In addition to national security, BIS's function is to ensure the health of the U.S. economy and the competitiveness of U.S. industry. BIS promotes a strong defense–industrial base that can develop and provide technologies that will enable the United States to maintain its military superiority. BIS takes care to ensure that its regulations do not impose unreasonable restrictions on legitimate international commercial activity that are necessary for the health of U.S. industry.[citation needed]
Lists of Parties of Concern
The Bureau maintains five major lists of parties with whom exportation is forbidden or requires licensing.[4] The five lists are:
The Consolidated Screening List is a searchable database maintained under a collaboration of the Departments of Commerce, State and Treasury, to aid individuals and industries which may be engaged in overseas trade to determine whether transactions involving specific persons or items are legal, or whether licensure or special records are required.[5]
The Entity List, which is regularly updated on both the BIS website and the Federal Register.[6][7]
The Military End User List, published as a supplement to the Export Administration Regulations Section 744.[8]