[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