Our Goals
Dow is actively engaged in promoting trade policies that resolve trade barriers and enhance overall market access to provide a level playing field for the chemical industry globally. Ultimately, our actions are dedicated to facilitating Dow’s overall transformational strategy and supporting our engagement in the global economy.
Dow promotes trade issues in a variety of ways, including multilateral negotiations and dispute settlement within the World Trade Organization; bilateral/regional negotiation between governments ranging from full scale negotiations of free trade agreements to precursor, consulting dialogue discussions; and investment negotiations between countries to ensure fair, transparent treatment for all global investors.
Our Actions
Dow is dedicated to global trade advocacy efforts to encourage the development of a global, rules-based trading system with low tariffs and reduced non-tariff barriers. These policies should enable reciprocal market access for developed and key developing trading countries - thereby providing access to consumer markets, fostering economic growth and providing job opportunities in all countries. Key current activities include:
- Actively encouraging a commercially meaningful conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda, including a commitment by all key chemical producing countries to a sectoral tariff elimination agreement.
- Supporting inclusion of all key economies into the rules-based system of the World Trade Organization, such as the current significant accession negotiations for Russia.
- Supporting a host of bilateral agreements on behalf of our operations and customers, ranging from the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and the European Union-Mercosur negotiations, to the wide range of regional/bilateral discussions with The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- Advocating for reduced tariffs, as well as removal of the non-tariff barriers - including customs inefficiencies, lack of transparency and regulatory barriers - that impede the free flow of products, services and technologies.
- Working locally to ensure that trade preferences programs support domestic manufacturing - including duty suspension, export control reform and other policies.