The Montreal Port Authority has issued a press release announcing that the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and its longshore labor force have reached an agreement allowing work to resume at the Port of Montreal’s terminals. According to the Port Authority, following this back to work agreement, here is the situation at the Port of Montreal:
The World Customs Organization Secretary General visited New Delhi on July 22 - 23 2010 to attend a dialogue session to discuss the establishment of an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program. Indian Customs explained its gradual approach to starting an AEO pilot project in the country. Business representatives sought clarification on the impact of the AEO program on small and medium sized enterprises which are the major component of the Indian trade sector. They expressed interest in greater participation in securing and facilitating the global trade supply chain. WCO Secretary General Mikuriya also had a series of meetings with the management team of Indian Customs to review progress in India, particularly with respect to their IT system, risk management, and performance measurement.
In the July 23, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
On July 21, 2010, Slovenia became a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, pledging its full dedication to achieving OECD's aims.
The European Commission has proposed to simplify European Union law on agricultural and forestry vehicles (tractors, trailers and towed equipment) so that 50 Directives and the related implementing legislation of 27 Member States would be replaced by just five Regulations. The proposal also foresees increased safety for these vehicles.
The Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.
The World Trade Organization announces that the European Union has notified the Dispute Settlement Body of its decision to appeal to the Appellate Body certain issues of law covered in the Panel Report and certain legal interpretations developed by the Panel in the dispute European Union - Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft (WT/DS316).
According to the Office of Textiles and Apparel, Ecuador has implemented a system of mixed tariffs on more than 300 products, including certain textile, apparel, and footwear articles, effective June 1, 2010.
The World Customs Organization visited Bangladesh on July 20 and 21, 2010 for the Customs-Business Partnership Conference, where he met the management team of Bangladesh Customs as well as senior political and business leaders to discuss Customs modernization and the Customs-business partnership. At the conference, the Minister of Finance announced that Bangladesh would sign a letter of intent to implement the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards and would work with the WCO on Customs reform. He also announced that his country would start the process of acceding to the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention.