In the August 5, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
The European Commission has announced that on July 12, 2010, Canada adopted an amendment to its postal law which clarifies that Canada Post does not have a monopoly with regard to letters intended for delivery to an addressee outside of Canada (so-called outbound international mail) but that this market is fully open to competition. The EC states this ends a long standing key market access barrier and closes a lengthy period of legal action by Canada Post.
The U.S. China Business Council reports that China has submitted a revised bid to join the World Trade Organization's Government Procurement Agreement, noting that the offer is better, but much work remains.
In the August 4, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
On August 3, 2010, the Canada Border Services Agency revised its schedule concerning the antidumping re-investigation of certain carbon steel pipe nipples and adaptor fittings, in nominal diameters up to and including 6 inches and the metric equivalents, originating in or exported from China. The re-investigation will now be concluded on September 10, 2010. File #: 4258-119. Case #: AD/1291.
Xinhuanet.com reports on August 3, 2010, that China has scrapped tariffs and value-added taxes on core equipment, components, and raw materials imported and used in civilian high-tech projects since July 15, according to a circular of the Ministry of Finance and other departments.The move seeks to encourage research and development in the nation' s major strategic products, core technologies and major projects, said the circular.The projects that have been exempted from taxation include core electronics, high-end universal chips, basic software, integrated circuit-manufacturing equipment, new generation wireless mobile communication networks, and new drugs for prevention and treatment of some infectious diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
In June 2010, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria agreed to set up a free trade zone which will be based on existing bilateral agreements and practices on free trade and visa exemption between the parties. However, Turkey and Lebanon will need to complete a bilateral arrangement before the four-way process can go ahead.
The World Trade Organization has posted a communication from the European Union, which states that the U.S., Canada, the EU, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, China, and Macao have agreed that 718 new substances, used for the production and manufacture of finished pharmaceuticals, should be added to the list of pharmaceutical products eligible for duty-free treatment. The Members concerned will notify the WTO of the appropriate changes to be made to their schedules. It has been agreed that duty-free treatment for these substances would be implemented as soon as possible, bearing in mind the need for each Member to fulfill its domestic procedural requirements. (May have to click on source document twice for proper viewing.)
According to the Office of Textiles and Apparel, Ecuador has removed its “Balance of Payments” (BOP) safeguard measures for all textile, apparel, footwear and travel products, as it has instead imposed a system of mixed tariffs on similar products. The BOP measures were removed effective July 23, 2010.
In the August 3, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted: