The European Union's (EU's) European Commission (Commission) has issued two proposals designed to strengthen maritime transport security and port security. The Commission first proposed regulations on enhancing the security of ships and certain port facilities in May 2003, and in February 2004 it issued another proposal aimed at enhancing port security.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its first version (dated February 12, 2004) of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) concerning its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the Automated Commercial System (ACS) has been updated to accept U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (UCFTA) and U.S-Singapore FTA (SFTA) claims through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI), effective February 23, 2004.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing the product petitions that have been accepted for further review in the 2003 Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Annual Review.
| Federal government's response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, mad cow disease) | 02/24/04 | Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| President's proposed international affairs budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2005 | 02/26/04 | Senate Committee on the Budget |
| Secretary of Agriculture | 02/25/04 | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Secretary of Commerce | 02/26/04 | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary, and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Mark up of a resolution urging passage of a resolution addressing human rights abuses in China at the 60th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and calling upon the Government of China to respect and protect human rights | 02/25/04 | House Committee on International Relations |
| Homeland Security Science and Technology Budget Hearing for FY 2005 | 02/25/04 | Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science and Research Development; House Select Committee on Homeland Security |
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that at the request of the petitioner, International Imaging Materials, Inc., the ITA is postponing its final antidumping (AD) duty determination on wax and wax/resin thermal transfer ribbons from South Korea until no later than March 22, 2004 (from February 29, 2004).
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') Undersecretary testified before a House subcommittee that by January 5, 2004 U.S.-Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) was in operation at 115 airports and 14 seaports, covering 99% of all foreign visitors. While the Undersecretary stated that more than 600,000 foreign visitors have been processed under U.S.-VISIT without increasing wait times, the Journal of Commerce (JoC) reported that the implementation of the program at the 50 busiest land border crossings could slow down the flow of goods and people. US-VISIT is scheduled to be extended to these border crossings by December 31, 2004. (DHS Press Release 01/28/04, available via fax by emailing staff@brokerpower.com , JoC report www.joc.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a document entitled, Importation of Rough Diamonds which, among other things, explains what importers need to know about the Clean Diamond Trade Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC's) interim regulations implementing this Act, etc.
(a) Hang Lung continues to have a preliminary de minimis AD rate of 0.12%
CIT Rules in Favor of CBP's Classification of Frozen, Unbaked Danish. In Schulstad USA, Inc. v. U.S., the Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled in favor of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) finding that certain frozen, unbaked danish products were properly classified under HTS 1901.90.90 (6.4%) as other food preparations of flour, etc., not elsewhere specified or included.