AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY.

SEC. 1555. AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY. (a) Findings.— The Congress finds that— (1) the European Community has established a system, as part of its Europe 1992 economic integration plan, to set product standards and requirements, including those related to agricultural commodities and products thereof, and that system has not been transparent insofar as the European Community has refused reasonable requests to allow United States Government or industry experts to observe meetings of European standards-setting institutions; (2) the European Community is also currently writing the rules by which United States exporters of agricultural commodities and products thereof will be able to show compliance with European Community product standards and requirements, and has refused to guarantee that such United States exporters will be able to show compliance with European Community product standards and requirements by using United States laboratories or through self-certification; (3) the United States maintains an open, transparent system to set standards and requirements for agricultural commodities and products thereof, and many reciprocal arrangements currently in place allow European Community exporters of agricultural commodities and products thereof to show compliance with United States product standards and requirements by using European Community laboratories or through self-certification; (4) the value of United States exports of agricultural commodities and products thereof to the European Community in 1989 was $6,600,000,000, constituting 17 percent of all United States exports of agricultural commodities and products thereof; and 104 STAT. 3698 (5) the product standards and testing policies of the European Community are consequently unfair and discriminatory, and have great potential to reduce significantly exports from the United States of agricultural commodities and products thereof. (b) Statements of Policy.— (1) The Congress denounces the European Community’s nontransparent process of setting standards and requirements for agricultural commodities and products thereof, and the Congress further denounces the refusal by the European Community to guarantee that United States exporters of such commodities and products will be able to show compliance with European Community standards and requirements by using United States laboratories or through self-certification. (2) The Congress deplores the adverse consequences of the standards and testing policies of the European Community on the bilateral agricultural trade relationship between the United States and the European Community. (3) The Congress urges the President to use all available means to bring about significant and far-reaching changes in the standards and testing policies of the European Community in order to protect and maintain United States access to the European Community market for agricultural commodities and products thereof.