mark: A Guide for U.S. Exporters" (a four-page article prepared by U.S. Commerce staffers), call the Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at (504) 589-6546 or in Shreveport at (318) 676-3064.

SUCCESSFUL WORLD TRADE MONTH

Due to Louisiana’s overwhelming support of World Trade Week (proclaimed each year by the President of the United States), numerous trade-related activities were held statewide during the entire month of May 2003. The New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center extends its appreciation to the many sponsors of these events, including: Bank One/Global Trade Services (New Orleans): Lake Charles Mayor’s Office; Le Centre International de Lafayette; Louisiana Economic Development; Louisiana District Export Council; MetroVision; New Orleans Mayor’s Office; North Louisiana District Export Council; Port of Lake Charles; Port of New Orleans; Shreveport U.S. Export Assistance Center; University of New Orleans; U.S. Department of Commerce; and the World Trade Center of New Orleans.

INDUSTRY MARKET REPORTS

Following is a list of various U.S. Commercial Service Industry Market Insight Reports:

• Canada: Quality Systems Requirements for Medical Devices
• Indonesia: New Oil and Gas Field Offered
• South Korea: Korea’s Solid Waste Treatment Market
• Mexico: Seller Beware: Textile Apparel Industry in Mexico
• Mexico: Private Hospital Acquisition in Mexico Creates Opportunities for U.S. Exports
• Mexico: Mexican Customs Documents: Better Safe Than Sorry
• Qatar: Health Care Opportunities in Qatar

For the entire report(s), call the U.S. Export Assistance Center inNew Orleans at (504) 589-6546, or the Shreveport USEAC at (318) 676-3064.

AZỨCAR BALL 2003: LATIN AMERICA ALIVE!

The New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Foundation (NOHHF) will hold its 2003 Azứcar Ball entitled "Latin America Alive!" on Saturday, August 23 at the Whitney National Bank lobby in New Orleans.

The proceeds of this colorful black-tie affair annual event are allocated to academic scholarships of Hispanic students who otherwise would not be able to attend the best private high schools in the Greater New Orleans area. Currently 24 bright, deserving students are benefiting from the proceeds of last year’s Ball.

Chef John Besh of the renowned August Restaurant has generously agreed to provide the food for the patron party. Fredy Omar Con Su Banda and Julio y Cesar’s musical group will provide the entertainment from 8:00 p.m. - ‘til. There will also be a silent auction featuring wonderful items, including choice art works.

For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Rosa Rodriguez at (504) 523-2600.

U.S. JOINS INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK FILING SYSTEM

U.S. companies will have a new option for registering their trademarks overseas by using an international filing system that will cost less than the present country-by-country method. Recent federal legislation implemented an agreement for the U.S. to join the Madrid Protocol, an international treaty that facilitates procuring and maintaining international registrations in the participating countries through a centralized and cost-effective system.

The Madrid Protocol will allow U.S. applicants to file a single international trademark application that designates the member countries where trademark registration is sought. U.S. participation in the Madrid Protocol will begin once the necessary rules and procedures are in place, but not sooner than November 2, 2003. There are many websites with details on this topic, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization at www.wipo.int/madrid/en/ or the International Trademark Association at www.inta.org/policy/madrid_primer.html. (Note: Website addresses provided for information purposes only and not as an endorsement by the U.S. Export Assistance Center.)