Arlington, Va. --  The following statement was issued by Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) President Dave McCurdy in reaction to the recent successful completion of the U.S-Australia Free Trade Agreement by the Bush Administration:

“The Electronic Industries Alliance commends the Bush Administration for widening an already robust transcontinental trade route even further through the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiated recently. This pact promises to provide significant trading activity and economic growth for the U.S. industrial market sector, including high-tech manufacturers. With this agreement, more than 99% of U.S. manufactured exports to Australia will become duty-free once the agreement is ratified by the U.S. government.   

“This agreement will provide substantial market access in the telecommunications service sector and should accelerate the economic rebounding of the industry.  We are also encouraged by key elements of the agreement that call for state-of-the-art protection for digital products and the adoption of measures to promote trade through e-commerce. We are particularly pleased with the stringent rules of origin agreed upon, as well as the retention of duty drawback and other duty deferral programs for exporters. 

“Taken as a whole, the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement is a model of international trust through trade for America’s high-tech and electronic economic sectors.  We urge the U.S. government not to let the product of months and months of hard work by the Administration languish, so that the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement can improve the economies and competitive marketplaces for the industrial sectors in both countries.”