The Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) provided comment on the announcement that
US trade negotiators have reached an agreement with 11 other nations on a trans-Pacific trade deal.
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is an extremely ambitious undertaking, and we congratulate our trade negotiators on the progress that has been made as a result of their hard work. We look forward to conducting a thorough review on the specifics of the agreement and evaluating the potential impact on the EAF steel industry,” said Philip K. Bell, president of the SMA.
“Since the beginning of these talks, SMA has stressed that the TPP should be used as a forum to confront the realities and challenges of 21st Century trade, and that an agreement should establish stronger global trading rules,” said Bell.
“It is still unknown how such a comprehensive deal will help our industry until we are able to measure the effects of TPP’s ability to truly open markets and to introduce trade rules and practices based on transparency, rule of law, and free market principles. Ultimately, this deal will be evaluated on its ability to promote domestic jobs, competitiveness, and net exports,” said Bell.