Qualifying Industrial Zones in Jordan and Egypt (CRS Report for Congress)
Release Date |
Revised July 7, 2006 |
Report Number |
RS22002 |
Report Type |
Report |
Authors |
Mary Jane Bolle, Alfred Prados, and Jeremy Sharp, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Older Revisions |
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Summary:
In 1996, Congress authorized the creation of Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs),thereby entitling goods jointly produced by Israel and either Jordan or Egypt to enter theUnited States duty free. The QIZ creation vehicle was an amendment to the UnitedStates-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-47), and its purposewas to promote peace and development between Israel and her Arab neighbors.Although Israeli-Palestinian violence has continued, some observers have praised QIZsfor helping to spark Jordan's economic growth. Others note that QIZs, while promotingU.S.-Jordanian trade, have had modest impact on promoting job growth in Jordan. In2005, Egypt began participating in the QIZ program. This report provides an overviewof QIZs in the context of promoting regional development and peace. For more information on Jordan, see CRS Issue Brief IB93085, Jordan: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues, by Alfred Prados. For more information on Egypt, see CRS Report RL33003, Egypt: Background and U.S.Relations, by Jeremy M. Sharp.