EUROPE - According to reports, the European Commission has “strongly rejected” the US complaint that the customs classification applied to specific technological products is not justified under the Information Technology Agreement (ITA).

SAN JOSE, CA – The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has announced its strong support for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in its efforts to protect tariff-free trade in electronic products. These products have been duty-free since the implementation of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) in 1997.

““Free and fair trade is vitally important to the health of the U.S. semiconductor industry,” said SIA president George Scalise. “We rely not only on open trade for semiconductor products but also for the electronic products that use semiconductors. Roughly three quarters of our sales take place outside of our borders,” Scalise added.

“The ITA represents a major accomplishment, benefiting not only IT producers but guaranteeing lower cost access to IT products for consumers worldwide. Ambassador [Susan] Schwab [U.S. Trade Representative] and her team are taking the steps needed to ensure that the progress made… isn’t eroded by misguided attempts to revert to protectionist policies,” Scalise concluded.