[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47488-47489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17202]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Results of the 2015/2016
Annual GSP Review
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the results of the 2015/2016 Annual GSP
Review with respect to: Products considered for addition to the list of
eligible products for GSP; products considered for removal from the
list of eligible products for certain beneficiary countries; decisions
related to competitive need limitations (CNLs), including petitions for
waivers of CNLs; and requests for redesignations of products previously
excluded from GSP eligibility for certain countries.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erland Herfindahl, Deputy Assistant
U.S. Trade Representative for GSP, Office of the United States Trade
Representative. The telephone number is (202) 395-6364, the fax number
is (202) 395-9674, and the email address is
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free
treatment of designated articles when imported from beneficiary
developing countries. The GSP program is authorized by Title V of the
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.), as amended, and is
implemented in accordance with Executive Order 11888 of November 24,
1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders and Presidential
Proclamations.
Results of the 2015/2016 Annual GSP Review
In the 2015/2016 Annual GSP Review, the TPSC reviewed: (1)
Petitions to add 30 products to the list of those eligible for duty-
free treatment under GSP; (2) petitions to remove GSP eligibility of
five products for certain GSP beneficiary countries; (3) four petitions
to waive CNLs for products from certain beneficiary countries; (4)
products eligible for de minimis waivers of CNLs; (5) requests for
redesignation of products previously excluded from GSP eligibility for
certain beneficiary countries; and (6) country practice petitions
previously submitted as part of the 2015/2016 Annual Review and earlier
reviews.
In Presidential Proclamation 9466 of June 30, 2016 the President
implemented his decisions regarding GSP product eligibility issues
arising out of the 2015/2016 Annual GSP Review, including CNL waivers
and product redesignations. This notice provides further information on
the results of the 2015/2016 Annual GSP Review, including disposition
of country practice petitions. These results, comprising seven lists,
are available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov in
docket USTR-2015-0013, under ``Supporting and Related Materials'' and
at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/preference-programs/generalized-system-preferences-gsp/current-reviews/gsp-20152016.
Specific Results
The Administration added 27 travel and luggage goods products to
the list of products eligible for duty-free treatment for least
developed beneficiary developing countries (LDBDCs) and African Growth
and Opportunity Act (AGOA) countries and has decided to defer action on
a decision for non-LDBDCs. The Administration denied the petition to
make certain effervescent wine (HTS 2204.21.20) eligible for duty-free
treatment under GSP. The Administration has decided to defer a decision
on final disposition of petitions to add essential oils of lemon (HTS
3301.13.00) and high-carbon ferromanganese (HTS 7202.11.50) to the list
of products eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP for all GSP
beneficiary countries. See List I (Decision on Petition to Add a
Product to the List of Eligible Products for GSP).
The President removed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin (HTS
3907.60.00) and certain fluorescent brightening agents (HTS 3204.20.10
and HTS 3204.20.80) from India from GSP eligibility based on petitions
from interested parties. The Administration denied the petitions to
remove certain fluorescent brightening agents (HTS 3204.20.10 and HTS
3204.20.80) from Indonesia and PET film (HTS 3920.62.00 and 3921.90.40)
from Brazil. See List II (Decisions on Petitions to Remove a Product
from Certain Beneficiary Countries from GSP).
Articles that exceeded the CNLs in 2015 and that, effective July 1,
2016, are excluded from GSP eligibility when imported from a specific
beneficiary country are described in List III (Products Newly Subject
to Exclusion by Competitive Need Limitation).
The President granted petitions for waivers of CNLs for the
following products: (1) Certain pitted dates (HTS 0804.10.60) from
Tunisia; (2) certain inactive yeasts (HTS 2102.20.60) from Brazil; and
(3) certain nonalcoholic beverages (HTS 2202.90.90) from Thailand. See
List IV (Products Receiving a Waiver of the Competitive Need
Limitation). The President denied the petition for a waiver of CNLs for
certain motor vehicle parts and accessories (HTS 8707.50.95) from
India.
The President granted de minimis waivers to 111 articles that
exceeded the 50-percent import-share CNL but for which the aggregate
value of all U.S. imports of that article was below the 2015 de minimis
level of $22.5 million. See List V (Decisions on Products Eligible for
De Minimis Waivers). The articles for which de minimis waivers were
granted will continue to be eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP
when imported from the associated countries.
No products previously excluded from GSP eligibility for certain
countries were redesignated as eligible for GSP as a result of the
2015/2016 Annual Review.
[[Page 47489]]
Country Practice Petitions
The status of country practice petitions considered in the 2015/
2016 GSP Annual Review is described in List VI (Active GSP Country
Practice Reviews). This list includes petitions accepted as part of
annual reviews from previous years.
Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System
of Preferences and Chair of the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy
Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2016-17202 Filed 7-20-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F6-P