RGIT - Issues

Even though not all bills of the U.S. Congress eventually become law, their legal and economic impact on transatlantic trade and investment conditions are always a factor. Priorities for 2011 are, among other things, possible new patent legislation, and a new approach to container scanning, as well as possible consequences from court rulings against the health care reform law. New rounds of negotiation of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as well as the fate of the yet to ratified free trade agreements (FTA) of the United States with several countries could have an effect on German-American trade. Export control reform and changes to the administrative structure of the U.S. government are pending.

In environmental law there is uncertainty about how long the regulatory competences of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be upheld against a wave of pending lawsuits and if Congress is willing to return to a more detailed legislation. President Obama’s new energy concept (Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future) that was presented on April 2011 is supposed to redefine the United States’ energy policy and may offer new business opportunities for German companies. Raw material supply, vocational training and the increase in U.S. exports through the National Export Initiative have direct or indirect consequences for German companies. RGIT is offering an overview and evaluations that are more in-depth than the daily news, but are always up to date.