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News Release 20-100
Inv. No(s). 332-579
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is seeking input for an investigation of the possible negative effects of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on the U.S. lobster industry and the volume of U.S. exports of lobster.
The investigation, Lobsters: Effects of the Canada-EU Trade Agreement on the U.S. Industry, was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a letter received on July 29, 2020. USTR’s request was directed by Presidential Memorandum on Protecting the United States Lobster Industry issued on June 24, 2020.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will:
- provide an overview of the U.S. and Canadian lobster industries, including information on production and catch levels, employment, processing capacity, supply chains, prices, domestic consumption, and key factors that affect industry competitiveness;
- provide a description of trends in lobster exports from the U.S. and Canada to the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK), as well as other major destination markets, including but not limited to China, over the last five years;
- provide information on the tariff treatment of U.S. and Canadian exports of lobster to the EU, the UK and other major destination markets, including but not limited to China, since the implementation of CETA; and
- provide a quantitative analysis of the economic effects of the CETA on the volume of U.S. exports of lobster to the EU and the UK.
The USITC expects to deliver the report to the USTR by January 29, 2021.
The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on October 1, 2020. Because COVID-19 mitigation measures are in effect, the public hearing will be held via a videoconference platform.
Information about how to participate in the hearing will be posted on the Commission’s website no later than September 4, 2020, at https://usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm.
Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on September 15, 2020, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. See below for important information regarding filing a request to appear at a USITC hearing.
The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission and should be submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on October 16, 2020. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection. See below for important information regarding the filing of written submissions for USITC investigations.
IMPORTANT: All filings, including requests to appear at the hearing and written submissions, must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (EDIS3Help@usitc.gov), or consult the Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.
Further information on the scope of the investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated August 24, 2020, which can be downloaded from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or commissionhearings@usitc.gov.
USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.