Office of the United States Trade Representative May 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will receive petitions in 2009 to modify the list of products that are eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP program and to modify the GSP status of certain GSP beneficiary developing countries because of country practices. This notice determines that the deadline for submission of country practice petitions for the 2009 Annual GSP Product and Country Eligibility Practices Review is 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. This notice further determines that the deadline for submission of product petitions, other than those requesting competitive need limitation (CNL) waivers or section 503(c)(1)(E) determinations regarding products not produced in the United States on January 1, 1995, is 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. The deadline for submission of petitions requesting CNL waivers and 503(c)(1)(E) determinations regarding products not produced in the United States on January 1, 1995 is 5 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 2009. The lists of product petitions and country practice petitions accepted for review will be announced in the Federal Register at later dates.

On January 15, 2009, the United States Trade Representative (``Trade Representative'') announced modifications (``January 15 modifications'') to the action taken in July 1999 in connection with the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') authorization of the United States in the EC-Beef Hormones dispute to suspend concessions and related obligations with respect to the European Communities (``EC''). See 74 FR 4265 (Jan. 23, 2009). The January 15 modifications initially had an effective date of March 23, 2009. The Trade Representative subsequently delayed the effective date of the additional duties imposed under the January 15 modifications until April 23, 2009, and then to May 9, 2009. The effective date of the removal of duties under the January 15 modifications remained March 23, 2009. See 74 FR 11613 (March 18, 2009); 74 FR 12402 (March 24, 2009); 74 FR 19263 (April 28, 2009). On May 6, 2009, the United States and the European Commission announced an ``agreement in principle'' regarding the dispute. The first phase of the agreement provides that the United States will not apply retaliatory duties greater than those currently in effect. In order to allow time to complete the procedures under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (Trade Act), that are needed to prevent the application of the additional duties under the January 15 modifications, the Trade Representative has decided to delay the effective date of the additional duties from May 9, 2009 to August 15, 2009.