Country of Origin Marking for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service

[T.D. 95-46]

Country of Origin Marking for the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia

AGENCY: U.S. Customs Service, Department of the Treasury.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On February 8, 1994, the United States extended formal

recognition to The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as an

independent state. This document notifies the public of the name and

the English spelling that is to be used for country of origin marking

on merchandise imported into the United States from the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia. It also grants a grace period to permit the

continued importation of merchandise marked ``Yugoslavia.''

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 31, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monika Rice, Office of Regulations and

Rulings, (202-482-6980).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304),

provides that, unless excepted, every article of foreign origin

imported into the U.S. shall be marked in a conspicuous place as

legibly, indelibly and permanently as the nature of the article (or its

container) will permit, in such a manner as to indicate to the ultimate

purchaser in the U.S. the English name of the country of origin of the

article. Customs has authority pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1304 to determine

the character of the words and phrases or abbreviations thereof which

shall be acceptable as indicating the country of origin and to require

the addition of any other words or symbols which may be appropriate to

prevent deception or mistake as to the origin of an article.

On February 8, 1994, the United States extended formal recognition

to The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as an independent state.

Accordingly, products of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

imported into the U.S. are subject to marking with the English name of

the independent state. The United States Department of State has

indicated that the English name and the correct spelling of this

independent state is:

Long form name Short form name

The Former Yugoslav Republic of (No current short form)

Macedonia.

Instead of marking a product of The Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia with the long form name, the abbreviations ``FYR Macedonia,''

``Macedonia (FYR),'' ``F.Y.R.O.M. (Macedonia),'' or similar markings

may be used, provided the abbreviations ``FYR'' or ``F.Y.R.O.M.'' are

adjacent to the word ``Macedonia,'' and the words are in a comparable

size. However, the Department of State has advised that the markings

``Macedonia,'' ``Republic of Macedonia'', or ``Made in Macedonia,'' are

not appropriate at this time. [[Page 28203]]

Customs recognizes that manufacturers and importers may need time

to adjust to this change and that an abrupt change in the marking

requirements could cause undue hardship. In Headquarters Ruling Letter

735526 dated April 28, 1994, Customs held that until February 8, 1995,

merchandise produced in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia could

be marked ``Yugoslavia'' as was previously required by a notice

published at 57 FR 23455 (1992). However, since the general public was

not given notice of this effective date, Customs will continue to

accept products of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the

marking ``Yugoslavia,'' ``Yugoslavia/Skopje,'' or ``Yugoslavia/

Macedonia'' until 60 days from date of publication of this notice in

the Federal Register. If the marking ``Yugoslavia'' is used, in order

to avoid sanctions against products produced in Yugoslavia, importers

should be prepared to demonstrate to the satisfaction of Customs that

the country of origin of the product is The Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia and not Yugoslavia. All products of The Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia entered or withdrawn from warehouse for

consumption on or after 60 days from the date this document is

published in the Federal Register will be required to be marked ``The

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'' or with one of the

abbreviations set forth above.

Dated: May 22, 1995.

Stuart P. Seidel,

Assistant Commissioner, Office of Regulations and Rulings.

[FR Doc. 95-13071 Filed 5-26-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4820-02-P