The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 21-27:
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 7-13:
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has inspected more than 75 percent of factories used by members over the past two years since U.S. companies formed the alliance, alongside other efforts to “create a safer environment for garment workers,” said the National Retail Federation, an alliance member, in an Sept. 8 statement (here). The alliance plans to deliver two “major” inspections to all 662 factories, NRF said. Member companies released a detailed progress report on Sept. 8 (here). Only six factories have passed final inspection, but factories have “completed between 20 and 80 percent of repairs,” said NRF. The Obama administration removed Bangladesh from the Generalized System of Preferences in September 2013 after a string of factory disasters in the country (see 13070202). The administration, at the outset of 2015, said Bangladesh continues to fall short of the progress needed for restoration of its GSP status (see 1501160042). Lawmakers enacted GSP renewal in June, and the legislation contained specific language to bar retroactivity for Bangladesh and Russia (see 1504200052).
The International Trade Commission on Aug. 31 released the public version of its report to the U.S. Trade Representative on potential changes to the Generalized System of Preferences program for 2014, it said in a press release (here). The report (here) includes data related to potential competitive need limitation (CNL) waivers for two products from Thailand under subheadings 2008.19.15 (coconuts, otherwise prepared or preserved, nesoi) and 7408.29.10 (copper alloys (o/than brass, cupro-nickel or nickel-silver), wire, coated or plated with metal), as well as on certain articles of cotton under headings 5201 and 5202 that may gain GSP eligibility. The report will inform USTR’s 2014 GSP Review (see 1507060025). The advice contained in the report is confidential.
The 2015 review of the Generalized System of Preferences gives stakeholders the opportunity to petition for inclusion of previously-banned travel goods in the GSP program, said the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) on Aug. 25 (here). The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently launched that process through a request for petitions and competitive need limitation waivers (see 1508180027).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 17-21 in case they were missed.
The International Trade Commission is readying to release a public report in late August on the effects of waivers on competitive need limitations for two Thai products in the Generalized System of Preferences, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. USTR is giving stakeholders seven calendar days after the release of the ITC report to comment on its contents, said the USTR notice (here).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is moving forward with its review of the Generalized System of Preferences and is ready to consider petitions to modify both the list of GSP-eligible products and the beneficiary status of GSP countries, it said (here). The agency will also begin to accept petitions for waivers on 2015 GSP competitive need limitations. The agency outlined the following new deadlines in its GSP review (petitions are due at 5:00 p.m. on each deadline):
A U.S. transition from the African Growth and Opportunity Act to free trade agreements with sub-Saharan Africa would take “many years to finalize and implement,” said the Government Accountability Office in a report on AGOA released in recent days. That transition would require the U.S. to establish “timeframes to end access to trade preference programs,” and U.S. officials would likely have to keep the scope of the agreements initially limited, said the summary for the report (here). President Barack Obama signed into law a ten-year AGOA renewal in late June, alongside renewal for the Generalized System of Preferences and other trade legislation (see 1506290045).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is readying to hold an Aug. 11 hearing on competitive needs limitations and proposed designations for cotton products, and stakeholders submitted a range of comments in recent days (here). Those comments were due on July 31 in accordance with USTR’s deadlines for the review (see 1507060025). In the comments, industry and government officials pressured the agency to preserve CNLs for a long list of products, from Thai coconuts to Indian gold rope necklaces to Turkish copper. The National Cotton Council expressed support for GSP-eligibility for certain cotton of various specific staple lengths (not carded or combed), certain cotton card strips made from cotton waste and certain cotton fibers (carded or combed) that originate in least developed beneficiary developing countries. The Malawian government also pushed USTR to admit those cotton products. A number of other stakeholders submitted comments.