WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings Regarding Measures of the European Communities Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech Products, 4288-4290 [E8-1143]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 16 / Thursday, January 24, 2008 / Notices
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
recommendations included in recent
ACRS reports and letters.
11:45 a.m.–12 p.m.: Subcommittee
Report (Open)—The Committee will
hear a report by the Chairman of the
ACRS Subcommittee on Reliability and
Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA)
regarding Draft NUREG–1855,
‘‘Guidance on the Treatment of
Uncertainties Associated with PRAs in
Risk-Informed Decisionmaking,’’ that
was discussed during the meeting on
December 19, 2007.
1 p.m.–3 p.m.: Draft ACRS Report on
the NRC Safety Research Program
(Open)—The Committee will discuss
the draft ACRS report to the
Commission on the NRC Safety
Research Program.
3:15 p.m.–7 p.m.: Preparation of
ACRS Reports (Open)—The Committee
will discuss proposed ACRS reports.
Saturday, February 9, 2008, Conference
Room T–2B3, Two White Flint North,
Rockville, Maryland
7:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.: Draft ACRS
Report on the NRC Safety Research
Program (Open)—The Committee will
continue its discussion of the draft
ACRS report on the NRC Safety
Research Program.
9:45 a.m.–1 p.m.: Preparation of
ACRS Reports (Open)—The Committee
will continue its discussion of proposed
ACRS reports.
1 p.m.–1:30 p.m.: Miscellaneous
(Open)—The Committee will discuss
matters related to the conduct of
Committee activities and matters and
specific issues that were not completed
during previous meetings, as time and
availability of information permit.
Procedures for the conduct of and
participation in ACRS meetings were
published in the Federal Register on
September 26, 2007 (72 FR 54695). In
accordance with those procedures, oral
or written views may be presented by
members of the public, including
representatives of the nuclear industry.
Electronic recordings will be permitted
only during the open portions of the
meeting. Persons desiring to make oral
statements should notify the Cognizant
ACRS staff named below five days
before the meeting, if possible, so that
appropriate arrangements can be made
to allow necessary time during the
meeting for such statements. Use of still,
motion picture, and television cameras
during the meeting may be limited to
selected portions of the meeting as
determined by the Chairman.
Information regarding the time to be set
aside for this purpose may be obtained
by contacting the Cognizant ACRS staff
prior to the meeting. In view of the
possibility that the schedule for ACRS
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meetings may be adjusted by the
Chairman as necessary to facilitate the
conduct of the meeting, persons
planning to attend should check with
the Cognizant ACRS staff if such
rescheduling would result in major
inconvenience.
In accordance with Subsection 10(d)
(Pub.L. 92–463), I have determined that
it may be necessary to close portions of
this meeting noted above to discuss and
protect information classified as
proprietary to BWROG, and their
contractors pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(4), and information the
premature disclosure of which would be
likely to significantly frustrate
implementation of a proposed agency
action pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
552b(c)(9)(B).
Further information regarding topics
to be discussed, whether the meeting
has been canceled or rescheduled, as
well as the Chairman’s ruling on
requests for the opportunity to present
oral statements and the time allotted
therefor can be obtained by contacting
Mr. Girija S. Shukla, Cognizant ACRS
staff (301–415–6855), between 7:30 a.m.
and 4 p.m., (ET). ACRS meeting agenda,
meeting transcripts, and letter reports
are available through the NRC Public
Document Room at pdr@nrc.gov, or by
calling the PDR at 1–800–397–4209, or
from the Publicly Available Records
System (PARS) component of NRC’s
document system (ADAMS) which is
accessible from the NRC Web site at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html or https://www.nrc.gov/
reading-rm/doc-collections/ (ACRS &
ACNW Mtg schedules/agendas).
Video teleconferencing service is
available for observing open sessions of
ACRS meetings. Those wishing to use
this service for observing ACRS
meetings should contact Mr. Theron
Brown, ACRS Audio Visual Technician
(301–415–8066), between 7:30 a.m. and
3:45 p.m., (ET), at least 10 days before
the meeting to ensure the availability of
this service.
Individuals or organizations
requesting this service will be
responsible for telephone line charges
and for providing the equipment and
facilities that they use to establish the
video teleconferencing link. The
availability of video teleconferencing
services is not guaranteed.
Dated: January 17, 2008.
Annette Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. E8–1189 Filed 1–23–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safeguards; Subcommittee Meeting on
Safety Research Program; Notice of
Meeting
The ACRS Subcommittee on Safety
Research Program will hold a meeting
on February 5, 2008, Room T–2B1,
11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland.
The entire meeting will be open to
public attendance.
The agenda for the subject meeting
shall be as follows:
Tuesday, February 5, 2008—9:30 a.m.
Until the Conclusion of Business
The Subcommittee will discuss the
scope of long-term research the agency
needs to consider. The purpose of this
meeting is to gather information,
analyze relevant issues and facts, and
formulate proposed positions and
actions, as appropriate, for deliberation
by the full Committee.
Members of the public desiring to
provide oral statements and/or written
comments should notify the Designated
Federal Official, Dr. Hossein P.
Nourbakhsh (Telephone: 301–415–5622)
five days prior to the meeting, if
possible, so that appropriate
arrangements can be made. Electronic
recordings will be permitted. Detailed
procedures for the conduct of and
participation in ACRS meetings were
published in the Federal Register on
September 26, 2007 (72 FR 54695).
Further information regarding this
meeting can be obtained by contacting
the Designated Federal Official between
7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ET). Persons
planning to attend this meeting are
urged to contact the above named
individual at least two working days
prior to the meeting to be advised of any
potential changes to the agenda.
Dated: January 15, 2008.
Charles G. Hammer,
Acting Chief, Reactor Safety Branch.
[FR Doc. E8–1073 Filed 1–23–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. WTO/DS–291]
WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings
Regarding Measures of the European
Communities Affecting the Approval
and Marketing of Biotech Products
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 16 / Thursday, January 24, 2008 / Notices
ACTION:
Notice; request for comments.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
SUMMARY: The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (‘‘USTR’’) is
providing notice that on January 17,
2008, the United States submitted to the
World Trade Organization (‘‘WTO’’) a
request for authorization to suspend
WTO concessions and other obligations
with respect to the European
Communities (‘‘EC’’) in an amount equal
to the level of nullification and
impairment resulting from EC noncompliance with the WTO
recommendations and rulings. Under a
sequencing agreement with the EC, that
request will be referred to arbitration
and the arbitration will be suspended
while the United States and EC continue
to try to resolve this dispute and related
matters. To prepare for the possibility
that the arbitration is resumed and the
WTO Dispute Settlement Body (‘‘DSB’’)
authorizes the United States to suspend
WTO concessions with respect to the
EC, USTR is inviting written comments
on action that USTR should take to
exercise such an authorization. In
particular, USTR seeks written
comments with respect to the specific
products of the EC or EC member States,
and/or with respect to the specific
member States of the EC, that should be
subject to a suspension of WTO
concessions, such as through increases
of rates of duty above current rates.
DATES: Comments are requested to be
submitted on or before March 21, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be
submitted either (i) electronically, to
FR0805@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘EC-Biotech
Dispute’’ in the subject line, or (ii) by
fax, to Sandy McKinzy at 202–395–
3640, with a confirmation copy sent
electronically to the e-mail address
above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melissa Clarkson, Director, Agricultural
Affairs, (202) 395–6127, or William
Busis, Associate General Counsel and
Chair, Section 301 Committee, (202)
395–3150.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
EC-Biotech Dispute
USTR has previously provided notice
and requested public comment
regarding the establishment on August
29, 2003, of a WTO panel at the request
of the United States to examine EC
measures affecting the approval and
marketing of biotech products. See 69
FR 11,927.
The WTO Panel issued its report on
September 29, 2006. The Panel agreed
with the United States that the disputed
measures of the EC, Austria, France,
Germany, Greece, Italy, and
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20:35 Jan 23, 2008
Jkt 214001
Luxembourg are inconsistent with the
obligations set out in the WTO
Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
(‘‘SPS Agreement’’). In particular:
—The Panel found that the EC adopted
a de facto, across-the-board
moratorium on the final approval of
biotech products, starting in 1999 up
through the time the panel was
established in August 2003.
—The Panel found that the EC had
presented no scientific or regulatory
justification for the moratorium, and
thus that the moratorium resulted in
‘‘undue delays’’ in violation of the
EC’s obligations under the SPS
Agreement.
—The Panel also identified specific,
WTO-inconsistent ‘‘undue delays’’
with regard to 24 of the 27 pending
product applications that were listed
in the U.S. panel request.
—The Panel found that the bans
adopted by six EC member States on
biotech products approved in the EC
prior to the moratorium were not
supported by scientific evidence and
were thus inconsistent with
obligations under the SPS Agreement.
The DSB adopted the panel report on
November 21, 2006. At the meeting of
the DSB held on December 19, 2006, the
EC notified the DSB that the EC
intended to implement the
recommendations and rulings of the
DSB in the dispute, and stated that it
would need a reasonable period of time
for implementation. On June 21, 2007,
the United States notified the DSB that
it had agreed with the EC on a one-year
period of time for implementation, to
end on November 21, 2007. The United
States subsequently notified the DSB
that it had agreed with the EC to extend
the implementation period to January
11, 2008.
On January 17, 2008, the United
States submitted to the DSB a request
for authorization to suspend WTO
concessions and other obligations with
respect to the EC on an annual basis in
an amount equal to the annual level of
nullification and impairment resulting
from EC non-compliance with DSB
recommendations and rulings. Under a
sequencing agreement with the EC, that
request will be referred to arbitration
and the arbitration will be suspended
while the United States and EC continue
to try to resolve this dispute and related
matters. The United States will
periodically evaluate EC progress
toward normalizing biotech trade
against a set of benchmarks and
timelines. If the United States decides to
pursue WTO proceedings on the EC’s
compliance, then pursuant to that
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4289
agreement the United States will file a
formal consultation request with the EC,
followed by a request for the
establishment of a WTO compliance
panel. Should the compliance panel
find that the EC has not complied with
DSB recommendations and rulings,
upon request of the United States the
arbitration will proceed. Once the
arbitrator has issued its award, the
United States will be entitled to receive
from the DSB the authorization to
suspend concessions in accordance with
the award.
Procedures for Exercising WTO
Authorization To Suspend Trade
Concessions
The practice of USTR, in pursuing
WTO authorization to suspend trade
concessions on particular products, is to
publish a broad preliminary product list
and ask for public comments on the
products to be included on a final
retaliation list. This current notice is not
intended to replace a notice publishing
and seeking comments on a preliminary
product list. Rather, the public
comments received in response to this
current notice will be used as input in
the development of a preliminary list of
specific products and of specific EC
member States. The preliminary list will
not necessarily include all products or
EC member States suggested in response
to this notice, nor will the preliminary
list be limited to such products or EC
member States.
Public Comment: Requirements for
Submissions
To prepare for the possibility that the
WTO arbitration is resumed and the
DSB authorizes the United States to
suspend WTO concessions with respect
to the EC, USTR is seeking written
comments on action that USTR should
take to exercise such an authorization.
In particular, USTR seeks written
comments with respect to the specific
products of the EC or of one or more EC
member States, and/or with respect to
specific member States of the EC, that
should be subject to a suspension of
WTO concessions and related
obligations, such as through increases of
rates of duty above current rates. If
commenters suggest suspension of WTO
concessions or related obligations with
respect to specific products, the
comments should identify the specific
headings or subheadings of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States in which such products
are classified. Commenters are
requested to explain why the
suspension with respect to particular
products or with respect to particular
EC member States would be effective in
E:\FR\FM\24JAN1.SGM
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jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
4290
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 16 / Thursday, January 24, 2008 / Notices
terms of encouraging a favorable
resolution of the EC-Biotech dispute.
Persons submitting comments may
either send one copy by fax to Sandy
McKinzy at 202–395–3640, or transmit
a copy electronically to
FR0805@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘EC-Biotech
Dispute’’ in the subject line. For
documents sent by fax, USTR requests
that the submitter provide a
confirmation copy electronically. USTR
encourages the submission of
documents in Adobe PDF format, as
attachments to an electronic mail.
Interested persons who make
submissions by electronic mail should
not provide separate cover letters;
information that might appear in a cover
letter should be included in the
submission itself. Similarly, to the
extent possible, any attachments to the
submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and
not as separate files.
Comments must be in English. A
person requesting that information
contained in a comment submitted by
that person be treated as confidential
business information must certify that
such information is business
confidential and would not customarily
be released to the public by the
submitter. Confidential business
information must be clearly designated
as such and the submission must be
marked ‘‘Business Confidential’’ at the
top and bottom of the cover page and
each succeeding page.
Information or advice contained in a
comment submitted, other than business
confidential information, may be
determined by USTR to be confidential
in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.
2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that
information or advice may qualify as
such, the submitter—
(1) Must clearly so designate the
information or advice;
(2) Must clearly mark the material as
‘‘Submitted in Confidence’’ at the top
and bottom of the cover page and each
succeeding page; and
(3) Is encouraged to provide a nonconfidential summary of the
information or advice.
USTR will maintain a file of nonconfidential comments received in
response to this notice, accessible to the
public, in the USTR Reading Room,
which is located at 1724 F Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20508. An appointment
to review the public file (Docket No.
WTO/DS–291) may be made by calling
the USTR Reading Room at (202) 395–
6186. The USTR Reading Room is open
to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon
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20:35 Jan 23, 2008
Jkt 214001
and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
William Busis,
Chair, Section 301 Committee.
[FR Doc. E8–1143 Filed 1–23–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W8–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
Upon Written Request, Copies Available
From: U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, Office of Investor
Education and Advocacy,
Washington, DC 20549–0213.
Extension: Rule 19b–7 and Form 19b–7; OMB
Control No. 3235–0553; SEC File No.
270–495.
Notice is hereby given that pursuant
to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities
and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments
on the collection of information
summarized below. The Commission
plans to submit this existing collection
of information to the Office of
Management and Budget for extension
and approval.
• (Rule 19b–7 (17 CFR 240.19b–7)
and Form 19b–7 (17 CFR 249.822)—
Filings with respect to proposed rule
changes submitted pursuant to Section
19(b)(7) of the Act.
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.) (‘‘Exchange Act’’)
provides a framework for self-regulation
under which various entities involved
in the securities business, including
national securities exchanges and
national securities associations
(collectively, self-regulatory
organizations or ‘‘SROs’’), have primary
responsibility for regulating their
members or participants. The role of the
Commission in this framework is
primarily one of oversight: the Exchange
Act charges the Commission with
supervising the SROs and assuring that
each complies with and advances the
policies of the Exchange Act.
The Exchange Act was amended by
the Commodity Futures Modernization
Act of 2000 (‘‘CFMA’’). Prior to the
CFMA, federal law did not allow the
trading of futures on individual stocks
or on narrow-based stock indexes
(collectively, ‘‘security futures
products’’). The CFMA removed this
restriction and provides that trading in
security futures products would be
regulated jointly by the Commission and
the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission.
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The Exchange Act requires all SROs
to submit to the SEC any proposals to
amend, add, or delete any of their rules.
Certain entities (Security Futures
Product Exchanges) would be national
securities exchanges only because they
trade security futures products.
Similarly, certain entities (Limited
Purpose National Securities
Associations) would be national
securities associations only because
their members trade security futures
products. The Exchange Act, as
amended by the CFMA, established a
procedure for Security Futures Product
Exchanges and Limited Purpose
National Securities Associations to
provide notice of proposed rule changes
relating to certain matters.1 Rule 19b–7
and Form 19b–7 implemented this
procedure.
The collection of information is
designed to provide the Commission
with the information necessary to
determine, as required by the Exchange
Act, whether the proposed rule change
is consistent with the Exchange Act and
the rules thereunder. The information is
used to determine if the proposed rule
change should remain in affect or
abrogated.
The respondents to the collection of
information are SROs. Five respondents
file an average total of 12 responses per
year. Each response takes approximately
17.25 hours to complete, which
corresponds to an estimated annual
response burden of 207 (12 responses ×
17.25 hours) hours. The average cost per
response is $4,607.25 (17.25 hours
multiplied by an average hourly rate of
$267.09). The resultant total related cost
of compliance for these respondents is
approximately $55,287 per year (12
responses × $4,607.25 per response).
Compliance with Rule 19b–7 is
mandatory. Information received in
response to Rule 19b–7 shall not be kept
confidential; the information collected
is public information.
Written comments are invited on: (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the Commission’s
estimates of the burden of the proposed
collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
1 These matters are higher margin levels, fraud or
manipulation, recordkeeping, reporting, listing
standards, or decimal pricing for security futures
products; sales practices for security futures
products for persons who effect transactions in
security futures products; or rules effectuating the
obligation of Security Futures Product Exchanges
and Limited Purpose National Securities
Associations to enforce the securities laws. See 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(7)(A).
E:\FR\FM\24JAN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 16 (Thursday, January 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4288-4290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1143]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. WTO/DS-291]
WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings Regarding Measures of the
European Communities Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech
Products
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[[Page 4289]]
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative
(``USTR'') is providing notice that on January 17, 2008, the United
States submitted to the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') a request
for authorization to suspend WTO concessions and other obligations with
respect to the European Communities (``EC'') in an amount equal to the
level of nullification and impairment resulting from EC non-compliance
with the WTO recommendations and rulings. Under a sequencing agreement
with the EC, that request will be referred to arbitration and the
arbitration will be suspended while the United States and EC continue
to try to resolve this dispute and related matters. To prepare for the
possibility that the arbitration is resumed and the WTO Dispute
Settlement Body (``DSB'') authorizes the United States to suspend WTO
concessions with respect to the EC, USTR is inviting written comments
on action that USTR should take to exercise such an authorization. In
particular, USTR seeks written comments with respect to the specific
products of the EC or EC member States, and/or with respect to the
specific member States of the EC, that should be subject to a
suspension of WTO concessions, such as through increases of rates of
duty above current rates.
DATES: Comments are requested to be submitted on or before March 21,
2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted either (i) electronically, to
FR0805@ustr.eop.gov, with ``EC-Biotech Dispute'' in the subject line,
or (ii) by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at 202-395-3640, with a confirmation
copy sent electronically to the e-mail address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Clarkson, Director,
Agricultural Affairs, (202) 395-6127, or William Busis, Associate
General Counsel and Chair, Section 301 Committee, (202) 395-3150.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
EC-Biotech Dispute
USTR has previously provided notice and requested public comment
regarding the establishment on August 29, 2003, of a WTO panel at the
request of the United States to examine EC measures affecting the
approval and marketing of biotech products. See 69 FR 11,927.
The WTO Panel issued its report on September 29, 2006. The Panel
agreed with the United States that the disputed measures of the EC,
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Luxembourg are
inconsistent with the obligations set out in the WTO Agreement on the
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (``SPS Agreement'').
In particular:
--The Panel found that the EC adopted a de facto, across-the-board
moratorium on the final approval of biotech products, starting in 1999
up through the time the panel was established in August 2003.
--The Panel found that the EC had presented no scientific or regulatory
justification for the moratorium, and thus that the moratorium resulted
in ``undue delays'' in violation of the EC's obligations under the SPS
Agreement.
--The Panel also identified specific, WTO-inconsistent ``undue delays''
with regard to 24 of the 27 pending product applications that were
listed in the U.S. panel request.
--The Panel found that the bans adopted by six EC member States on
biotech products approved in the EC prior to the moratorium were not
supported by scientific evidence and were thus inconsistent with
obligations under the SPS Agreement.
The DSB adopted the panel report on November 21, 2006. At the
meeting of the DSB held on December 19, 2006, the EC notified the DSB
that the EC intended to implement the recommendations and rulings of
the DSB in the dispute, and stated that it would need a reasonable
period of time for implementation. On June 21, 2007, the United States
notified the DSB that it had agreed with the EC on a one-year period of
time for implementation, to end on November 21, 2007. The United States
subsequently notified the DSB that it had agreed with the EC to extend
the implementation period to January 11, 2008.
On January 17, 2008, the United States submitted to the DSB a
request for authorization to suspend WTO concessions and other
obligations with respect to the EC on an annual basis in an amount
equal to the annual level of nullification and impairment resulting
from EC non-compliance with DSB recommendations and rulings. Under a
sequencing agreement with the EC, that request will be referred to
arbitration and the arbitration will be suspended while the United
States and EC continue to try to resolve this dispute and related
matters. The United States will periodically evaluate EC progress
toward normalizing biotech trade against a set of benchmarks and
timelines. If the United States decides to pursue WTO proceedings on
the EC's compliance, then pursuant to that agreement the United States
will file a formal consultation request with the EC, followed by a
request for the establishment of a WTO compliance panel. Should the
compliance panel find that the EC has not complied with DSB
recommendations and rulings, upon request of the United States the
arbitration will proceed. Once the arbitrator has issued its award, the
United States will be entitled to receive from the DSB the
authorization to suspend concessions in accordance with the award.
Procedures for Exercising WTO Authorization To Suspend Trade
Concessions
The practice of USTR, in pursuing WTO authorization to suspend
trade concessions on particular products, is to publish a broad
preliminary product list and ask for public comments on the products to
be included on a final retaliation list. This current notice is not
intended to replace a notice publishing and seeking comments on a
preliminary product list. Rather, the public comments received in
response to this current notice will be used as input in the
development of a preliminary list of specific products and of specific
EC member States. The preliminary list will not necessarily include all
products or EC member States suggested in response to this notice, nor
will the preliminary list be limited to such products or EC member
States.
Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions
To prepare for the possibility that the WTO arbitration is resumed
and the DSB authorizes the United States to suspend WTO concessions
with respect to the EC, USTR is seeking written comments on action that
USTR should take to exercise such an authorization. In particular, USTR
seeks written comments with respect to the specific products of the EC
or of one or more EC member States, and/or with respect to specific
member States of the EC, that should be subject to a suspension of WTO
concessions and related obligations, such as through increases of rates
of duty above current rates. If commenters suggest suspension of WTO
concessions or related obligations with respect to specific products,
the comments should identify the specific headings or subheadings of
the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States in which such
products are classified. Commenters are requested to explain why the
suspension with respect to particular products or with respect to
particular EC member States would be effective in
[[Page 4290]]
terms of encouraging a favorable resolution of the EC-Biotech dispute.
Persons submitting comments may either send one copy by fax to
Sandy McKinzy at 202-395-3640, or transmit a copy electronically to
FR0805@ustr.eop.gov, with ``EC-Biotech Dispute'' in the subject line.
For documents sent by fax, USTR requests that the submitter provide a
confirmation copy electronically. USTR encourages the submission of
documents in Adobe PDF format, as attachments to an electronic mail.
Interested persons who make submissions by electronic mail should not
provide separate cover letters; information that might appear in a
cover letter should be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to
the extent possible, any attachments to the submission should be
included in the same file as the submission itself, and not as separate
files.
Comments must be in English. A person requesting that information
contained in a comment submitted by that person be treated as
confidential business information must certify that such information is
business confidential and would not customarily be released to the
public by the submitter. Confidential business information must be
clearly designated as such and the submission must be marked ``Business
Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page and each
succeeding page.
Information or advice contained in a comment submitted, other than
business confidential information, may be determined by USTR to be
confidential in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of the Trade Act of
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that information
or advice may qualify as such, the submitter--
(1) Must clearly so designate the information or advice;
(2) Must clearly mark the material as ``Submitted in Confidence''
at the top and bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page; and
(3) Is encouraged to provide a non-confidential summary of the
information or advice.
USTR will maintain a file of non-confidential comments received in
response to this notice, accessible to the public, in the USTR Reading
Room, which is located at 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. An
appointment to review the public file (Docket No. WTO/DS-291) may be
made by calling the USTR Reading Room at (202) 395-6186. The USTR
Reading Room is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
William Busis,
Chair, Section 301 Committee.
[FR Doc. E8-1143 Filed 1-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W8-P
