Jackson-Vanik amendment

　　The relic in question is known as “the Jackson-Vanik amendment,” which Congress passed as a modification to the 1974 Trade Act that regulated commerce between the United States and nations that were then controlled by communist governments.

　　Under Jackson-Vanik, Washington could not establish normal trade relations with another country unless that country granted its citizens full and unrestricted rights to emigrate. At the time, the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies severely restricted emigration.

　　“Congress initially passed the law in response to the Soviet Union’s emigration restrictions, particularly with respect to its Jewish citizens,” Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said during a recent hearing. “Jackson-Vanik served its purpose. It helped millions of Jews emigrate freely.”

　　“But it is now a relic of the past,” Baucus said. “Every president, regardless of political party, has waived Jackson-Vanik’s requirements for Russia for the past 20 years.”

　　Economic impact

　　The Obama administration agrees, saying U.S. businesses will suffer unless Congress repeals Jackson-Vanik. Repeal would open the way for U.S. companies to continue doing normal business on a permanent basis with Russia, which is expected to become a full member of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) this year.

　　The WTO, which oversees the rules of international trade, approved Russia’s membership application last December and trade experts expect Moscow to ratify the agreement by July.

　　As a full WTO member, Moscow must agree to a series of trade rules, including a ceiling on tariff levels imposed on imported goods and the protection of intellectual property. In addition, Russia will have to amend its economic and trade laws to make them conform to international standards.

　　Most trade experts agree that Jackson-Vanik should be repealed as soon as possible.

　　“First, it applies to a country that no longer exists - the Soviet Union,” Anders Aslund, a Russia expert with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told VOA. “Secondly, the problem in question is emigration and that has not been a problem for many years.”