International Trade Law News

Published by Jacobson Burton Kelley PLLC

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has published a notice announcing the petitions that have been accepted for consideration in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) 2008 Annual Review and the schedule for review.

The USTR has indicated that it will review requests submitted by parties in Egypt, Ecuador Turkey, Thailand, Uruguay and the Philippines to add 11 products to the list of GSP eligible products. USTR rejected 30 other petitions submitted requested to add or remove products from GSP.

The schedule for the 2008 annual review will be as follows:

• October 3, 2008--Due date for submission of pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the GSP hearing;
  
• October 10, 2008--ITC will release import data on eligible products;
• October 20, 2008--GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all product petitions accepted for the 2008 GSP Annual Review;
  
• November 3, 2008--Due date for submission of post-hearing briefs;
• November 13, 2008--Due date for submission of new petitions to grant waivers to CNLs for products exceeding the CNLs in 2008.
  
• December 2008--ITC scheduled to publish report on products for product petitions in the 2008 GSP Annual Review;
• June 30, 2009--Modifications to the list of articles eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP resulting from the 2008 Annual Review will be announced on or about June 30, 2009, in the Federal Register and any changes will take effect on the effective date announced.

Unless renewed by Congress, the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program will expire on December 31, 2008. Language that would extend GSP for an additional year, or until December 31, 2009, was included in H.R. 6560, a bill that passed the House and was sent to the Senate in July.

Labels: GSP