SUMMARY:
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is announcing the results of the 2019 annual Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) review with respect to: Products considered for removal from the list of eligible products for certain beneficiary countries; decisions related to competitive need limitations (CNLs), including petitions for waivers of CNLs; and requests to reinstate/redesignate products previously excluded from GSP eligibility for certain countries.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Claudia Chlebek, Director for GSP at (202) 395-2974 or claudia.m.chlebek@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
The GSP program provides for the duty-free treatment of designated articles when imported from beneficiary developing countries. The GSP program is authorized by Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.), as amended, and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order 11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations.
Each year, USTR leads the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) in reviewing the list of products eligible for GSP benefits and, after completing this process, which includes public hearings, provides recommendations to the President on appropriate actions based on statutory criteria, including exclusions from duty-free treatment of products from certain countries when they have reached the statutory CNL thresholds. More →