A administração Obama lançou no passado dia 11 de Março uma medida considerada histórica designada por "National Export Initiative" que tem por objectivo a duplicação das exportações norte-americanas nos próximos 5 anos e a consequente criação de 2 milhões de novos empregos. No âmbito desta medida foi criado um "Export Promotion Cabinet", na dependência directa do Presidente Barack Obama e composto, entre outros, por 5 membros da sua administração ("Secretary of State", "Secretary of the Treasury", Secretary of Agriculture", "Secretary of Commerce" e "Secretary of Labor"), que vai ter responsabilidades de execução e de acompamento das seguintes principais iniciativas:
" (a) Exports by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet shall develop programs, in consultation with the TPCC, designed to enhance export assistance to SMEs, including programs that improve information and other technical assistance to first-time exporters and assist current exporters in identifying new export opportunities in international markets.
(b) Federal Export Assistance. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, in consultation with the TPCC, shall promote Federal resources currently available to assist exports by U.S. companies.
(c) Trade Missions. The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the TPCC and, to the extent possible, with State and local government officials and the private sector, shall ensure that U.S. Government-led trade missions effectively promote exports by U.S. companies.
(d) Commercial Advocacy. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, in consultation with other departments and agencies and in coordination with the Advocacy Center at the Department of Commerce, shall take steps to ensure that the Federal Government's commercial advocacy effectively promotes exports by U.S. companies.
(e) Increasing Export Credit. The President of the Export-Import Bank, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall take steps to increase the availability of credit to SMEs.
(f) Macroeconomic Rebalancing. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall promote balanced and strong growth in the global economy through the G20 Financial Ministers' process or other appropriate mechanisms.
(g) Reducing Barriers to Trade. The United States Trade Representative, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall take steps to improve market access overseas for our manufacturers, farmers, and service providers by actively opening new markets, reducing significant trade barriers, and robustly enforcing our trade agreements.
(h) Export Promotion of Services. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet shall develop a framework for promoting services trade, including the necessary policy and export promotion tools."
Como nota final sobre esta medida de apoio à internacionalização das empresas norte-americanas, e nomeadamente de promoção das exportações, não podemos deixar de salientar a preponderância que é dada às pequenas e médias empresas, quer através da criação de programas de apoio informativo e de assistência técnica aos "first-time exporters", quer do reforço do acompanhamento aos exportadores actuais na procura de oportunidades em mercados internacionais.
