Trade Representative, Office of United States – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) is making rectifications, technical corrections, and conforming changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) as set forth in the annex to this notice, pursuant to authority delegated to the USTR in Presidential Proclamation 6969 of January 27, 1997 (62 FR 4415). These modifications correct several inadvertent errors and omissions in various Presidential Proclamations and make conforming changes to the HTS, as set forth herein, so that the intended tariff treatment is provided.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice that on March 30, 2006, in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement), the United States requested consultations regarding China's treatment of imported motor vehicle parts, components, and accessories (``auto parts''). That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS340/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

Pursuant to Section 205(b) of the Dominican RepublicCentral AmericaUnited States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act), the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice of his determination that Honduras and Nicaragua are eligible countries for purposes of retroactive duty treatment as provided in Section 205 of the Act.

The United States intends to initiate negotiations with Malaysia on a free trade agreement (FTA). The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in amplifying and clarifying negotiating objectives for the proposed agreement and to provide advice on how specific goods and services and other matters should be treated under the proposed agreement.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that Argentina has requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS268/16. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

Free trade agreements entered into by the United States require the establishment of lists or rosters of individuals that would be available to serve as panelists in dispute settlement proceedings. From time to time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will collect applications from people who wish to serve on those panels. USTR solicited comments from the public on this proposed collection of information and received none. Therefore no changes have been made to the proposed collection. USTR is now submitting a request for approval to the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

This publication gives notice that, pursuant to the Trade Act of 2002, and consistent with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169) (Nov. 18, 1999) and its implementing guidelines (65 FR 79442), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental review of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Korea. The TPSC is requesting written comments from the public on what should be included in the scope of the environmental review, including the potential environmental effects that might flow from the free trade agreement and the potential implications for U.S. environmental laws and regulations, and identification of complementarities between trade and environmental objectives such as the promotion of sustainable development. The TPSC also welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies and sources of data for conducting the review. Persons submitting written comments should provide as much detail as possible on the degree to which the subject matter they propose for inclusion in the review may raise significant environmental issues in the context of the negotiation.

The United States Trade Representative has determined to terminate sanctions imposed on certain EC Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). This determination is based on assurances from the European Communities that EC telecommunications operators are no longer subject to discriminatory requirements, and that purchasing by EC telecommunications operators are now based solely on commercial considerations, not EC procurement rules. The termination of sanctions is effective on March 1, 2006.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) received petitions in September 2005 to review certain practices in certain beneficiary developing countries to determine whether such countries are in compliance with the ATPA eligibility criteria. USTR published a list of responsive petitions that were accepted for review in a notice published on November 22, 2005 (70 FR 70652). This notice specifies the results of the preliminary review of those petitions as well as the status of the petitions filed in 2004 that have remained under review.

The Out-of-Cycle Review (``OCR'') under section 182 (commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provision) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (``Trade Act''), has concluded with a finding that the Government of Ukraine substantially has improved its intellectual property right (``IPR'') enforcement efforts. As a result, the United States Trade Representative (``Trade Representative'') is revoking the identification of Ukraine as a Priority Foreign Country (``PFC'') under section 182 and instead is placing Ukraine on the Priority Watch List, and is restoring the tariff-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (``GSP'') accorded to products of Ukraine. Pursuant to section 306 of the Trade Act, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') will continue to monitor closely the Government of Ukraine's IPR enforcement efforts.

Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242), requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. (Section 182 is commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provisions of the Trade Act.) In addition, USTR is required to determine which of these countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. Acts, policies, or practices that are the basis of a country's identification as a priority foreign country are normally the subject of an investigation under the Section 301 provisions of the Trade Act. Section 182 of the Trade Act contains a special rule for the identification of actions by Canada affecting United States cultural industries. USTR requests written submissions from the public concerning foreign countries' acts, policies, and practices that are relevant to the decision whether particular trading partners should be identified under Section 182 of the Trade Act.

This notice is to inform the public of the availability of interim 2005 import statistics relating to competitive need limitations (CNLs) under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. Public comments are invited by 5 p.m., January 27, 2006, regarding possible de minimis CNL waivers with respect to particular articles, and possible redesignations under the GSP program of articles currently not eligible for GSP benefits because they previously exceeded the CNLs.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice of additional country-by-country allocations of the in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota for imported raw cane sugar beginning on October 1, 2005 and ending on September 30, 2006.

Executive Order 12260 requires the United States Trade Representative to set the U.S. dollar thresholds for application of Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2511 et seq.), which implements U.S. trade agreement obligations, including those under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement, Chapter 15 of the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Chapter 9 of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Chapter 10 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Chapter 13 of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. These obligations apply to covered procurements valued at or above specified U.S. dollar thresholds. Now, therefore, I, Rob Portman, United States Trade Representative, in conformity with the provisions of Executive Order 12260, and in order to carry out U.S. trade agreement obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement, Chapter 15 of the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Chapter 9 of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Chapter 10 of NAFTA, and Chapter 13 of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, do hereby determine, effective on January 1, 2006: For the calendar years 2006-2007, the thresholds are as follows:

The Office of the United States Trade Representative published a document in the Federal Register of November 16, 2005, concerning request for comments and reply comments on the operation, effectiveness, and implementation of and compliance with U.S. telecommunications trade agreements. The document contained the incorrect dates.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice that on November 2, 2005, in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''), the United States requested consultations regarding Turkey's import licensing regime and domestic purchase requirement on imports of rice. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS334/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) received petitions in September 2005 to review certain practices in certain beneficiary developing countries to determine whether such countries are in compliance with the ATPA eligibility criteria. This notice publishes a list of the September 2005 petitions that were filed in response to the announcement of the annual review.

Pursuant to section 1377 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3106) (``section 1377''), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is reviewing and requests comments on: The operation, effectiveness, and implementation of and compliance with WTO agreements affecting market opportunities for telecommunications products and services of the United States; the telecommunications provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA''), the Chile, Singapore, and Australia Free Trade Agreements (``FTA'') and any other FTA coming into force on or before January 1, 2006; and other telecommunications trade agreements. The USTR will conclude the review by March 31, 2006.

Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA'') provides for the establishment of a roster of individuals to serve on binational panels convened to review final determinations in antidumping or countervailing duty (``AD/CVD'') proceedings and amendments to AD/CVD statutes of a NAFTA Party. The United States annually renews its selections for the Chapter 19 roster. Applications are invited from eligible individuals wishing to be included on the roster for the period April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007.

Legislation authorizing the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program expires on December 31, 2006. As Congress considers re- authorization of the program, the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is reviewing whether the Administration's operation of the program should be changed so that benefits are not focused on trade from a few countries and developing countries that traditionally have not been major traders under the program receive benefits. The TPSC will conduct a public hearing and is requesting public comment on this subject.

The Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11) will hold a meeting on Monday, October 3, 2005, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will be opened to the public from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and closed to the public from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242), requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. Section 182 is commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provision of the Trade Act. In addition, USTR is required to determine which of those countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. On April 30, 2005, USTR announced the results of the 2005 Special 301 review and stated that Out-of-Cycle Reviews (OCRs) would be conducted for Ukraine and Saudi Arabia. USTR will conduct these OCRs in the fall of 2005. USTR requests written comments from the public concerning the acts, policies, and practices relevant for this review under Section 182 of the Trade Act.

This notice sets forth the timetable for the hearing and public comments on petitions requesting modifications in the status of certain GSP beneficiary countries.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice of the country-by-country allocations of the in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quotas for imported raw cane sugar, refined sugar, and sugar-containing products for the period that begins October 1, 2005 and ends September 30, 2006.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) received petitions in connection with the 2005 annual review 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. The list of country practice petitions accepted for review will be announced in the Federal Register at a later date. This notice announces the product petitions that are accepted for further review in the 2005 GSP Annual Review, and sets forth the schedule for comment and public hearing on these petitions, for requesting participation in the hearing, and for submitting pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs.