USTR RELEASES PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF KOREA-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
출처 : USTR 홈페이지
http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/october/ustr-releases-preliminary-analysis-korea-eu-free-t
Washington, D.C. – The Office of the United States Trade Representative today released a preliminary comparison of the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement, initialed on October 15 in Brussels, with the pending U.S.-Korea (KORUS) FTA. An analysis of select provisions is provided below. The text of the Korea-EU agreement was made public today.
“The recently initialed EU-Korea FTA has similarities to, and differences from, the KORUS FTA. We look forward to engaging with Korea and the EU to fully understand the agreement and its implications for the United States. USTR will carefully consider this agreement as it continues its review of the KORUS FTA,” said USTR spokeswoman Carol Guthrie.
According to USTR’s initial analysis of the text and tariff schedules, the Korea-EU FTA is a comprehensive agreement that in many respects is similar and comparable to KORUS. With respect to tariff commitments, the overall tariff package for industrial goods under the Korea-EU FTA appears to be comparable in ambition and comprehensiveness to the KORUS tariff schedule, with 92 percent of Korean tariffs eliminated in three years (the KORUS FTA eliminates 94.5 percent). However, there are key differences as well. USTR will closely examine these and other issues as it continues its review of the KORUS FTA and consults with Congress and interested stakeholders.
For motor vehicles, both the EU and Korea will eliminate tariffs on cars in three or five years, depending on engine size. Under KORUS, Korea’s eight percent auto tariff will be eliminated immediately. The United States would eliminate its 2.5 percent tariff on small cars immediately and on large cars (3000cc and greater) over three years. The US-Korea Free Trade Agreement contains some key features lacking in the Korea-EU FTA with respect to autos. In particular, KORUS has a specific enforcement mechanism that includes the ability to “snap back” U.S. tariffs on Korean cars if Korea takes measures that impair the Agreement’s expected benefits. Korea also committed to eliminate many aspects of the discriminatory effect of its current automotive tax system. The Korea-EU FTA does not allow for a “snap back” remedy, and with respect to taxes simply affirms that any modifications to Korean autos taxes will be made on an MFN basis. With respect to trucks, under KORUS FTA, Korea will eliminate its 10 percent tariff immediately, and the United States will phase out its 25 percent tariff over ten years. In the Korea-EU FTA, Korea will eliminate tariffs on most trucks immediately. The EU will eliminate its 22% truck tariffs over 3 or 5 years, depending on specific type.
The two agreements take a different approach to address the issue of unique Korean automotive safety standards. In KORUS, the United States obtained an exemption that allows each U.S. automaker to sell up to 6,500 vehicles a year in Korea built to U.S. safety standards (and which do not need to be modified for Korea). Instead of such an exemption, the Korea-EU FTA contains provisions committing Korea to harmonize some of its standards to European standards over time. USTR will look into this issue further and consult with stakeholders to fully understand the commercial implications of this difference.
On areas of interest to manufacturers, the KORUS FTA appears to contain more detailed and extensive provisions on regulatory transparency and stakeholder input into the process of developing standards and other regulatory measures, to address concerns that non-transparent procedures result in measures that act as non-tariff barriers to goods. The KORUS FTA contains specific provisions to ensure that remanufactured goods – a key component of the U.S. manufacturing industry -qualify as originating goods.
There is no investment chapter or investor-state dispute settlement provisions in the Korea-EU FTA (competency for investment matters rests with the individual EU Member States), whereas KORUS features investor protections.
Unlike the Korea EU FTA, KORUS labor and environment provisions are subject to the same binding dispute settlement mechanism as the KORUS agreement’s trade provisions. Labor and environment provisions in the Korea-EU agreement are not similarly subject to binding dispute settlement.
KORUS uses a negative list approach for opening Korea’s services and financial services market, adding certainty that new services will be covered automatically; the Korea-EU FTA instead uses a positive list approach.
BACKGROUND: U.S. and EU Trade Relationships with Korea
The United States was Korea’s fourth-largest goods trading partner in 2008, with two-way goods trade close to $85 billion in 2008. According to Korean trade data, the European Union is Korea’s second-largest goods trading partner, with total two-way goods trade in 2008 reaching $98.4 billion. EU exports to Korea reached nearly $40 billion (approximately $1.6 billion more than the United States exported to Korea), while it imported $58.4 billion worth of goods from Korea.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is engaging in a thorough review of the KORUS FTA to ensure meaningful market access for U.S. goods and services. In response to a recent call for public comments, USTR received more than 300 submissions on the range of issues under review, some of which expressed support for the agreement and others that raised specific concerns. Key U.S. automakers continue to express concern over Korea’s historic, longstanding use of trade barriers in this sector.
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USTR “한-EU FTA, KORUS와 유사점, 차이점 존재”
뉴시스 | 최철호 | 입력 2009.10.20 10:54
【워싱턴=뉴시스】최철호 특파원 = 미 무역대표부는 19일 한국이 유럽연합(EU)와 맺은 자유무역협정(FTA)은 미국과 맺은 KORUS FTA와 비슷한 점과 차이가 존재한다고 평가했다.
USTR은 이날 캐롤 거스리 대변인 명의의 ‘한-EU FTA에 대한 예비분석’이란 내용의 자료를 발표하고 한국이 EU와 맺은 FTA를 미국 정부와 맺은 내용을 비교해 비슷한 점과 다른 점 등을 구별지어 설명했다.
예비분석이란 제목하에 비교 내용을 짧막한 설명으로 지적한 이 자료에서 거스리 대변인은 “최근 맺어진 한-EU FTA는 KORUS FTA와 유사한 점, 그리고 차이점을 가지고 있다”고 전제하고 “USTR은 (EU와의)이 협정을 면밀히 고려함과 동시에 한국과의 FTA의 검토도 계속 이어나갈 것”이라고 밝혔다.
이번 비교 분석에서는 특히 자동차 문제와 관련한 것을 주요 내용으로 비교적 상세히 기술, 서로의 내용을 비교하는 자세를 보여 자동차 문제가 특히 양국 협정의 관심사임을 드러냈다.
이와 관련 분석 내용은 “한-EU 협정은 엔진 용량에 따라 3년, 혹은 5년 이내에 자동차 관세를 배제하도록 한다”고 지적하고 “한-미 협정에서는 한국이 부과하는 8%의 관세가 즉각 폐기되며, 미국은 소형차에 대한 2.5% 관세를 즉각 폐지하고 대형차량(3000㏄ 이상)에서는 3년 뒤 철폐하기로 돼 있다”고 비교분석했다.
또한 한미 협정에는 한-EU 협정 내용에는 없는 조항이 있다면서 “한국이 협정에 따른 이익을 저해할 조치를 취할 경우 미국은 다시 관세를 부과하는 조항을 포함하고 있다”고 지적하는 한편, 반대로 한국은 세금상 차별적인 효과를 가져오는 자동차에 대한 세금을 배제할 것을 약속했다고 재차 거론했다.
자동차 가운데 트럭과 관련, USTR은 “트럭에 대해서는 한-EU 협정에서 한국은 즉각 관세를 제거하는 반면, EU는 3년 혹은 5년 내에 없애도록 돼있다”고 비교하면서 “미국 트럭에 대해 한국은 즉각, 또 미국은 10년 내에 없애기로 돼 있다”고 기술했다.
또 투자와 관련한 조항에 대해서 이 분석은 “한-EU 협정은 투자와 관련한 분쟁에 대한 조정 조항이 없다”고 지적하면서 “반면 한-미 협정에서는 그같은 투자보호 조항이 있다”고 강조했다.
비교적 단순 비교를 가하며 상호 차이가 나는 내용에 대해 기술한 이 분석자료는 우열 비교나 선호도에 대한 언급 없이 차이가 나는 내용만을 위주로 발표돼 눈길을 끌었다.
