U.S. Officials Start Arriving in Warsaw for Business Summit

18 June 2012

Michael Camunez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance

In advance of the June 20 U.S.- Poland Business Summit, on Monday, June 18, Michael Camunez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration  arrived in Warsaw.  Assistant Secretary Camunez previously visited Warsaw on April 27 for consultations with Polish government counterparts and members of the business community in advance of the Business Summit.

Assistant Secretary Camunez was nominated by President Barack Obama and, on September 16, 2010, unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance (MAC) within the International Trade Administration.  As Assistant Secretary, Mr. Camunez plays a critical role in supporting the President’s economic recovery agenda by helping to coordinate the Commerce Department’s efforts to create American jobs through the National Export Initiative.  Under Mr. Camuñez’s leadership, MAC helps lead the effort to open new markets for U.S. goods and services, identify and eliminate significant market access challenges, particularly non-tariff barriers, and help to monitor and enforce U.S. trade agreements and commitments to ensure that American companies, and the workers they employ, can compete on a level playing field.

In March 2011, President Obama also appointed Mr. Camunez to serve as a Member of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, to lead the Economic Dimension of the Commission’s work. The Commission is an independent U.S. Government agency that contributes to the formulation of U.S. policy on the OSCE and takes part in its execution. His work focuses on promoting transparency and good governance and fighting corruption as a leading trade and investment barrier throughout the 56 country OSCE region.

Prior to assuming his role at Commerce, Mr. Camunez served in the White House from the beginning of the administration as Special Counsel to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel as well as Special Assistant to the President, advising the President and senior White House Officials on issues related to executive nominations and appointments in the domestic cabinet and independent agencies.

He will be followed on Tuesday by Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco J. Sanchez, who is the Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce.  As Under Secretary, Sanchez leads the International Trade Administration which assists in the development of U.S. trade policy in the global economy; creates jobs and economic growth by promoting U.S. companies; strengthens American competitiveness across all industries; addresses market access and compliance issues; administers U.S. trade laws; and undertakes a range of trade promotion and trade advocacy efforts.

The U.S. delegation to the Summit will be led by Rebecca Blank, Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce.