Brussels, 19/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The Commission's 22nd report on US barriers to transatlantic trade underlines the fact that “progress on several fronts” has been made to get rid of these barriers. The Commission is particularly pleased with last year's abolition of three pieces of legislation it considered protectionist and which has pitted Europeans against Americans for several years. This involves the US Foreign Sales Corporations subsidy (FSC), which enabled Washington to subsidise a series of US exports by way of tax exemptions; the Byrd Amendment, which allowed for unjustified anti-dumping to be carried out (payments in this connection, however, will not disappear until 2009) and sanctions in the telecommunications sector, which prevented public companies from abroad from participating in appeal for tender in this sector. The Commission is also pleased that the US has given “encouraging signs” about revising their trade defence measures and adapting them to WTO rules. Nonetheless, the Commission reports underline that: “Despite this progress, European business is being increasingly affected by growing US national security restrictions”. The Commission is critical of the fact that these measures have had a “negative impact” on European investment flows to the US, which account for more than two thirds of foreign direct investment (FDI). These measures, whose effects go beyond simple security concerns, limit certain European investment and prevent takeovers that Washington regards as strategically hostile sectors. The Commission stressed that these measures had made “it difficult to conclude a first-stage comprehensive air services agreement” and called on the US to continue efforts to facilitate transatlantic trade, which represents 37% of world trade and almost €420bn a year in trade in goods and services (the report is available at: http: //trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2007/february/tradoc_133290.pdf). (eh)