[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53576-53578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16931]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2023-0007]


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Russia's Implementation of Its WTO Commitments

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will seek 
public comment to assist the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to 
Congress on Russia's implementation of its obligations as a Member of 
the World Trade Organization (WTO). This notice includes the schedule 
for the submission of comments to the TPSC for the Russia report and a 
public hearing.

[[Page 53577]]


DATES: 
    September 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of 
written comments, requests to testify, and written testimony, regarding 
the Russia WTO implementation report.
    October 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EDT: The TPSC will convene a public 
hearing to receive oral testimony related to the Russia WTO 
implementation report.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submitting comments in 
sections III and IV below, using docket number USTR-2023-0007. For 
alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact Silvia Savich, 
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Russia and Eurasia, in 
advance of the relevant deadline at [email protected] or (202) 
395-2256.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Silvia Savich, Deputy Assistant U.S. 
Trade Representative for Russia and Eurasia, at 
[email protected] or (202) 395-2256.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Russia became a Member of the WTO on August 22, 2012, and on 
December 21, 2012, following termination of the application of the 
Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and the extension of permanent normal 
trade relations to the products of Russia, the United States and Russia 
filed letters with the WTO withdrawing their notices of non-application 
and consenting to have the WTO Agreement apply between them. In 
accordance with Section 201(a) of the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik 
Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 
(Public Law 112-208), USTR is required to submit annually a report to 
Congress on the extent to which Russia is implementing the WTO 
Agreement, including the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights. The report also must assess Russia's 
progress on acceding to and implementing the Information Technology 
Agreement (ITA) and the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). In 
addition, to the extent that USTR finds that Russia is not implementing 
fully any WTO agreement or is not making adequate progress in acceding 
to the ITA or the GPA, USTR must describe in the report the actions it 
plans to take to encourage Russia to improve its implementation and/or 
increase its accession efforts. In accordance with section 201(a), and 
to assist it in preparing this year's report, the TPSC is soliciting 
public comments.
    The terms of Russia's accession to the WTO are contained in the 
Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization and the 
Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO 
(including its annexes) (Protocol). The Report of the Working Party on 
the Accession of the Russian Federation (Working Party Report) provides 
detail and context to the commitments listed in the Protocol. You can 
find the Protocol and Working Party Report on USTR's website at https://ustr.gov/node/5887 or on the WTO website at http://docsonline.wto.org 
(document symbols: WT/ACC/RUS/70, WT/MIN(11)/2, WT/MIN(11)/24, WT/L/
839, WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.1, WT/MIN(11)/2/Add.1, WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.2, and 
WT/MIN(11)/2/Add.1.)

II. Hearing Participation

    USTR will convene a public hearing on October 12, 2023 related to 
Russia's implementation of its WTO commitments. Persons wishing to 
observe the public hearing will find a link on USTR's web page for 
Russia on the day of the hearing at https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/russia-and-eurasia/russia. To ensure participation, 
you must submit requests to present oral testimony at the hearing and 
written testimony by midnight on September 20, 2023, via 
Regulations.gov, using Docket Number USTR-2023-0007. Instructions for 
submission are in Sections III and IV below. Remarks at the hearing 
will be limited to no more than five minutes to allow for possible 
questions from the TPSC. Because it is a public the hearing, testimony 
should not include any business confidential information (BCI). USTR 
will provide a link in advance of the virtual hearing to persons 
wishing to testify.
    The TPSC requests small businesses or organizations representing 
small business members that submit comments to self-identify as such, 
so that we may be aware of issues of particular interest to small 
businesses.
    Written comments and/or oral testimony should address Russia's 
implementation of the commitments made in connection with its accession 
to the WTO, including, but not limited to, commitments in the following 
areas:

    a. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas, 
import licenses).
    b. Export regulation.
    c. Subsidies.
    d. Standards and technical regulations.
    e. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
    f. Trade-related investment measures (including local content 
requirements).
    g. Taxes and charges levied on imports and exports.
    h. Other internal policies affecting trade.
    i. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property 
rights enforcement).
    j. Services.
    k. Government procurement.
    l. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, 
uniform administration of laws and regulations).
    m. Trade facilitation.
    n. Other WTO commitments.

III. Procedures for Written Submissions

    To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments, 
requests to testify, and written testimony by the September 20, 2023, 
11:59 p.m. EDT deadline. All submissions must be in English. USTR 
strongly encourages submissions via Regulations.gov, using Docket 
Number USTR-2023-0007.
    To make a submission via Regulations.gov, enter Docket Number USTR-
2023-0007 in the `search for' field on the home page and click 
`search.' The site will provide a search results page listing all 
documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice 
by selecting `notice' under `document type' in the `refine documents 
results' section on the left side of the screen and click on the link 
entitled `comment.' Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by 
filling in a `type comment' field, or by attaching a document using the 
`upload file' field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an 
attached document and, in such cases, that you write `see attached' in 
the `type comment' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word 
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than 
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the `type 
comment' field.
    At the beginning of your submission or on the first page (if an 
attachment), include the following text: (1) 2023 Russia WTO 
Implementation Report; (2) your organization's name; and (3) whether 
the submission is a comment, request to testify, or written testimony. 
Submissions should not exceed 30 single-spaced, standard letter-size 
pages in 12-point type, including attachments. Please do not attach 
separate cover letters, exhibits, annexes, or other attachments to 
electronic submissions; rather, include any in the same file as the 
submission itself, not as separate files. You will receive a tracking 
number upon completion of the submission procedure at Regulations.gov. 
The tracking number is confirmation that Regulations.gov received your 
submission. Keep the confirmation for

[[Page 53578]]

your records. USTR is not able to provide technical assistance for 
Regulations.gov.
    For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult 
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use 
Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may not consider 
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
    If you are unable to provide submissions as requested, please 
contact Silvia Savich, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for 
Russia and Eurasia, in advance of the deadline at 
[email protected] or (202) 395-2256, to arrange for an 
alternative method of transmission. USTR will not accept hand-delivered 
submissions. General information concerning USTR is available at 
www.ustr.gov.

IV. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions

    If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must 
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not 
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted 
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must 
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at 
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must 
submit a public version of their submission that will be placed in the 
docket for public inspection. The file name of the public version 
should begin with the character `P.'

V. Public Viewing of Review Submissions

    USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public 
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view submissions at 
Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2023-0007 in the search 
field on the home page.

William Shpiece,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2023-16931 Filed 8-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F3-P