3966 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 

1Available at https://www.mcc.gov/resources/ 

doc/report-selection-criteria-methodology-fy25. 

2Available at https://www.mcc.gov/resources/ 

doc/guide-to-supplemental-information. 

MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE 

CORPORATION 

[MCC FR 25–01] 

Report on the Selection of Eligible 

Countries for Fiscal Year 2025 

(Albania) 

AGENCY: Millennium Challenge 

Corporation. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This report is provided in 

accordance with the Millennium 

Challenge Act of 2003, as amended. The 

report is set forth in full below. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Report on 

the Selection of Eligible Countries for 

Fiscal Year 2025 (Albania). 

Summary 

This report is provided in accordance 

with section 608(d)(1) of the 

Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as 

amended (the Act) (22 U.S.C. 

7707(d)(1)). This is the second such 

report for fiscal year (FY) 2025 due to 

the enactment of the Millennium 

Challenge Corporation Candidate 

Country Reform Act on December 23, 

2024. 

The Act authorizes the provision of 

assistance under section 605 of the Act 

(22 U.S.C. 7704) to countries that enter 

into compacts with the United States to 

support policies and programs that 

advance the progress of such countries 

in achieving lasting poverty reduction 

through economic growth and are in 

furtherance of the Act. The Act requires 

the Millennium Challenge Corporation 

(MCC) to determine the countries that 

will be eligible to receive assistance for 

the fiscal year, based on their 

demonstrated commitment to just and 

democratic governance, economic 

freedom, and investing in their people, 

as well as on the opportunity to reduce 

poverty through economic growth in the 

country. The Act also requires the 

submission of reports to appropriate 

congressional committees and the 

publication of notices in the Federal 

Register that identify, among other 

things: 

1. The countries that are ‘‘candidate 

countries’’ for assistance for FY 2025 

based on their per-capita income levels 

and their eligibility to receive assistance 

under U.S. law, and countries that 

would be candidate countries, but for 

specified legal prohibitions on 

assistance (section 608(a) of the Act (22 

U.S.C. 7707(a))); 

2. The criteria and methodology that 

the Board of Directors of MCC (the 

Board) used to measure and evaluate the 

policy performance of the ‘‘candidate 

countries’’ consistent with the 

requirements of section 607 of the Act 

in order to determine ‘‘eligible 

countries’’ from among the ‘‘candidate 

countries’’ (section 608(b) of the Act (22 

U.S.C. 7707(b))); and 

3. The list of countries determined by 

the Board to be ‘‘eligible countries’’ for 

FY 2025, with justification for eligibility 

determination and selection for compact 

negotiation, including with which of the 

eligible countries the Board will seek to 

enter into compacts (section 608(d) of 

the Act (22 U.S.C. 7707(d))). 

This is an additional report that 

fulfills the requirements under the third 

of the above-described reports by MCC 

for FY 2025. A prior report was sent to 

Congress on December 19, 2024. Both 

the prior report and this report identify 

countries determined by the Board to be 

eligible under section 607 of the Act (22 

U.S.C. 7706) for FY 2025 with which 

MCC seeks to enter into compacts under 

section 609 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 7708), 

as well as the justification for such 

decisions. The prior report also 

identifies countries selected by the 

Board to receive assistance under MCC’s 

threshold program pursuant to section 

616 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 7715). 

Eligible Countries 

The Board met on December 18, 2024, 

to select those eligible countries with 

which the United States, through MCC, 

will seek to enter into a Millennium 

Challenge Compact pursuant to section 

607 of the Act (22 U.S.C. 7706). At the 

time, the Board selected Liberia as 

eligible to develop a compact, as noted 

in MCC’s previous report. 

Following the passage of the MCC 

Candidate Country Reform Act, as part 

of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2025, the Board 

considered additional eligible countries 

with which the United States, through 

MCC, will seek to enter into a 

Millennium Challenge Compact 

pursuant to section 607 of the Act (22 

U.S.C. 7706). On January 7, 2025, the 

Board selected Albania for such 

assistance for FY 2025 via a written 

consent action in accordance with 

section 9 of MCC’s bylaws. Albania is 

invited by MCC to develop a compact. 

Criteria 

In accordance with the Act and with 

the ‘‘Selection Criteria and Methodology 

Report for Fiscal Year 2025’’ formally 

submitted to Congress on September 20, 

2024, selection was based primarily on 

a country’s overall performance in three 

broad policy categories: Ruling Justly, 

Encouraging Economic Freedom, and 

Investing in People. The Board relied, to 

the fullest extent possible, upon 

transparent and independent indicators 

to assess countries’ policy performance 

and demonstrated commitment in these 

three broad policy areas. The Board 

compared countries’ performance on the 

indicators relative to their income-level 

peers, evaluating them in comparison to 

either the group of countries with a GNI 

per capita equal to or less than $2,165, 

the group with a GNI per capita between 

$2,166 and $4,515, or the group with a 

GNI per capita between $4,516 and 

$7,895. 

The criteria and methodology used to 

assess countries, including the 

methodology for the annual scorecards, 

are outlined in the ‘‘Selection Criteria 

and Methodology Report for Fiscal Year 

2025.’’ 1 Scorecards reflecting each 

country’s performance on the indicators 

are available on MCC’s website at 

https://www.mcc.gov/who-we-select/ 

scorecards. 

The Board also considered whether 

any adjustments should be made for 

data gaps, data lags, or recent events 

since the indicators were published, as 

well as strengths or weaknesses in 

particular indicators. Where 

appropriate, the Board considered 

additional quantitative and qualitative 

information, such as evidence of a 

country’s commitment to fighting 

corruption, investments in human 

development outcomes, or poverty rates. 

MCC published a Guide to 

Supplemental Information 2 to increase 

transparency about the type of 

supplemental information the Board 

uses to assess a country’s policy 

performance. In keeping with statutory 

requirements, the Board also considered 

the opportunity to reduce poverty and 

promote economic growth in a country, 

in light of the overall information 

available, as well as the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

The Board sees the selection decision 

as an annual opportunity to determine 

where MCC funds can be most 

effectively used to support poverty 

reduction through economic growth in 

well-governed countries with 

demonstrated development need. The 

Board carefully considers the 

appropriate nature of each country 

partnership—on a case-by-case basis— 

based on factors related to poverty 

reduction through economic growth, the 

sustainability of MCC’s investments, 

and the country’s ability to attract and 

leverage public and private resources in 

support of development. 

This is the first fiscal year in which 

the Board used its new authority under 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 3967 

the MCC Candidate Country Reform Act 

to select from the additional group of 

countries newly included for 

consideration for MCC assistance. The 

new authority aligns the income 

threshold for a country to be an MCC 

candidate county with the World Bank 

threshold for initiating the International 

Bank for Reconstruction and 

Development graduation process 

($7,895 gross national income per capita 

for fiscal year 2025). In considering any 

such new countries in MCC’s candidate 

pool, the Board will continue to apply 

MCC’s long-standing statutorily 

mandated eligibility criteria and 

selectivity model to all selections and 

will continue to prioritize the 

opportunity to reduce poverty through 

economic growth. 

Country Newly Selected for Compact 

Assistance 

Using the criteria described above, 

Albania, a candidate country under 

section 606(a) of the Act (22 U.S.C. 

7705(a)), was newly selected as eligible 

for assistance under section 607 of the 

Act (22 U.S.C. 7706). Albania is invited 

by MCC to develop a compact. 

Albania: A prior MCC threshold 

program partner, Albania performs well 

on the scorecard, passing 15 of 20 

indicators overall. A stable democracy 

with a record of competitive elections, 

Albania is expected to hold 

parliamentary elections on May 11, 

2025. In recent years, Albania has 

adopted critical anti-corruption and rule 

of law reforms amid efforts to join the 

European Union, which are reflected in 

its performance on the scorecard. 

Despite sound economic governance, 

Albania continues to face headwinds in 

its development path given its 

vulnerabilities to geopolitical and 

natural disaster-related shocks, which 

have disproportionately affected the 

poor in recent years; 14 percent of the 

population lives on less than $6.85 per 

day—the World Bank’s poverty line for 

upper middle-income countries. MCC’s 

Board selected Albania as eligible to 

develop a compact in recognition of 

Albania’s democratic history, progress 

fighting corruption, and ongoing 

development needs. 

(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7707(d)(2)) 

Dated: January 10, 2025. 

Peter E. Jaffe, 

Vice President, General Counsel, and 

Corporate Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00899 Filed 1–13–25; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 9211–03–P 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 

SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

[Notice: 25–002] 

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel; 

Meeting 

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA). 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration announces a 

forthcoming meeting of the Aerospace 

Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP). The 

ASAP will hold its First Quarterly 

Meeting for 2025. This discussion is 

pursuant to carrying out its statutory 

duties for which the Panel reviews, 

identifies, evaluates, and advises on 

those program activities, systems, 

procedures, and management activities 

that can contribute to program risk. 

Priority is given to those programs that 

involve the safety of human flight. 

DATES: Thursday, January 30, 2025, 3:00 

p.m. to 4:30 p.m., eastern time. 

ADDRESSES: Public attendance will be 

virtual only. See dial-in information 

below under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Lisa M. Hackley, ASAP Administrative 

Officer, NASA Headquarters, 

Washington, DC 20546, (202) 358–1947 

or lisa.m.hackley@nasa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As noted 

above, this meeting is only available 

telephonically. Any interested person 

must use a touch-tone phone to 

participate in this meeting. Any 

interested person may call the USA toll 

free conference call number 888–566– 

6133; passcode 8343253 and then the # 

sign. At the beginning of the meeting, 

members of the public may make a 

verbal presentation to the Panel limited 

to the subject of safety in NASA, not to 

exceed 5 minutes in length. To do so, 

members of the public must contact Ms. 

Lisa M. Hackley at lisa.m.hackley@

nasa.gov or at (202) 358–1947 at least 48 

hours in advance. Any member of the 

public is permitted to file a written 

statement with the Panel via electronic 

submission to Ms. Hackley at the email 

address previously noted. Written 

statements should be limited to the 

subject of safety in NASA. 

The agenda for the meeting includes 

the following topics: 

—Updates on the Space Station Program 

—Updates on the Commercial Crew 

Program 

—Updates on the Moon to Mars 

Program 

It is imperative that the meeting be 

held on this date to accommodate the 

scheduling priorities of the key 

participants. 

Jamie M. Krauk, 

Advisory Committee Management Officer, 

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00666 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7510–13–P 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 

SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

[NOTICE: 25–001] 

Notice of Intent To Grant an Exclusive, 

Co-Exclusive or Partially Exclusive 

Patent License 

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to grant 

exclusive, co-exclusive or partially 

exclusive patent license. 

SUMMARY: NASA hereby gives notice of 

its intent to grant an exclusive, coexclusive or partially exclusive patent 

license to practice the inventions 

described and claimed in the patents 

and/or patent applications listed in 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below. 

DATES: The prospective exclusive, coexclusive or partially exclusive license 

may be granted unless NASA receives 

written objections including evidence 

and argument, no later than January 30, 

2025 that establish that the grant of the 

license would not be consistent with the 

requirements regarding the licensing of 

federally owned inventions as set forth 

in the Bayh-Dole Act and implementing 

regulations. Competing applications 

completed and received by NASA no 

later than January 30, 2025 will also be 

treated as objections to the grant of the 

contemplated exclusive, co-exclusive or 

partially exclusive license. Objections 

submitted in response to this notice will 

not be made available to the public for 

inspection and, to the extent permitted 

by law, will not be released under the 

Freedom of Information Act. 

Objections and Further Information: 

Written objections relating to the 

prospective license or requests for 

further information may be submitted to 

Agency Counsel for Intellectual 

Property, NASA Headquarters at Email: 

hq-patentoffice@mail.nasa.gov. 

Questions may be directed to Phone: 

(202) 358–0646. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA 

intends to grant an exclusive, coexclusive, or partially exclusive patent 

license in the United States to practice 

the inventions described and claimed in 


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