The International Trade Commission has issued its report, “Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and Consumers and on Drug Crop Eradication and Crop Substitution, Fourteenth Report, 2009,” in which it states that ATPA imports during 2009 continued to have a negligible overall effect on the U.S. economy and consumers.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announces that the African Growth and Opportunity Act Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee is requesting written public comments for the annual review of the eligibility of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to receive AGOA benefits.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has issued a notice announcing the three month duty-free tariff preference level for certain apparel from Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) beneficiary countries (currently Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru1), as specified in HTS 9821.11.25.
On September 27, 2010, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Congress urging it to support legislation extending the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act for Colombia and Peru, both of which will expire on December 31. The Chamber notes that while it has concerns relating to the continued eligibility of Ecuador under ATPA and it should receive greater scrutiny, these programs should also be extended.
According to a Congressional source, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees are discussing a multi-year extension of the GSP and ATPA/ATPDEA programs, which they hope to pass before the programs expire.
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program (i.e., A, A*, and A+) for most beneficiary countries, i.e., other than those listed as African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary countries, will expire on December 31, 2010, unless a law extending it is enacted.
On September 22, 2010, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
The European Commission has posted public responses to its request for comments on the revision and updating of the European Union's Generalized System of Preferences.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is changing the date of its public hearing on the country practice petitions that have been accepted for the 2009 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Review to September 28, 2010 (from September 24).
The International Trade Commission has posted an updated electronic version of the 2010 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (Revision 2) to its Web site that is effective August 26, 2010.