USTR Announces ATPA/ATPDEA Annual Review

August 27, 2009

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing the 2009 Annual Review of the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), as amended by the Andean Trade Promotion Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). Under this process, petitions may be filed calling for the limitation, withdrawal, or suspension of ATPA/ATPDEA benefits by presenting evidence that the eligibility criteria of the program are not being met.

Currently, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are designated as ATPA/ATPDEA beneficiaries. A forth country, Bolivia, recently lost its designation as beneficiary country under the program due to its lack of cooperation with U.S. in counter-narcotics efforts.

In additional to completely suspending a country’s beneficiary status, petitions can be filed to limit the application of preferential treatment to any article of beneficiary country. To be considered in the 2009 review, all petitions must be received by USTR no later than 5p.m. EST on September 22, 2009.