USTR Reviews Possible AGOA Redesignation for Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger

USTR states that the AGOA Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff will be reviewing the public comments, which are expected to be due by August 29, 2011.

(AGOA beneficiary Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries receive both standard duty-free benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program and AGOA-GSP duty-free benefits for additional products. For these countries, both the GSP program (i.e., A, A*, and A+) and the AGOA-GSP program (i.e., D) remain in effect through September 30, 2015.

In addition, certain AGOA beneficiary SSA countries receive AGOA textile benefits if the USTR has determined that such countries are establishing or have established certain procedures regarding the prevention of illegal textile and apparel transshipments.)

Comments to be Used for Presidential Recommendation, Child Labor Report

The President is required to monitor and review annually the progress of each SSA country in meeting the eligibility criteria in order to determine whether each beneficiary SSA country should continue to be eligible and whether each SSA country that is currently not a beneficiary should be designated as such a country. The Subcommittee will consider comments it receives in developing recommendations on AGOA country eligibility for the President.

Comments received related to the child labor criteria may also be considered by the Secretary of Labor for the preparation of the Department of Labor’s report on child labor as required under the Trade and Development Act of 2000.

Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Niger are Currently Ineligible for AGOA Benefits

Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Niger have not been designated as beneficiary SSA countries and are not eligible for AGOA benefits. (According to the USTR, there are currently 37 countries designated as beneficiary SSA countries and eligible for AGOA benefits.)

(See ITT’s Online Archives or 10/05/10 news, 10100508, for BP summary of the USTR’s request for comments for its 2010 review of AGOA country eligibility which lists the AGOA beneficiary countries (as of the time of the notice).)

Guinea and Niger Lost AGOA Eligibility in 2010, Cote d’Ivoire in 2005

On December 23, 2009, the President issued a Proclamation that terminated Guinea and Niger as AGOA beneficiary countries, effective January 1, 2010, as these countries were not making continual progress in meeting the AGOA eligibility requirements.

Presidential Proclamation 7858 terminated the designation of Cote d’Ivoire as an AGOA beneficiary country effective January 1, 2005.

(See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/28/09 news, 09122805, for BP summary of Proclamation terminating Guinea and Niger from AGOA. See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/27/04 news, 04122715, for BP summary of Proclamation terminating Cote d’Ivoire from AGOA.)