[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 26 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Pages 1544-1546]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7325--To Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the Generalized 
System of Preferences and for Other Purposes

June 29, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    1. Pursuant to sections 501, 503(a)(1)(A), and 503(c)(1) of title V 
of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2461, 
2463(a)(1)(A), and 2463(c)(1)), the President may designate or withdraw 
designation of specified articles provided for in the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTS) as eligible for preferential tariff 
treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) when 
imported from designated beneficiary developing countries.
    2. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(A)), beneficiary developing countries, except those 
designated as least-developed beneficiary developing countries pursuant 
to section 503(c)(2)(D) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(D)), are 
subject to competitive need limitations on the preferential treatment 
afforded under the GSP to eligible articles.
    3. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(C)), a country that is no longer treated as a beneficiary 
developing country with respect to an eligible article may be 
redesignated as a beneficiary developing country with respect to such 
article if imports of such article from such country did not exceed the 
competitive need limitations in section 503(c)(2)(A) (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(A)) during the preceding calendar year.
    4. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(F)), the President may disregard the competitive need 
limitation provided in section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) of the 1974 Act (19 
U.S.C.

[[Page 1545]]

2463(c)(2)(A)(i)(II)) with respect to any eligible article if the 
appraised value of the total imports of such article into the United 
States during the preceding calendar year does not exceed an amount set 
forth in section 503(c)(2)(F)(ii) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(F)(ii)).
    5. Pursuant to section 503(d) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2463(d)), 
the President may waive the application of the competitive need 
limitations in section 503(c)(2)(A) with respect to any eligible article 
from any beneficiary developing country if certain conditions are met.
    6. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(E) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(E)), section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) shall not apply with respect 
to any eligible article if a like or directly competitive article was 
not produced in the United States on January 1, 1995.
    7. Pursuant to sections 501 and 503(a)(1)(A) of the 1974 Act, and 
after receiving advice from the International Trade Commission in 
accordance with section 503(e), I have determined to designate certain 
articles, previously designated under section 503(a)(1)(B), as eligible 
articles when imported from any beneficiary developing country.
    8. Pursuant to section 503(c)(1) of the 1974 Act, I have determined 
to limit the application of duty-free treatment accorded to certain 
articles from certain beneficiary developing countries.
    9. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that certain beneficiary countries should no longer receive 
preferential tariff treatment under the GSP with respect to certain 
eligible articles imported in quantities that exceed the applicable 
competitive need limitation.
    10. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that certain countries should be redesignated as beneficiary 
developing countries with respect to certain eligible articles that 
previously had been imported in quantities exceeding the competitive 
need limitations of section 503(c)(2)(A).
    11. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that the competitive need limitation provided in section 
503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) should be waived with respect to certain eligible 
articles from certain beneficiary developing countries.
    12. Pursuant to section 503(d) of the 1974 Act, I have determined 
that the competitive need limitations of section 503(c)(2)(A) should be 
waived with respect to certain eligible articles from certain 
beneficiary developing countries. I have received the advice of the 
International Trade Commission on whether any industries in the United 
States are likely to be adversely affected by such waivers, and I have 
determined, based on that advice and on the considerations described in 
sections 501 and 502(c), that such waivers are in the national economic 
interest of the United States.
    13. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(E) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(E)), I have determined that the limitation provided for in 
section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) shall not apply with respect to HTS 
subheading 3817.10.50 because no like or directly competitive article 
was produced in the United States on January 1, 1995.
    14. Section 604 of the 1974 Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), 
authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the 
relevant provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import 
treatment, and actions thereunder, including the removal, modification, 
continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import 
restriction.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including but 
not limited to title V and section 604 of the 1974 Act, do proclaim 
that:
    (1) In order to provide that one or more countries that have not 
been treated as beneficiary developing countries with respect to one or 
more eligible articles should be designated as beneficiary developing 
countries with respect to such article or articles for purposes of the 
GSP, and that one or more countries should no longer be treated as 
beneficiary developing countries with respect to one or more eligible 
articles for purposes of the GSP, general note 4(d) to the HTS is 
modified as provided in section A of Annex I to this proclamation.

[[Page 1546]]

    (2)(a) In order to designate certain articles as eligible articles 
for purposes of the GSP when imported from any beneficiary developing 
country, the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for certain HTS 
subheadings is modified as provided in section B(1) of Annex I to this 
proclamation.
      (b) In order to provide preferential tariff treatment under the 
GSP to a beneficiary developing country that has been excluded from the 
benefits of the GSP for certain eligible articles, the Rates of Duty 1-
Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in section 
B(2) of Annex I to this proclamation is modified as provided in such 
section.
      (c) In order to provide that one or more countries should not be 
treated as a beneficiary developing country with respect to certain 
eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, the Rates of Duty 1-Special 
subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in section B(3) of 
Annex I to this proclamation is modified as provided in such section.
    (3) A waiver of the application of section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 
Act shall apply to the eligible articles in the HTS subheadings and to 
the beneficiary developing countries set forth in Annex II to this 
proclamation.
    (4) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders 
that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are 
superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.
    (5)(a) The modifications made by Annex I to this proclamation shall 
be effective with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on or after July 1, 2000.
      (b) The action taken in Annex II to this proclamation shall be 
effective on the date of publication of this proclamation in the Federal 
Register.
      (c) The action taken in paragraph 13 of this proclamation shall be 
effective on the date of publication of this proclamation in the Federal 
Register.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth 
day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:55 a.m., June 30, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation and attached annexes were published in the 
Federal Register on July 3.