98-18285. Trade Policy Staff Committee; Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); Notice of the Results of the 1997 Annual Review and 1998 De Minimis Waiver and Redesignation Reviews; Designation of Associations of Countries for Treatment as One ...

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 131 (Thursday, July 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37162-37166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-18285]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Generalized System of Preferences 
(GSP); Notice of the Results of the 1997 Annual Review and 1998 De 
Minimis Waiver and Redesignation Reviews; Designation of Associations 
of Countries for Treatment as One Country

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of the GSP changes.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the disposition of the petitions 
accepted for review in the 1997 Annual Review of the GSP program, the 
results of the 1998 De Minimis Waiver and Redesignation Reviews, 
exclusions for products that exceeded the GSP competitive need 
limitations (CNLs), and the designation of the three associations of 
African countries each as eligible for treatment as a single country 
for purposes of the rule of origin requirements of the GSP program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: GSP Subcommittee, Office of the United 
States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW., Room 518, 
Washington, D.C. 20508. The telephone number is [phone]. A press 
release on the GSP changes covered by this notice is available through 
the USTR Fax Retrieval System [phone], or by contracting the 
USTR Office of the Public and Media Affairs at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP is provided for in Title V of the 
Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2461-2465) (the 1974 Act). The 
President's decisions concerning the GSP changes addressed in this 
notice are also reflected in Proclamation No. 7107 of June 30, 1998. 
Unless otherwise specified, the changes in the GSP program addressed in 
this notice took effect on July 1, 1998.

    In the 1997 Annual Review, the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee accepted for review fifteen petitions to designate as 
eligible for GSP treatment certain articles that currently are 
designated as GSP eligible articles only from least-developed 
beneficiary developing countries, one petition to withdraw GSP 
eligibility for a certain article; and ten petitions for CNL waivers 
(62 FR 43408 and 62 FR 50426). The disposition of these petitions is 
indicated in Annex I of this notice.
    In the 1998 De Minimis Waiver and Redesignation Reviews, the 
appraised import values during 1997 of each GSP-eligible article were 
reviewed to

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determine whether particular articles from particular GSP beneficiary 
developing countries exceeded the GSP CNLs. De minimis waivers were 
granted to certain articles which exceeded the 50 percent import share 
CNL, but for which the aggregate value of the imports of that article 
was below the 1997 de minimis level of $13.5 million. Annex II to this 
notice contains a list of these articles.
    Certain articles that had previously exceeded GSP CNLs but that had 
fallen below the CNLs in 1997 ($80 million and 50 percent of U.S. 
imports of the article) were redesignated for GSP eligibility. These 
articles are listed in Annex III to this notice.
    Articles that exceeded GSP CNLs in 1997, and that are newly 
excluded from GSP eligibility, are listed in Annex IV to this notice.
    The President has determined that the members of the West African 
Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Southern African Development 
Community (SADC), and the Tripartite Commission for East African 
Cooperation (EAC) should each be treated as one country for purposes of 
the rule of origin of the GSP program. Proclamation No. 7107 of June 
30, 1998 designated WAEMU as an association of countries that shall be 
treated as one country, and provides that the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) shall announce in one or more Federal Register 
notices the effective dates of designation for countries in the SADC 
and EAC.
    The USTR has determined that three members of the SADC-Botswana, 
Mauritius, and Tanzania-should be treated as one country for the 
purposes of the rule of origin requirements of the GSP program, 
effective on the date of publication of this notice. Annex V to this 
notice embodies this GSP change in the United States Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

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[FR Doc. 98-18285 Filed 7-8-98; 8:45 am]
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