WTO NON-AGRICULTURAL MARKET ACCESS SECTORS (NAMA):

UNCLAS VIENNA 000534

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ETRD AU WTO
SUBJECT: WTO NON-AGRICULTURAL MARKET ACCESS SECTORS (NAMA):


INPUT FROM AUSTRIA

REFS: (A) STATE 17096; (B) 03 VIENNA 819


1. All non-agricultural Austrian manufacturers and

industries are mandatory members of the Austrian Economic

Chamber (WKO). The WKO is in the best position to comment

on which sectors are interested in sectoral tariff

liberalization negotiations. WKO WTO Specialist Susanne

Schrott told us that presently, no sector is willing to

start talks on this issue. Schrott added, however, that the

WKO is currently soliciting the views of industry members

regarding NAMA tariff liberalization. She promised to

provide us a list of interested industries as soon as it is

available. Contact information: Susanne Schrott, Foreign

Trade and WTO expert at the WKO, phone: +43-0590900-4211, e-

mail: susanne.schrott@wko.at.


2. Another influential industry lobby group, which has

expressed interest in WTO-NAMA progress, is the Austrian

Association of Industrialists (IV). Contact information:

Michael Loewy, Secretary for International Relations, phone:

+43-1-71135-2412, e-mail: m.loewy@iv-net.at.


3. Schrott told us that one area in which the Austrians are

definitely interested in reducing or eliminating tariffs is

the export of environmental technologies. Companies that

produce in these sectors are in one of two associations

(also under the WKO umbrella): the Association of Chemical

Industries, Managing Director Dr. Wolfgang Eickhoff, phone:

+43-0590900-3371, e-mail: office@fcio.wko.at; and the

Association of Machinery and Steel Industries, Managing

Director Dr. Berndt-Thomas Krafft, phone: +43-0590900-3482,

e-mail: krafft@fmmi.at.


4. Previous discussions (ref B) revealed that the clothing

and textiles industries are the strongest opponents of

tariff reductions. Contact info: Association of the

Clothing Industry, Managing Director: Dr. Franz Pitnik,

phone: +43-0590900-4903, e-mail: pitnik@fashion-industry.at;

and the Association of the Textiles Industry, Managing

Director: Dr. Wolfgang Zeyringer, phone: +43-1-53337-260, e-

mail: FVTextil@FVTextil.wk.or.at.

BROWN