Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing Requirements With Respect to Goods and Services of a New Member State of the European Union (Republic of Croatia), 60368-60369 [2013-23857]

Download as PDF emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES 60368 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 1, 2013 / Notices (19 U.S.C. 3703); and (2) section 502 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2462). Section 104 of AGOA includes requirements that the country has established or is making substantial progress toward establishing, inter alia: a market-based economy; the rule of law, political pluralism, and the right to due process; the elimination of barriers to U.S. trade and investment; economic policies to reduce poverty; a system to combat corruption and bribery; and protection of internationally recognized worker rights. In addition, the country may not engage in activities that undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests or engage in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Please see section 104 of AGOA and section 502 of the 1974 Act for a complete list of the AGOA eligibility criteria. Section 506A of the 1974 Act requires that, if the President determines that a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country is not meeting the eligibility requirements, he must terminate the designation of the country as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country. For 2013, 39 countries were designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. These countries, as well as the countries currently designated as ineligible, are listed below. Section 506A of the 1974 Act provides that the President shall monitor and review annually the progress of each sub-Saharan African country in meeting the foregoing eligibility criteria in order to determine whether each beneficiary sub-Saharan African country should continue to be eligible, and whether each sub-Saharan African country that is currently not a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country, should be designated as such a country. The Subcommittee is seeking public comments in connection with the annual review of the eligibility of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries for AGOA’s benefits. The Subcommittee will consider any such comments in developing recommendations on country eligibility for the President. Comments related to the child labor criteria may also be considered by the Secretary of Labor in making the findings required under section 504 of the 1974 Act. The following sub-Saharan African countries were designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in 2013: Angola Republic of Benin Republic of Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi VerDate Mar<15>2010 14:45 Sep 30, 2013 Jkt 232001 Republic of Cape Verde Republic of Cameroon Republic of Chad Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros Republic of Congo Republic of Cote d’Ivoire Republic of Djibouti Ethiopia Gabonese Republic The Gambia Republic of Ghana Republic of Guinea Republic of Kenya Kingdom of Lesotho Republic of Liberia Republic of Malawi Republic of Mali Islamic Republic of Mauritania Republic of Mauritius Republic of Mozambique Republic of Namibia Republic of Niger Federal Republic of Nigeria Republic of Rwanda Sao Tome & Principe Republic of Senegal Republic of Seychelles Republic of Sierra Leone Republic of South Africa Republic of South Sudan Kingdom of Swaziland United Republic of Tanzania Republic of Togo Republic of Uganda Republic of Zambia The following sub-Saharan African countries were not designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in 2013: Central African Republic Democratic Republic of Congo Republic of Equatorial Guinea State of Eritrea Republic of Guinea-Bissau Republic of Madagascar Republic of Mali Somalia Republic of Sudan Republic of Zimbabwe Requirements for Submissions: Comments must be submitted in English. To ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and consideration of petitions, USTR has arranged to accept on-line submissions via https:// www.regulations.gov. To submit petitions via this site, enter docket number USTR–2013–0035 on the home page and click ‘‘search.’’ The site will provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice on search-results page and click on the link entitled ‘‘Submit a Comment.’’ (For further information on using the https://www.regulations,gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ‘‘Help’’ at the top of the home page.) PO 00000 Frm 00126 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The https://www.regulations.gov Web site provides the option of making submissions by filling in a ‘‘Type Comment’’ field, or by attaching a document. USTR prefers comments to be submitted as attachments. When doing this, it is sufficient to type ‘‘See attached’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field. Submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) are preferred. Persons wishing to file comments containing business confidential information must submit both a business confidential version and a public version. Persons submitting business confidential information should write ‘‘See attached BC comments’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field. Any page containing business confidential information must be clearly marked BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL on the top of that page. Persons submitting a business confidential comment must also submit a separate public version of that comment with the business confidential information deleted. Persons should write ‘‘See attached public version’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field of the public submission. Submissions should not attach separate cover letters; rather, information that might appear in the cover letter should be included in the comments you submit. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments to a submission in the same file as the submission itself and not as separate files. Public versions of all documents relating to this review will be available for review no later than two weeks after the due date at www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR–2013–0035. Douglas Bell, Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee. [FR Doc. 2013–23863 Filed 9–30–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3290–F3–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing Requirements With Respect to Goods and Services of a New Member State of the European Union (Republic of Croatia) Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing Requirements under the Trade Agreements Act of 1979. AGENCY: DATES: Effective Date: September 30, 2013. E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 1, 2013 / Notices emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott J. Pietan, Director of International Procurement Policy, Office of the United States Trade Representative, (202) 395–9646. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The European Union (‘‘EU’’) is a party to the World Trade Organization (‘‘WTO’’) Agreement on Government Procurement (‘‘GPA’’) and has assumed rights and obligations under the GPA on behalf of its Member States. On July 1, 2013, the Republic of Croatia acceded to the EU. In light of that accession, the EU has committed to assume rights and obligations on behalf of the new Member State under the GPA. On June 27, 2013 the WTO Committee on Government Procurement approved the application of the GPA to the Republic of Croatia. The United States, which is also a party to the GPA, has agreed to waive discriminatory purchasing requirements for eligible products and suppliers of the Republic of Croatia, beginning on September 30, 2013. Section 1–201 of Executive Order 12260 of December 31, 1980 delegated the functions of the President under sections 301 and 302 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (‘‘the Trade Agreements Act’’) (19 U.S.C. 2511, 2512) to the United States Trade Representative. Determination: In conformity with sections 301 and 302 of the Trade Agreements Act, and in order to carry out U.S. obligations under the GPA, I hereby determine that: 1. The European Union, including the Republic of Croatia, is an instrumentality that: (A) is a party to the GPA; and (B) will provide appropriate reciprocal competitive government procurement opportunities to United States products and services and suppliers of such products and services. In accordance with section 301(b)(1) of the Trade Agreements Act, the European Union is so designated for purposes of section 301(a) of the Trade Agreements Act. 2. Accordingly, beginning on September 30, 2013, with respect to eligible products (namely, those goods and services covered under the GPA for procurement by the United States) of the Republic of Croatia and suppliers of such products, the application of any law, regulation, procedure, or practice regarding government procurement that would, if applied to such products and suppliers, result in treatment less favorable than that accorded— (A) To United States products and suppliers of such products, or (B) To eligible products of another foreign country or instrumentality VerDate Mar<15>2010 14:45 Sep 30, 2013 Jkt 232001 which is a party to the GPA and suppliers of such products, shall be waived. This waiver shall be applied by all entities listed in United States Annexes 1 and 3 of GPA Appendix 1. 3. The Trade Representative may modify or withdraw the designation in paragraph 1 and the waiver in paragraph 2. 4. This notice shall not affect the treatment to be accorded to eligible products of any country that was a Member State of the European Union before September 30, 2013. Dated: September 17, 2013. Mike Froman, United States Trade Representative. [FR Doc. 2013–23857 Filed 9–30–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3290–F3–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Transit Administration Discretionary Funding Opportunity Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA): Solicitation of Project Proposals for Innovative Safety, Resiliency, and All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery Research Demonstrations. AGENCY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of $29,000,000 in Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment Program funds for innovative safety, resiliency, and allhazards emergency response and recovery research demonstration projects of national significance. This NOFA makes funds available for cooperative agreements to engage in the demonstration of innovative technologies, methods, practices and techniques in three areas: (1) Operational safety, (2) infrastructure or equipment resiliency and (3) all-hazards emergency response and recovery methods. Eligible applicants include providers of public transportation; State and local governmental entities; departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government including Federal laboratories; private or non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and technical and community colleges. This notice solicits competitive proposals addressing priorities established by FTA for these research areas, provides instructions for submitting proposals, and describes criteria FTA will use to identify meritorious proposals for funding. This SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00127 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 60369 NOFA is also available on the FTA Web site at: www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on the Web site and in the Federal Register. Additionally, a synopsis of this funding opportunity will appear on the government-wide electronic grants Web site www.grants.gov (GRANTS.GOV). DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the (GRANTS.GOV) ‘‘APPLY’’ function by December 2, 2013. Prospective applicants should initiate the process by registering on the GRANTS.GOV Web site promptly to ensure completion of the application process before the submission deadline. Instructions for applying can be found on FTA’s Web site at https://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/ 13077.html and in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific information regarding the three areas of research targeted within this NOFA contact the following program specialists in FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation (TRI): For operational safety questions, contact Roy Chen, Office of Technology, email: royweishun.chen@dot.gov. For infrastructure or equipment resiliency questions, please contact Terrell Williams, Office of Technology, email: terrell.williams@dot.gov. For all-hazards emergency response and recovery questions contact Patrick Centolanzi, Office of Technology, email: patrick.centolanzi@dot.gov. For general program information on this opportunity, contact Matthew Lesh, email: matthew.lesh@dot.gov. A TDD is available at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/ FIRS). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Table of Contents A. Authority B. Purpose C. Program Information D. Proposal Submission Process E. Proposal Information F. Proposal Content G. Evaluation Criteria H. Review and Selection Process I. Award Information J. Award Administration K. Technical Assistance Appendix A: Registration in GRANTS.GOV A. Authority The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, Public Law 112–55, made $25,000,000 available to carry out innovative research and demonstrations of national significance under 49 U.S.C. 5312. Of that amount, this NOFA makes $20.8 million available for innovative safety, E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60368-60369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23857]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing 
Requirements With Respect to Goods and Services of a New Member State 
of the European Union (Republic of Croatia)

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing 
Requirements under the Trade Agreements Act of 1979.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DATES: Effective Date: September 30, 2013.

[[Page 60369]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott J. Pietan, Director of 
International Procurement Policy, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, (202) 395-9646.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The European Union (``EU'') is a party to 
the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') Agreement on Government 
Procurement (``GPA'') and has assumed rights and obligations under the 
GPA on behalf of its Member States. On July 1, 2013, the Republic of 
Croatia acceded to the EU. In light of that accession, the EU has 
committed to assume rights and obligations on behalf of the new Member 
State under the GPA. On June 27, 2013 the WTO Committee on Government 
Procurement approved the application of the GPA to the Republic of 
Croatia. The United States, which is also a party to the GPA, has 
agreed to waive discriminatory purchasing requirements for eligible 
products and suppliers of the Republic of Croatia, beginning on 
September 30, 2013.
    Section 1-201 of Executive Order 12260 of December 31, 1980 
delegated the functions of the President under sections 301 and 302 of 
the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (``the Trade Agreements Act'') (19 
U.S.C. 2511, 2512) to the United States Trade Representative.
    Determination: In conformity with sections 301 and 302 of the Trade 
Agreements Act, and in order to carry out U.S. obligations under the 
GPA, I hereby determine that:
    1. The European Union, including the Republic of Croatia, is an 
instrumentality that: (A) is a party to the GPA; and (B) will provide 
appropriate reciprocal competitive government procurement opportunities 
to United States products and services and suppliers of such products 
and services. In accordance with section 301(b)(1) of the Trade 
Agreements Act, the European Union is so designated for purposes of 
section 301(a) of the Trade Agreements Act.
    2. Accordingly, beginning on September 30, 2013, with respect to 
eligible products (namely, those goods and services covered under the 
GPA for procurement by the United States) of the Republic of Croatia 
and suppliers of such products, the application of any law, regulation, 
procedure, or practice regarding government procurement that would, if 
applied to such products and suppliers, result in treatment less 
favorable than that accorded--
    (A) To United States products and suppliers of such products, or
    (B) To eligible products of another foreign country or 
instrumentality which is a party to the GPA and suppliers of such 
products, shall be waived. This waiver shall be applied by all entities 
listed in United States Annexes 1 and 3 of GPA Appendix 1.
    3. The Trade Representative may modify or withdraw the designation 
in paragraph 1 and the waiver in paragraph 2.
    4. This notice shall not affect the treatment to be accorded to 
eligible products of any country that was a Member State of the 
European Union before September 30, 2013.

    Dated: September 17, 2013.
Mike Froman,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2013-23857 Filed 9-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F3-P
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