Disputes are Mounting
The United States is taking the position of bully in the latest round of
meetings with the European Union that were canceled for no good reason. The U.S.
Trade Representative’s have done a fairly terrible job of communicating
effectively with foreign nations about the U.S.’s controversial Unlawful
Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). EU delegates were in the U.S. and
Washington in particular, earlier this month for the express purpose of
addressing the ongoing concerns with the U.S.’s unlawful ban of foreign online
casinos. The World Trade Organization ruled that U.S. legislation and
enforcement of the UIGEA violated previous trade agreements between the U.S. and
a dozen other prosperous nations.
The USTR were scheduled to meet with EU delegates to answer some of the EU’s
pointed questions about the current U.S. online casino gambling policy, but
shortly before the meeting was scheduled to occur, USTR abruptly canceled the
meeting and have not rescheduled the meeting as of yet – a situation that is
quite troubling for EU officials and delegates.
The entire situation has consistently shown that the USTR show a strong lack of
respect for foreign officials in their negotiations and actions when it comes to
the online casino gambling issues. The USTR have refused to acknowledge that the
EU officials have just cause for a more in depth investigation into U.S. policy.
Based off of the newest information in this case, the USTR have been very busy
in meetings and some are wondering if they are spread a bit to thin to handle of
the issues coming through. No matter, it remains to be seen if the
representatives will show for the meeting that may be rescheduled for as early
as September.
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