Amendment of Export Visa and Quota Requirements for Certain Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in All Countries and Made Up in the European Community (EC)

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Amendment of Export Visa and Quota Requirements for Certain

Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in All Countries and Made Up

in the European Community (EC)

November 23, 1999.

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending

visa and quota requirements to permit the use of a single visaed

document and Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) transmission

for certain textile products made up in the European Community.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lori E. Mennitt, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-3400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 68088]]

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended.

Currently, entry into the customs territory of the United States

for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of

certain textiles and textile products for which the country of origin

has not issued an appropriate visa is prohibited. Moreover, if the

quantity indicated on the visa is less than that of the shipment, entry

is prohibited.

On August 16, 1999, the United States and the European Community

(EC) (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and

the United Kingdom) signed a Proces-Verbal which concerned U.S. rules

of origin for certain textile products. In that agreement, the United

States agreed that a single import visaed invoice/license can be used

on multiple shipments of textile products of cotton or consisting of

fiber blends containing 16 percent or more by weight of cotton exported

from the EC and classified in the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule

(HTS) headings and subheadings 6117.10, 6213, 6214, 6302.22, 6302.29,

6302.52, 6302.53, 6302.59, 6302.92, 6302.93, 6302.99, 6303.92, 6303.99,

6304.19, 6304.93, 6304.99, 9404.90.85 and 9404.90.95, or products of

cotton classified in HTS headings 6302.21, 6302.51, 6302.91, 6303.91,

6304.92 or 9404.90.80.

These products must be made up in an EC Member State from fabric

which is dyed and printed in an EC Member State and has undergone in a

Member State two or more of the following finishing operations:

bleaching, shrinking, fulling, napping, decating, permanent stiffening,

weighting, permanent embossing or moireing.

As a result, CITA is directing the U.S. Customs Service to amend

the current textile and apparel visa requirements for products

manufactured in all countries (WTO and non-WTO member countries)

subject to such requirements. The U.S. Customs Service is directed to

permit the use of a single visaed document and Electronic Visa

Information System (ELVIS) transmission for these products exported

from the EC on and after August 16, 1999. For shipments of such

products, if the quantity indicated on the visa is greater than the

shipment, the visa will be valid for subsequent shipments, but the

total quantity of imports entered using a visa may not exceed the

quantity indicated on the visa.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 23, 1999.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to Section 204 of the Agricultural

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of

March 3, 1972, as amended; the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing; and the Proces-Verbal, dated

August 16, 1999 between the Governments of the United States and the

European Community (EC), you are directed to amend the current

textile and apparel visa requirements for products manufactured in

all countries (WTO and non-WTO member countries) and made up in the

European Community.

Effective on January 1, 2000, you are directed to permit a

single visaed document and Electronic Visa Information System

(ELVIS) transmission to be used on multiple shipments of textile

products of cotton or consisting of fiber blends containing 16

percent or more by weight of cotton classified in the following

Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the United States headings and

subheadings 6117.10, 6213, 6214, 6302.22, 6302.29, 6302.52, 6302.53,

6302.59, 6302.92, 6302.93, 6302.99, 6303.92, 6303.99, 6304.19,

6304.93, 6304.99, 9404.90.85 and 9404.90.95, or products of cotton

classified in the following HTS headings 6302.21, 6302.51, 6302.91,

6303.91, 6304.92 or 9404.90.80, exported from the EC. Such products

must be made up in an EC Member State from fabric which is dyed and

printed in a Member State and has undergone in a Member State two or

more of the following finishing operations: bleaching, shrinking,

fulling, napping, decating, permanent stiffening, weighting,

permanent embossing or moireing.

For shipment of the above products, if the quantity indicated on

the visa is greater than the shipment, the visa will be valid for

subsequent shipments, but the total quantity of imports entered

using a visa may not exceed the quantity indicated on the visa. This

only applies to shipments exported from the EC on and after August

16, 1999.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs

exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 99-31495 Filed 12-03-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F