[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 17, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 66342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31884]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); Notice of Out-of-Cycle 
Country Eligibility Review

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the deadline for the submission of 
petitions for an out-of-cycle GSP Review of country eligibility. The 
deadline is Friday, February 28, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
GSP Subcommittee, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 
17th Street, NW, Room 518, Washington, DC 20508. Telephone: (202) 395-
6971.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Announcement of 1997 Out-of-Cycle GSP Country Eligibility Review

    The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program provides 
for the duty free importation of designated articles when imported from 
designated beneficiary developing countries. GSP is authorized by Title 
V of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (``Trade Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2461 
et seq.). The GSP program was implemented by Executive Order 11888 of 
November 14, 1975, and modified by subsequent Executive Orders and 
Presidential Proclamations. The GSP regulations provide for annual 
reviews unless otherwise specified by Federal Register notice (15 CFR 
2007.3 et seq.). The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) hearby gives 
notice that an out-of-cycle country eligibility review will be 
conducted in 1997. No annual country eligibility review was initiated 
at the normal time in 1996 since the GSP program was suspended. 
Moreover, public interest has been expressed in support of delinking 
the time table for the annual product reviews and country eligibility 
reviews. No decision has been made to permanently alter the schedule. 
However, the TPSC has decided to provide for an out-of-cycle country 
eligibility review at this time. Notice is hereby given, therefore, 
that in order to be considered in the 1997 out-of-cycle country 
eligibility review, all petitions containing requests to review the GSP 
status of any beneficiary developing country must be received by the 
GSP Subcommittee no later than 5 p.m., Friday February 28, 1997. 
Petitions submitted after the deadline will not be considered for 
review and will be returned to the petitioner.
    Interested parties or foreign governments may submit petitions to 
have the GSP status of any eligible beneficiary developing country 
reviewed with respect to any of the designation criteria listed in 
sections 502(b)or 502(c) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(b) and (c)). 
Petitions should be addressed to the GSP Subcommittee, Office of the 
U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW, Room 518, Washington, 
DC 20508. All such submissions must conform with the GSP regulations 
which are set forth at 15 CFR 2007. These regulations were published in 
the Federal Register on Tuesday, February 11, 1986 (51 FR 5035). The 
regulations are also printed in ``A guide to the U.S. Generalized 
System of Preferences (GSP)'', (August 1991) (``GSP Guide''). 
Information submitted will be subject to public inspection by 
appointment only with the staff of the USTR Public Reading Room, except 
for the information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant 
to 15 CFR 2007.7. An original and fourteen (14) copies of each petition 
must be submitted in English. If the petition contains business 
confidential information and a party is requesting an exemption from 
public inspection for this information, each page containing such 
information should be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' in a 
contrasting color ink at the top of each page, and an original and 
fourteen (copies) of this business confidential version of the petition 
must be submitted together with a nonconfidential summary of the 
confidential information. The version that does not contain business 
confidential information (the public version) should be clearly marked 
at the top and bottom of each page (either ``public version'' or 
``nonconfidential''). This version and the nonconfidential summary 
shall be placed in the file that is open to public inspection.
    Petitioners are strongly advised to review the GSP regulations. 
Petitioners are reminded that submissions that do not provide all 
information required by the GSP regulations will not be accepted for 
review except upon a detailed showing in the submission that the 
petitioner made a good faith effort to obtain the information required. 
These requirements will be strictly enforced.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 96-31884 Filed 12-16-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M