USTR Requests Comment on CBERA Operations
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a request for comment on the operation of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as amended by the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act. Interested parties may submit comments on any aspect of the program’s operation, including the performance of CBERA and CBTPA beneficiary countries. USTR specifically requested input on the following:
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
- Whether the beneficiary country has demonstrated a commitment to undertake its obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) on or ahead of schedule and participate in negotiations toward the completion of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) or another free trade agreement.
- The extent to which the country provides protection of intellectual property rights consistent with or greater than the protection afforded under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
- The extent to which the country provides internationally recognized worker rights including the right of association, the right to organize and bargain collectively, a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor, a minimum age for the employment of children and acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health.
- Whether the country has implemented its commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, as defined in Section 507(6) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
- The extent to which the country has met U.S. counter-narcotics certification criteria under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
- The extent to which the country has taken steps to become a party to and implement the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.
- The extent to which the country applies transparent, nondiscriminatory and competitive procedures in government procurement, and contributes to efforts in international fora to develop and implement rules on transparency in government procurement.
(Federal Register 10/3/13)