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Committees

Within the scope of the working sessions and committee meetings, the FTA offers its members the possibility for an exchange of ideas and experiences in all questions concerning customs and foreign trade law, handling of imports as well as trade policy.

Moreover, these meetings offer the opportunity to agree among the members on strategies how to deal with fundamental questions of foreign trade policy.

The committee work will enable us to make our voice better heard in public and therefore strengthen the position of the European trade in general.

 


Management Committee

The President (Ferry den Hoed), Vice President (Dr. Matthias Händle) and the Secretary General (Jan Eggert) constitute the Management Committee of the FTA.
The Management Committee has the following powers:

Financial Committee

The Financial Committee is formed by the Treasurer (Dr. Matthias Händle) and two other members of the BoD, one of whom must also serve on the BSCI Steering Committee (Mikael Sjögren and Herman Poelman). The Financial Committee is responsible for monitoring the budget and for preparing the annual accounts and the annual budget.

Legal Affairs Commitee

The Legal Affairs Commitee deals in particular with

  • General legal problems related to foreign trade
  • EU Anti-Dumping policy
  • WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping
  • Actual anti-dumping cases with relevance for European commerce
  • Competition policy, parallel imports
  • International legal problems in the context of e-commerce
  • Legal problems related to environment and consumer issues
  • International and European standards


Customs & Procedures Committee

The Customs & Procedures Committee deals in particular with

  • International customs policy
  • Harmonisation and electronisation of European customs procedures
  • Tariffication and binding tariff information
  • Importers good faith
  • Harmonisation of rules of origin
  • Problems in connection with national application of EU customs regulations
  • Customs value in the WTO and EC customs code


Trade Policy Committee

The Trade Policy Committee deals in particular with

  • General trade policy, World Trade Organisation, especially
    • trade in goods and services, market access
    • trade facilitation
    • non-tariff barriers to trade
    • trade and investment
    • trade and environment, REACH
    • dispute settlement system
  • Textile trade policy/the time after the ATC
  • Trade and social standards, Corporate Social Responsibility
 

Footwear Committee

Since the beginning of 2008, the FTA has set up a new committee, the Footwear Committee, which deals in particular with:

  • Issues concerning the current anti-dumping measures against imports of leather upper shoes from China and Vietnam
    • Effect of duties on import levels
    • Effect of duties on EU prices
    • Ways to prevent existing measures being extended beyond their two year term
  • Environmental issues
  • REACH
  • Product Specific Safeguard Mechanism
  • Consumer protection issues
  • Rules of origin, GSP, CSR issues