[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18618-18620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08868]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Numbers USTR-2018-0006, 2018-007, and 2018-008]
Initiation of Country Practice Reviews of India, Indonesia, and
Kazakhstan
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is
announcing the initiation of country practice reviews regarding
compliance with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility
criteria of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan. This notice includes the
schedule for submission of public comments and a public hearing.
DATES: June 19, 2018: The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing on the GSP country
practice reviews of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan in Rooms 1 and 2,
1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
June 5, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of comments,
pre-hearing briefs, and requests to appear at the June 19, 2018, public
hearing.
July 17, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of post-
hearing briefs.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments in section D below. The docket
number for the India review is USTR-2018-0006. The docket number for
the Indonesia review is USTR-2018-0007. The docket number for the
Kazakhstan review is USTR-2018-0008. For alternatives to on-line
submissions, please contact Yvonne Jamison at 202-395-3475.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erland Herfindahl, Deputy Assistant
U.S. Trade Representative for GSP at [email protected] or
202-395-6364.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
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.
2461-2467), as amended, and is implemented in accordance with Executive
Order 11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive
Orders and Presidential Proclamations.
B. Initiation of a Country Practice Review of India, Indonesia, and
Kazakhstan
USTR will lead a review of the eligibility of India, Indonesia, and
Kazakhstan for benefits under the GSP program. These country practice
reviews are undertaken on the recommendation of the TPSC pursuant to 15
CFR 2007.0(f) to determine whether the current laws and practices of
India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan meet the GSP eligibility criteria.
These reviews are the result of country eligibility petitions submitted
by interested stakeholders and an assessment of the 25 Asian and
Pacific Island GSP beneficiary countries conducted by the GSP
Subcommittee.
[[Page 18619]]
1. India Country Eligibility Review
The country practice review of India will focus on whether it is
meeting the GSP eligibility criterion that requires a GSP beneficiary
country to assure the United States that it will provide equitable and
reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)). USTR is
accepting two petitions asserting that India is not meeting this
criterion: One from the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S.
Dairy Export Council, and the other from the Advanced Medical
Technology Association. In addition, through the new GSP Country
Assessment process, the GSP Subcommittee identified potential concerns
with India's compliance with the GSP criterion that requires a GSP
beneficiary country to assure the United States that it will provide
equitable and reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)).
As described in the India Chapter of the 2018 National Trade Estimate
Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, India has implemented a wide array of
trade barriers that create serious negative effects on U.S. commerce.
Due to the similar nature of the issues raised in these petitions with
concerns identified in the assessment process, the petitions and the
self-initiated review will be combined into one overall review of
India's GSP eligibility based on the GSP market access criterion.
2. Indonesia Country Eligibility Review
The country practice review of Indonesia will focus on whether it
is meeting two GSP criteria: (1) The GSP criterion that requires a GSP
beneficiary country to assure the United States that it will provide
equitable and reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)),
and (2) the GSP criterion that requires a GSP beneficiary country to
reduce trade-distorting investment practices and reduce or eliminate
barriers to trade in services (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(6)). As described in
the Indonesia Chapter of the 2018 National Trade Estimate Report on
Foreign Trade Barriers, Indonesia has implemented a wide array of trade
barriers that create serious negative effects on U.S. commerce. The
existing review of Indonesia's compliance with the GSP criterion
related to intellectual property rights (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(5)) is
separate, and will continue.
3. Kazakhstan Country Eligibility Review
The country practice review of Kazakhstan will focus on whether it
is meeting the GSP criterion requiring a GSP beneficiary country to
take steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights to
workers in the country (19 U.S.C. 2462(b)(2)(G)). USTR is accepting a
petition filed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The petition alleges that the
Government of Kazakhstan actively restricts the right to form trade
unions and employer associations without prior permission, prevents
workers and employers from joining organizations of their own choosing,
interferes in the structure and activities of worker and employer
organizations, and targets labor leaders with arrests and prosecutions
for exercising their rights.
C. Notice of Public Hearing
The GSP Subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 19, 2018,
beginning at 10:00 a.m., to receive information regarding the country
practice reviews of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan. The hearing will
be held in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508, and
will be open to the public and to the press. We will make a transcript
of the hearing available on www.regulations.gov within approximately
two weeks after the date of the hearing. All interested parties wishing
to make an oral presentation at the hearing must submit, following the
Requirements for Submissions set out below, the name, address,
telephone number, and email address, if available, of the witness(es)
representing their organization by midnight on June 5, 2018.
Requests to present oral testimony must be accompanied by a written
brief or summary statement, in English. The GSP Subcommittee will limit
oral testimony before the GSP Subcommittee to five-minute presentations
that summarize or supplement information contained in briefs or
statements submitted for the record. The GSP Subcommittee will accept
post-hearing briefs or statements if they conform to the requirements
set out below and are submitted in English, by midnight on July 17,
2018.
Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing may submit pre-
hearing and post-hearing briefs or comments by these deadlines. In
order to be assured of consideration, you must submit all post-hearing
briefs or statements by the July 17, 2018 deadline to the appropriate
docket via www.regulations.gov:
India (market access): USTR-2018-0006
Indonesia (market access; investment and services): USTR-2018-0007
Kazakhstan (worker rights): USTR-2018-0008
However, if there are new developments or information that parties
wish to share with the GSP Subcommittee after this date, the
www.regulations.gov docket will remain open until a final decision is
made. Post all comments, letters, or other submissions related to the
appropriate docket listed above via www.regulations.gov.
D. Requirements for Submissions
All submissions in response to this notice must conform to the GSP
regulations set forth at 15 CFR part 2007 (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=271bd12a5ef9cae0c4c178d1131ac292&mc=true&node=pt15.3.2007&rgn=div5), except as modified below.
The GSP Subcommittee strongly encourages on-line submissions
through the https://www.regulations.gov website. All submissions must
be in English and must be transmitted electronically via
www.regulations.gov using the appropriate docket number listed above.
To make a submission via www.regulations.gov, enter the appropriate
docket number on the home page and click ``search''. The site will
provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with the
docket. Find a reference to this notice and click on the link entitled
``Comment Now''. For further information on using www.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. We will
not accept hand-delivered submissions.
The www.regulations.gov website allows users to provide comments by
filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a document using
an ``Upload File'' field. The GSP Subcommittee prefers that you provide
submissions as an attached document. If a document is attached, please
type ``GSP Review of [Country]'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. USTR
prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)
format. If the submission is in another file format, please indicate
the name of the software application in the ``Type Comment'' field.
File names should reflect the name of the person or entity submitting
the comments. Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the comment itself, rather than submitting them as
separate files. Submissions should not exceed 30
[[Page 18620]]
single-spaced, standard letter-size pages in 12-point type, including
attachments.
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page and the submission should
clearly indicate, via brackets, highlighting, or other means, the
specific information that is business confidential. A filer requesting
business confidential treatment must certify that the information is
business confidential and would not customarily be released to the
public by the submitter.
Additionally, the submitter should type ``Business Confidential GSP
Review of [Country]'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. Filers of
submissions containing business confidential information also must
submit a public version of their comments that we will place in the
docket for public inspection. The file name of the public version
should begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be
followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments.
Filers submitting comments containing no business confidential
information should name their file using the name of the person or
entity submitting the comments.
You will receive a submission tracking number upon completion of
the submissions procedure at www.regulations.gov. The tracking number
is your confirmation that the submission was received into
www.regulations.gov. The GSP Subcommittee is not able to provide
technical assistance for the website. The GSP Subcommittee may not
consider documents that are not submitted in accordance with these
instructions.
As noted, the GSP Subcommittee strongly urges submitters to file
comments through www.regulations.gov. You must make any alternative
arrangements with Yvonne Jamison at 202-395-3475 in advance of
transmitting a comment.
We will post comments in the dockets for public inspection, except
business confidential information. You can view comments on the
www.regulations.gov website by entering the relevant docket number in
the search field on the home page.
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 United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2018-08868 Filed 4-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F8-P