To Modify the List of Beneficiary Developing Countries Under the Trade Act of 1974, 23425-23429 [2019-10761]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 98 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23425-23429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10761]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 98 / Tuesday, May 21, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 23425]]


                Proclamation 9887 of May 16, 2019

                
To Modify the List of Beneficiary Developing 
                Countries Under the Trade Act of 1974

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                1. In Executive Order 11888 of November 24, 1975, the 
                President designated Turkey as a beneficiary developing 
                country for purposes of the Generalized System of 
                Preferences (GSP) (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.).

                2. Pursuant to section 502(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 
                1974, as amended (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C. 
                2462(d)(1)), the President may withdraw, suspend, or 
                limit the application of the duty-free treatment 
                accorded under the GSP with respect to any beneficiary 
                developing country. In taking any action under section 
                502(d)(1) of the 1974 Act, the President shall consider 
                the factors set forth in sections 501 and 502(c) of the 
                1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2461 and 2462(c)).

                3. Section 502(c)(2) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2462(c)(2)) provides that, in determining whether to 
                designate any country as a beneficiary developing 
                country, the President shall take into account, among 
                other factors, the level of economic development of 
                such country, including its per capita gross national 
                product, the living standards of its inhabitants, and 
                any other economic factors that the President deems 
                appropriate.

                4. Consistent with section 502(d)(1) of the 1974 Act, 
                and having considered the factors set forth in sections 
                501 and 502(c), I have determined that, based on its 
                level of economic development, it is appropriate to 
                terminate Turkey's designation as a beneficiary 
                developing country effective May 17, 2019.

                5. Section 502(f)(2) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2462(f)(2)) requires the President to notify the 
                Congress and the affected beneficiary developing 
                country, at least 60 days before termination, of the 
                President's intention to terminate the affected 
                country's designation as a beneficiary developing 
                country, together with the considerations entering into 
                such decision. I notified the Congress and Turkey on 
                March 4, 2019, of my intent to terminate Turkey's 
                designation, together with the considerations entering 
                into my decision.

                6. Pursuant to section 203 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2253), and after receiving a report from the 
                International Trade Commission prepared under section 
                202 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2252), the President may 
                implement a measure in the form of a safeguard to 
                address increased imports of articles that are a 
                substantial cause of serious injury to a domestic 
                industry producing like or directly competitive 
                products. When acting pursuant to section 203 of the 
                1974 Act, the President shall take action that he 
                determines will facilitate efforts of the domestic 
                industry to make a positive adjustment to import 
                competition and provide greater economic and social 
                benefits than costs.

                7. In Proclamation 9693 of January 23, 2018, I, 
                pursuant to section 203 of the 1974 Act, implemented a 
                safeguard measure on imports of certain crystalline 
                silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells, whether or not 
                partially or fully assembled into other products 
                (including, but not limited to, modules, laminates, 
                panels, and building-integrated materials) (``CSPV 
                products''). In Proclamation 9694 of January 23, 2018, 
                I, pursuant to section 203 of the

[[Page 23426]]

                1974 Act, implemented a safeguard measure on imports of 
                large residential washers.

                8. The safeguard measures implemented by Proclamations 
                9693 and 9694 exempt imports of covered products from 
                developing countries that are Members of the World 
                Trade Organization (WTO), including Turkey, if such a 
                country's individual share of total imports of the 
                product does not exceed 3 percent and if imports of all 
                such countries with less than 3 percent import share do 
                not collectively account for more than 9 percent of 
                total imports of the product.

                9. Consistent with my determination that it is 
                appropriate to terminate the designation of Turkey as a 
                beneficiary developing country under the GSP, effective 
                May 17, 2019, I have determined to remove it from the 
                list of developing country WTO Members exempt from 
                application of the safeguard measures on CSPV products 
                and large residential washers. To reflect Turkey's 
                removal from the list, I have determined that it is 
                appropriate to revise subdivision (b)(2) of U.S. note 
                17 and subdivision (b) of U.S. note 18 to subchapter 
                III of chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
                the United States (HTS) to delete the references to 
                Turkey.

                10. Section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2483) 
                authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the 
                substance of the relevant provisions of the 1974 Act, 
                and of other Acts affecting import treatment, and 
                actions thereunder, including removal, modification, 
                continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other 
                import restriction.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, acting under the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States of America, including title V and 
                sections 203 and 604 of the 1974 Act, do hereby 
                proclaim that:

                    (1) The designation of Turkey as a beneficiary 
                developing country is terminated, effective May 17, 
                2019.
                    (2) To reflect this termination, general notes 4(a) 
                and 4(d) and pertinent subheadings of the HTS are 
                modified as set forth in Annex A to this proclamation.
                    (3) Any provisions of previous proclamations and 
                Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions 
                taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent 
                of such inconsistency.
                    (4) The exemption for Turkey from application of 
                the safeguard measures on CSPV products and large 
                residential washers is removed, effective May 17, 2019.
                    (5) To reflect this revision, subdivision (b)(2) of 
                U.S. note 17 and subdivision (b) of U.S. note 18 to 
                subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS are each 
                modified as set forth in Annex B to this proclamation.

[[Page 23427]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

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[FR Doc. 2019-10761
Filed 5-20-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 7020-02-C