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| | Bilateral Investment Treaties with European Union Accession States |
 | | We are pleased that on September 2 the European Commission endorsed a political Understanding preserving U.S. bilateral investment treaties with eight countries that are acceding, or are candidates for accession, to the European Union (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania). |
 | | The United States supports European Union enlargement and is pleased that we have reached an Understanding that both maintains a positive investment environment in the accession states and furthers the objective of assuring compatibility between the obligations of U.S. bilateral investment treaties and the obligations of membership in the European Union. |
 | | Although the European Union, like the United States, has a strong policy favoring the free movement of capital and, thus, potential conflict with the bilateral investment treaties in this area is largely theoretical, we look forward to consulting with the Commission and the other participants on how best to carry this discussion forward. |
| www.state.gov /r/pa/prs/ps/2003/23841.htm (394 words) |
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