[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 70091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27986]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Deadline Extension and
Import Statistics Relating to Competitive Need Limitations
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice is to inform the public of (1) an extension to
December 20, 2013 of the deadline for submission of petitions to waive
competitive need limitations (CNLs) under the Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP) program, and (2) the availability of import
statistics for the first eight months of 2013 relating to CNLs.
Although USTR will receive CNL waiver petitions through December 20,
2013, no action will be taken regarding submitted petitions while the
GSP program is without authorization.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Keysha Martinez (202-395-9618
or [email protected]), Director for GSP, Office of the United
States Trade Representative.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Competitive Need Limitations
The GSP program provides for the duty-free importation of
designated articles when imported from designated beneficiary
developing countries (BDCs). The GSP program is authorized by Title V
of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (the
``1974 Act''), and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order
11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders
and proclamations.
Section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act sets out the two CNLs. When
the President determines that a BDC has exported to the United States
during a calendar year either (1) a quantity of a GSP-eligible article
having a value in excess of the applicable amount for that year ($160
million for 2013), or (2) a quantity of a GSP-eligible article having a
value equal to or greater than 50 percent of the value of total U.S.
imports of the article from all countries (the ``50 percent CNL''), the
President must terminate duty-free treatment under the GSP program for
that article from that BDC by no later than July 1 of the next calendar
year, unless he waives the CNL. Any CNL-related product exclusions
resulting from the 2013 GSP Annual Review will be based on full 2013
calendar-year import statistics.
Under section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act, the President may waive
the 50 percent CNL with respect to an eligible article imported from a
BDC, if the value of total imports of that article from all countries
during the calendar year did not exceed the applicable de minimis
amount for that year ($21.5 million for 2013).
II. Extension of Deadline for Petitions To Waive CNLs
A notice published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2013 (78 FR
45596) announced the launch of the 2013 GSP Annual Review, including,
inter alia, a November 22, 2013, deadline for receipt of petitions from
the public to waive the application of CNLs for specific products from
certain countries. That deadline has been extended to 5 p.m. on
December 20, 2013. Please see the referenced July 29, 2013 Federal
Register notice for more information on the procedures for submitting a
petition for a CNL waiver.
III. Effect of Lapse in GSP Authorization on the GSP Annual Review
Authorization of the GSP program expired July 31, 2013. USTR will
receive petitions for CNL waivers, submitted as part of the 2013 GSP
Annual Review, even though the GSP program is without authorization, so
that the President can be in a position to take action if Congress acts
to reauthorize the GSP program. However, as long as the program remains
without authorization, no action will be taken regarding any petitions
submitted as part of the 2013 GSP Annual Review, including CNL waiver
petitions.
IV. Interim 2013 Import Statistics
Interim import statistics for the first eight months of 2013
relating to CNLs can be viewed on the USTR Web site at: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-topics/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preferences-gsp/current-revie-0. The interim 2013
import statistics are organized to show, for each article, the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading and
BDC of origin, the value of imports of the article from the specified
country for the first eight months of 2013, and the corresponding share
of total imports of that article from all countries. The list includes
the GSP-eligible articles from BDCs that, based on interim eight-month
2013 data, exceed $105 million dollars, or an amount greater than 42
percent of the total value of U.S. imports of that product and
therefore may be on track to exceed the applicable thresholds.
The list published on the USTR Web site includes the relevant
eight-month trade statistics for each of these products and is provided
as a courtesy for informational purposes only. The list is based on
interim 2013 trade data, and may not include all articles that may be
affected by a CNL. Regardless of whether or not an article is included
on the list referenced in this notice, all determinations and decisions
regarding application of the CNLs will be based on full calendar-year
2013 import data for each GSP-eligible article. Each interested party
is advised to conduct its own review of 2013 import data with regard to
the possible application of CNLs.
Full calendar-year 2013 data for individual tariff subheadings are
expected to be available in February 2014 on the http://dataweb.usitc.gov/ Web site of the U.S. International Trade Commission.
William D. Jackson,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for GSP, Chairman, GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-27986 Filed 11-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F4-P