President Issues Proclamation Designating Kosovo and Azerbaijan as GSP-Eligible, & Terminating Mauritania from AGOA
The President has issued Proclamation 8330, which designates Kosovo and Azerbaijan as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), and terminates the designation of Mauritania as an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary country1.
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GSP Eligibility for Azerbaijan and Kosovo Effective February 1, 2009
The Proclamation states that Azerbaijan and Kosovo are designated as beneficiary developing countries for purposes of the GSP program, effective with respect to articles entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after February 1, 2009.
In order to reflect this designation in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), General Note 4(a) is modified by adding in alphabetical order "Azerbaijan" and "Kosovo."
(See ITT's Online Archives or 04/16/08 and 09/24/08 news, 08041610 and 08092425, for BP summaries of the initiation of the U.S. Trade Representative review to consider Azerbaijan's and Kosovo's GSP eligibility, respectively.)
AGOA Eligibility for Mauritania Terminated Effective January 1, 2009
The President has also determined that Mauritania is not making continual progress in meeting the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. Accordingly, the President has terminated the designation of Mauritania as an AGOA beneficiary country, effective on January 1, 2009.
In order to reflect in the HTS that beginning on January 1, 2009, Mauritania shall no longer be designated as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country, General Note 16(a) to the HTS will be modified by deleting "Islamic Republic of Mauritania" from the list of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.
(See ITT's Online Archives, 08010120, for BP summary of Proclamation 8157, which designated Mauritania as an AGOA beneficiary country.)
1Note that the Proclamation uses the term "beneficiary sub-Saharan African country" while this ITT notice uses the term AGOA beneficiary country.
Presidential Proclamation 8330 (FR Pub 12/23/08) available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-30765.pdf
White House letter to Congress on GSP designation of Kosovo and Azerbaijan (dated 12/19/08) available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/12/20081219-8.html