USTR: GSP eligibility changes
July 2, 2009
World Trade\Interactive
Annual Review Results in Changes to GSP Eligibility. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced June 30 a number of changes to the products eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences as a result of the 2008 annual review of GSP.
CNL Waivers. Competitive need limitation waivers will be issued to prevent 112 products from 16 beneficiary countries, which had a 2008 trade value of $290 million, from being excluded from GSP treatment because they exceeded statutory import ceilings (see the attached document for details).
Products Added. Frozen uncooked potatoes and frozen spinach imported from any beneficiary country were added to the list of GSP-eligible products as of July 1. Requests to add sweet corn, frozen broccoli, citrus fruit mixtures, high-density polyethylene and certain plywood sheets were denied.
Products Removed. Twelve products from six beneficiary countries have been removed from GSP eligibility because they are now sufficiently competitive in the U.S. market. These products include prepared or preserved mackerel from Thailand, certain drugs from India, polyethylene terephthalate in primary forms from Indonesia, silver jewelry from India, and rail car axles from Ukraine. Requests to withdraw GSP eligibility entirely for PET resin from India and Indonesia were denied.
Country Petitions. With respect to petitions requesting the withdrawal or limitation of country GSP benefits for not meeting the eligibility criteria, Lebanon, Russia and Uzbekistan remain under scrutiny regarding intellectual property rights protection and Bangladesh, Niger, the Philippines and Uzbekistan remain under scrutiny regarding worker rights. However, no country has been removed from GSP eligibility as a result of the 2008 review.
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