Half a century of progress toward the elimination of tariffs and quotas around the globe has helped generate prosperity in the United States and abroad.  However, divergent, market-distorting regulations are increasingly impeding global markets and threatening the long-term competitiveness of companies.

The threat is urgent and growing.  Increasingly burdensome and interventionist policies as well as multiple layers of incompatible regulations are hindering the operation of efficient markets and preventing some of the most successful and innovative companies from commercializing their products, services and technologies around the world.  As a result, the world's economies operate inefficiently and consumers are adversely impacted by fewer choices and higher prices. 

Left unchecked, regulations that erect de facto barriers to trade — done in a way that circumvents existing bilateral and multilateral trade disciplines — will result in long-term harm to U.S. competitiveness, innovation, and economic growth.  Some of these regulations are designed with protectionist goals; others are promulgated by domestic regulators not concerned with minimizing the extraterritorial impact their regulations have on global markets. 

New strategies must be developed to fully materialize the gains made from trade, the WTO, and bilateral trade agreements. The promotion of market-oriented policies relies on the successful integration of trade, competition, and regulatory policy, three areas that have traditionally not been linked.   

Governments write the rules that govern the competitive playing field, but the Chamber and its member companies can become the necessary catalyst to making an open, competitive marketplace a priority for governments.  With this goal in mind, the U.S. Chamber has created the Global Regulatory Cooperation Project to engage governments at home and abroad, promote the intersection of trade and regulation, generate the appropriate political pressures, monitor developments, and work to ensure that markets around the world continue to become more open and increasingly competitive.

               Learn more in the presentation

                   GRC Policy Areas

                   GRC Program of Work

                   Rolling Report - Updated September '08

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If you have questions regarding the Chamber's Global Regulatory Cooperation (GRC) Project or to learn how to get involved please contact Sean Heather.