[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S13881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




NOTIFICATION OF THE PRESIDENT'S INTENTION TO DESIGNATE THE REPUBLIC OF 
   MALDIVES AS A BENEFICIARY DEVELOPING COUNTRY AND TO TERMINATE THE 
   DESIGNATIONS OF CROATIA AND EQUATORIAL NEW GUINEA AS BENEFICIARY 
    DEVELOPING PROGRAMS UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES 
                             PROGRAM--PM 39

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report and papers; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

To the Congress of the United States:
  The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) offers duty-free 
treatment to specified products that are imported from designated 
beneficiary developing countries. The GSP is authorized by title V of 
the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the ``Act'').
  In accordance with sections 502(f)(1)(A) and 502(f)(2) of the Act, I 
am providing notification of my intent to add the Republic of Maldives 
to the list of beneficiary developing countries under the GSP program 
and my intent to terminate the designations of Croatia and Equatorial 
Guinea as beneficiary developing countries under the GSP program.
  In Proclamation 6813 of July 28, 1995, the designation of Maldives as 
a beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP program was 
suspended. After considering the criteria set forth in sections 501 and 
502 of the Act, I have determined that the suspension of the 
designation of Maldives as a GSP beneficiary developing country should 
be ended.
  In addition, I have determined that Croatia and Equatorial Guinea 
have each become a ``high income'' country, as defined by the official 
statistics of the International Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development. In accordance with section 502(e) of the Act, I have 
determined that the designations of Croatia and Equatorial Guinea as 
beneficiary developing countries under the GSP program should be 
terminated, effective January 1, 2011.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, December 23, 2009.

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