On November 19, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice announcing a hearing for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) country practice reviews of Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, South Africa, and Uzbekistan, and the country designation review of Laos. These reviews will focus on whether: (1) Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are meeting the GSP eligibility criterion requiring that a GSP beneficiary country afford workers in that country internationally recognized worker rights; (2) Ecuador is meeting the GSP eligibility criterion requiring a GSP beneficiary country to act in good faith in recognizing as binding or in enforcing applicable arbitral awards; (3) Indonesia and South Africa are meeting the GSP eligibility criterion requiring adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights; (4) Indonesia and Thailand are meeting the GSP eligibility criterion requiring a GSP beneficiary country to provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets and basic commodity resources; and (5) Laos meets all of the GSP eligibility criteria and should be newly designated as a GSP beneficiary country. [See FR Notice for individual docket numbers and requirements for submissions.]
Dates:
- January 17, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of comments, pre-hearing briefs, and requests to appear at the January 30, 2020, public hearing.
- January 30, 2020: The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing on the GSP country practice reviews of Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, South Africa, and Uzbekistan, and the country designation review of Laos, in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
- February 28, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of post-hearing briefs.
