On April 27, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice announcing the initiation of country practice reviews [Docket Numbers USTR-2018-0006, 2018-007, and 2018-008] regarding compliance with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan. These country practice reviews are undertaken on the recommendation of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) pursuant to 15 C.F.R. 2007.0(f) to determine whether the 3 current laws and practices of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan meet the GSP eligibility criteria. These reviews are the result of country eligibility petitions submitted by interested stakeholders and an assessment of the 25 Asian and Pacific Island GSP beneficiary countries conducted by the GSP Subcommittee.
- The country practice review of India will focus on whether it is meeting the GSP eligibility criterion that requires a GSP beneficiary country to assure the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)).
- The country practice review of Indonesia will focus on whether it is meeting two GSP criteria: (1) the GSP criterion that requires a GSP beneficiary country to assure the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(4)), and (2) the GSP criterion that requires a GSP beneficiary country to reduce trade-distorting investment practices and reduce or eliminate barriers to trade in services (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(6)).
- The country practice review of Kazakhstan will focus on whether it is meeting the GSP criterion requiring a GSP beneficiary country to take steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights to workers in the country (19 U.S.C. 2462(b)(2)(G)).
The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will convene a public hearing on the GSP country practice reviews of India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 am on June 19, 2018.
The deadline for submission of comments, pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the June 19, 2018, public hearing is June 5, 2018 at midnight EDT.
The deadline for submission of post-hearing briefs is July 17, 2018 at midnight EDT.
