US to Terminate GSP Designation of Turkey and India

On March 4, 2019, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced its intentions to terminate the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program for Turkey and India.

The GSP program allows for specific products to be brought into the US without duty, provided that the beneficiary developing country meets the eligibility requirements. If countries no longer meet the requirements of the program, they are no longer eligible to participate. The US has determined that Turkey is no longer eligible as their economy has developed sufficiently, citing the evidence of an increase in Gross National Income per capita, declining poverty rates, and export diversification. In regards to India, the US has stated that a wide array of trade barriers have resulted in the removal from the GSP program.

These changes may not take effect until at least 60 days after the notifications to Congress and the governments of Turkey and India are notified. The changes will be enacted by a Presidential Proclamation.

The full notice can be found on the USTR website.