USTR Announces Details and Schedule of 2004 GSP Annual Review

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published in today's Federal Register details about the 2004 Generalized System of Preference (GSP) Annual Review. The notice specifies the product petitions that have been accepted for further review in the 2004 GSP Annual Review and sets forth the schedule for comment and public hearing on these petitions. The 2004 GSP Annual Review will cover 18 products, including dates, certain carpet products, PTFE from Russia, travertine stone from Turkey, certain leather products from Argentina and industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids from The Phillipines.

The following is the schedule for the 2004 GSP Annual Review:

*March 10, 2005 - Due date for request to appear at public hearing and submsision of pre-hearing briefs.

*March 10, 2005 - Due date for providing information about witnesses that will appear at hearing.

*March 23, 2005 - ITC scheduled to hold hearings on economic effect of granting GSP on U.S. industries.

*March 24, 2005 - USTR's Trade Policy Staff Committee to hold public hearings at ITC Main Hearing Room.

*April 15, 2005 - Due date for submission of post-hearing and rebuttal briefs.

*May 2005 - ITC scheduled to publish report on economic effects of GSP (comments on ITC report due 10 days after publication).

*June 30, 2005 - Annual review decisions to be announced by USTR on or after this date.

USTR's Federal Register notice can be viewed at the following link:

a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-3720.pdf