USTR Seeks Comments on Whether ATPDEA Beneficiary Countries Are Meeting Eligibility Criteria
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments by 5 p.m. on March 18, 2005 on whether the countries designated as Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) beneficiary countries in Presidential Proclamation 7616 are meeting the eligibility criteria provided for in the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), as amended by the ATPDEA.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
(According to the USTR, the ATPDEA renewed and amended the ATPA in order to provide preferential treatment for certain products previously excluded from such treatment. In Presidential Proclamation 7616, the President designated Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru as ATPDEA beneficiary countries.)
As required by Section 203(f) of the ATPA, as amended by the ATPDEA, the USTR must submit to Congress not later than April 30, 2005 a report on the operation of the ATPA. The USTR adds that before it can submit this report, it is required to request comments on whether beneficiary countries are meeting the criteria listed in section 204(b)(6)(B) of the ATPA, as amended by the ATPDEA.
ATPDEA Beneficiary Countries Must Meet Certain Eligibility Criteria
The USTR has previously stated that the ATPDEA eligibility criteria includes (partial list):
whether the beneficiary country has demonstrated a commitment to undertake its obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) on or ahead of schedule, and participate in negotiations toward the completion of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) or another free trade agreement
the extent to which the country provides protection of intellectual property rights consistent with or greater than the protection afforded under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights described in section 101(d)(15) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/15/02 news, 02081510, for BP summary of the ATPDEA criteria, as well as links to other ATPDEA-related summaries.)
USTR contact - Russell Smith (202) 395-9450
USTR notice (FR Pub 02/04/05) available athttp://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-2188.pdf