The Congress finds that—

efforts to reverse the decline of United States industry has been hindered by—

(A) a serious erosion in the institutions and policies which foster United States competitiveness including a lack of high quality domestic and international economic and scientific data needed to— (i) reveal sectoral strengths and weaknesses; (ii) identify potential new markets and future technological and economic trends; and (iii) provide necessary information regarding the competitive strategies of foreign competitors;

(B) the lack of a coherent and consistent government competitiveness policy, including policies with respect to— (i) international trade, finance, and investment, (ii) research, science, and technology, (iii) education, labor retraining, and adjustment, (iv) macroeconomic and budgetary issues, (v) antitrust and regulation, and (vi) government procurement;

(2) the United States economy benefits when business, labor, government, academia, and public interest groups work together cooperatively;

(3) the decline of United States economic competitiveness endangers the ability of the United States to maintain the defense industrial base which is necessary to the national security of the United States;

(4) the world is moving rapidly toward the creation of an integrated and interdependent economy, a world economy in which the policies of one nation have a major impact on other nations;

(5) integrated solutions to such issues as trade and investment research, science, and technology, education, and labor retraining and adjustments help the United States compete more effectively in the world economy; and

(6) government, business, labor, academia, and public interest groups shall cooperate to develop and coordinate long-range strategies to help assure the international competitiveness of the United States economy.

It is the purpose of this chapter—

(1) to develop recommendations for long-range strategies for promoting the international competitiveness of the United States industries; and

to establish the Competitiveness Policy Council which shall—

(A) analyze information regarding the competitiveness of United States industries and business and trade policy;

(B) create an institutional forum where national leaders with experience and background in business, labor, government, academia, and public interest activities shall— (i) identify economic problems inhibiting the competitiveness of United States agriculture, business, and industry; (ii) develop long-term strategies to address such problem; and

(C) make recommendations on issues crucial to the development of coordinated competitiveness strategies;

(D) publish analysis in the form of periodic reports and recommendations concerning the United States business and trade policy.

(Pub. L. 100–418, title V, § 5202, Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1455.)