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.
President Bush has issued Proclamation 8323 in order to modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule for the following actions:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has issued a release regarding its hosting of more than 1,000 leading suppliers, Chinese officials, and NGOs in Beijing, China. The company outlined a series of aggressive goals and expectations to build a more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain. (Wal-Mart press release, dated 10/22/08, available at http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8696.aspx.)
On October 16, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 7222 (Public Law 110-436), a bill to extend the Andean trade preferences and Generalized System of Preferences programs beyond their current expiration dates, and make various changes regarding certain African and Dominican Republic textiles.
1. President Signs GSP and ATPA/ATPDEA Extensions, DR "2 for 1" Apparel Benefit, AGOA "Abundant Supply" Repeal, Etc.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing that it will not be publishing a 2008 GSP Annual Review "warning list" of country/tariff number pairs that could lose duty-free Generalized System of Preferences treatment on July 1, 2009 due to exceeding the competitive need limitation values.
The Commerce Department filed, on October 10, 2008, a proposed rule with the Office of Management and Budget on a steel import monitoring and analysis system. (OMB EO 12866 Regulatory Review list available at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoReviewSearch)
The International Trade Commission has issued a notice announcing the initiation of an investigation (332-500) regarding possible modifications to the Generalized System of Preferences as part of the 2008 Annual GSP Review.
On October 3, 2008, the House of Representatives agreed to the Senate's version of H.R. 7222, a bill to extend the Andean trade preferences and Generalized System of Preferences programs beyond their current expiration dates, and make various changes regarding certain African and Dominican Republic textiles.
On October 2, 2008, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 7222, a bill that would extend the Andean trade preferences and Generalized System of Preferences programs beyond their current expiration dates, and make various changes regarding certain African and Dominican Republic textiles.