National Economic Council

National Economic Council (NEC) in relation with International Trade

In the context of trade organizations, Christopher Mark (1993) provided the following definition of National Economic Council (NEC): The NEC was established at the outset of the Clinton Administration to coordinate US domestic and international economic policies. Chaired by the President, the NEC is composed of the Vice President, the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Energy , the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the US Trade Representative, the National Security Advisor, and the Assistants to the President for Economic Policy, Domestic Policy, and Science and Technology Policy. All executive departments and agencies –whether or not represented on the NEC –coordinate economic policy through the Council. The NEC Deputies Committee considers decision memoranda from the TPRG as well as particularly important or controversial trade-related issues, and thus serves as the highest- level group in the interagency mechanism for developing and coordinating US policies on international trade and trade-related investment issues.