U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet with the European Union Commissioner for Trade Karl De Gucht in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 8, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler and Chief Agriculture Negotiator Darci Vetter will also participate in agriculture market access negotiations in Tokyo from Sept. 9-10. Cutler and Vetter will meet with chief Japanese negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Director General Makoto Osawa.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting membership nominations for the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa and the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade, in two separate Federal Register notices. USTR is also updating its eligibility criteria to allow lobbyists to serve on both committees. The Office of Management and Budget removed the lobbyist ban in August (see 14081217). Nominations for both the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (here) and the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade (here) will be considered on a rolling basis.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced country-by-country allocations of fiscal year (FY) 2015 in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for imported raw cane sugar, refined sugar, specialty sugar and sugar-containing products. The TRQs are effective Oct. 1. The Department of Agriculture established in recent days the TRQ in-quota quantity for FY15 raw cane sugar is at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV) (see 14090308). The following allocations are the same as FY14 allocations (see 13091708) and are based on historical shipment statistics:

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will speak at a event on Sept. 2 hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. From Sept. 3-5, Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler will hold Trans-Pacific Partnership motor vehicle negotiations with chief Japanese negotiator Takeo Mori. Froman will also attend on Sept. 4 a Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy meeting. Among other events scheduled for the week, Assistant USTR for the World Trade Organization Mark Linscott will on Sept. 4 participate in a panel on Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO, as well as the impact that may have on the Eurasian Economic Union, held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for stakeholder comments to help prepare its annual report to Congress on Russian implementation of its World Trade Organization obligations. Comments are due by Sept. 26, and the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee will hold an Oct. 10 hearing on the matter. Those obligations include compliance with the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. USTR also asked for comments on Russian progress in acceding to the Information Technology Agreement and the Government Procurement Agreement, both of which are plurilateral agreements under the WTO. USTR is required to include in the report plans to “encourage” Russia to improve these efforts, if the report findings suggest the country is insufficiently meeting its obligations. USTR said stakeholders should submit comments and notifications of intent to testify at the Oct. 10 hearing via www.regulations.gov, USTR-2014-0016.

The U.S. and Myanmar launched consultations to put a labor rights initiative into effect for the Southeast Asian nation by November, leaders from both countries said in a joint Aug. 28 statement. The initiative aims to create a “multi-year strategy for labor reform and capacity building,” the statement said. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said during separate remarks in Yangon, Myanmar the initiative will build off substantial progress in labor policy and practice already made in Myanmar . “Myanmar has made initial progress in the right direction on issues ranging from the right to organize to the use of forced labor, including children,” Froman said (here). “Over a thousand unions have registered and more are on their way.” The two countries traded more than $230 billion in goods and services in 2012, but much more progress can be made, added Froman.

The dispute settlement process related to Guatemalan labor conditions and workers’ rights will remain suspended for an additional four weeks as U.S. officials reviewed legal documentation, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said on Aug. 25. The U.S. reserves the right to “reactivate” the process, initiated through the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement dispute mechanism, at any point during the four week period, USTR said. USTR suspended the settlement process in April 2013 after the two countries signed a deal (here) to implement Guatemalan labor reform (see 14030702). The deal provided the U.S. the opportunity to reactive the process in November 2013. USTR did not respond for comment on the consequences that reactivation of the process would have on bilateral trade relations.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is scheduled to travel to the capital of Myanmar on Aug. 24 to attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. The ASEAN meeting is focused on the protection of migrant workers (here). USTR has no additional public events through Aug. 29.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hold no public events during the week of Aug. 18-22, the agency said in its weekly schedule.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for comments to the agency to help it identify significant tariff and non-tariff barriers U.S. companies face when exporting goods. The agency will use the comments to compile its National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, a document that is traditionally released in the early months of each year. Stakeholders should submit comments on all barriers U.S. companies face, notably tariff barriers, government procurement mandates, forced localization barriers, export subsidies, anti-competitive policies that may involve state-owned enterprises, and other barriers. Comments are due by Oct. 29 and should be submitted on http://www.regulations.gov under docket number USTR-2014-0014.