President Extends GSP Program through 2010 and Issues Proclamations with Changes to Preference Programs

December 29, 2009

On December 28, 2009, the President signed H.R. 4284 which extends duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program and Andean Trade Preference (ATPA) Program for one year through December 31, 2010. 

Additionally, the President has issued two proclamations which will published in a December 30, 2009 Federal Register notice that will add and remove several countries from the Generalized System of Preferences, make various technical amendments to the origin rules under the DR-CAFTA, NAFTA, U.S.-Chile FTA and U.S.-Singapore FTA, and extends for one year certain tariff concessions for agricultural products from Israel.

Highlights of the actions included in the Proclamation Nos. 8467  and 8468 are included below:

• Croatia and Equatorial Guinea have become “high income” countries and their designation as beneficiary developing countries under GSP will therefore be terminated effective Jan. 1, 2011.

• Cape Verde will be removed from the list of least-developed beneficiary countries under GSP effective Jan. 1, 2010.

• Certain technical rectifications will be made to the HTSUS to reflect the Jan. 1, 2010, termination of Trinidad and Tobago’s designation as a beneficiary country under GSP.

• Maldives has been re-designated as a beneficiary country under GSP.

• Certain tariff concessions for U.S. agricultural imports from Israel have been extended through the end of 2010.

• The proclamation also implements certain technical corrections, rectifications or conforming changes to the DR-CAFTA, NAFTA, Singapore FTA and Chile FTA origin rules.