USTR Announces 2007 Annual GSP Review
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced the opportunity to submit petitions for the 2007 Generalized System of Preferences Product and Country Eligibility Practices Review (2007 Annual GSP Review). Any changes resulting from the 2007 Annual GSP Review are expected to take effect on July 1, 2008.
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According to the USTR, the deadline for submission of product petitions (other than those requesting competitive needs limitation (CNL) waivers) and country practice petitions for the 2007 Annual GSP Review is 5 p.m., June 22, 2007.
The deadline for submission of product petitions requesting CNL waivers is 5 p.m., November 16, 2007. (This later date allows petitioners an opportunity to review additional annual U.S. import statistics.)
Petitions May be Submitted for Additional GSP Benefits, CNL Waivers, Etc.
The USTR states that interested parties, including foreign governments may submit petitions to:
- Designate additional articles as eligible for GSP benefits, including to designate articles as eligible for GSP benefits only for countries designated as least-developed beneficiary developing countries, or only for countries designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA);
- Withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of duty-free treatment accorded under the GSP with respect to any article, either for all beneficiary developing countries, least-developed beneficiary developing countries or beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, or for any of these countries individually;
- Waive the CNLs for individual beneficiary developing countries with respect to specific GSP-eligible articles (these limits do not apply to either least-developed beneficiary developing countries or AGOA beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries); and
- Otherwise modify GSP coverage.
The USTR states that interested parties may also submit petitions to review the designation of any beneficiary developing country, including any least-developed beneficiary developing country, with respect to any of the designation criteria listed in 19 USC 2462(b) and (c) (petitions to review the designation of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries are considered in the Annual Review of the AGOA, a separate administrative process not governed by GSP regulations).
(See ITT's Online Archives or 12/22/06 news, 06122205, for BP summary on the impact of the GSP CNL waiver amendments contained in the "Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006" which allow the President to revoke a CNL waiver that has been in effect for at least five years for a GSP-eligible product from a specific country if certain thresholds are reached.
See ITT's Online Archives or 01/18/07 news, 07011810,for BP summary of the product and country practice petitions accepted for the 2006 GSP Annual Review.
See ITT's Online Archives or 03/09/07 news, 07030910, for BP summary of USTR's 2007 GSP Guidebook
See ITT's Online Archives or 03/02/07 and 03/06/07 news, 07030205 and 07030605, for Parts I and II of BP's summary on USTR listings of country/tariff number pairs that may lose GSP benefits, effective July 1, 2007 and those eligible for GSP redesignation, respectively.)
USTR contact - GSP Subcommittee (202) 395-6971
USTR Notice (FR Pub 05/21/07) available athttp://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-9756.pdf