GE India approved as first Indian VEU

According to the BIS news letter on July 2, 2009, General Electric India (GE India) has been approved as the first Indian company to qualify as a validated end-user (VEU) in India, allowing the company to enter a pre-approved, export express lane as a trusted end user.
There already have been several VEU between US and China, but first with India.

After an extensive background review, the VEU designation allowed GE India to receive certain controlled items from the United States, including civilian aircraft technology and explosive detection equipment (such as 1C002, 9E003 etc.) without an individual license, making the flow of trade more efficient between the countries.
(See details in Federal Register: http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2009/fr_07022009.pdf )

End-users that apply and are qualified by BIS as validated end-users are eligible to receive specified items under the general authorization “Authorization Validated End User” instead of under individual transaction-specific licenses. Companies in India participating in VEU must pass a rigorous national security review and agree to strict follow-on compliance obligations prior to qualification. Qualification for VEU benefits both the foreign participants and U.S. exporters by limiting the paperwork that must be completed for shipment authorization, thereby allowing export on demand as well as resource savings.

(Source: http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/PressReleases_FactSheets/PROD01_008103 )