The European Union and the U.S. have not formally begun the trade talks first agreed to last July, as the 28-member bloc still does not have a mandate to negotiate. Given that, many observers are doubtful negotiations could make substantial progress this year.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 1-5 in case they were missed.
Several departments are to initiate a broad review of current policies and ways to improve measures to prevent the trade of counterfeit goods, the White House said in an April 3 memorandum. Among other things, the administration would like a review of how different parties, including customs brokers, can help stop the trade of counterfeit and pirated goods, it said. The Department of Homeland Security secretary is tasked with developing a report on the subject within 210 days, along with the attorney general, the U.S. trade representative, the assistant to the president for Trade and Manufacturing Policy and other officials, it said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Express Association of America pointed to several specific regulatory changes it would like to see CBP make, in its follow-up comments on the agency's efforts to modernize the customs framework. The EAA comments are the only ones posted since CBP reopened the comment period (see 1903110039) following a March 1 meeting on the subject (see 1903040023). Among other things, EAA said the "current drawback regulations do not support the modern B2C/e-commerce environment."
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 18-22 in case they were missed.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Businesses and interest groups have until April 18 to petition the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to modify the Generalized System of Preferences eligibility of any country; to request a waiver of competitive need limitations or continuation of a CNL over the threshold; to add or remove a product to GSP eligibility; to ask USTR to deny a de minimis waiver; and to ask USTR to redesignate an excluded product. The deadline was announced March 22, but it will be officially published in the Federal Register on March 25.
CBP posted a draft version of the CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements that includes the coming Entry Type 86 that will be used for Section 321 shipments under the de minimis value threshold. "The Entry Type 86 (Section 321) CATAIR will be available for testing in the CERTIFICATION environment starting in June 2019," CBP said in a CSMS message. The new entry type will require a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number, and will give filers of low value entries a way to comply with partner government agency requirements (see 1802130035).
The question of how de minimis should fit within the new NAFTA is being grappled with in Congress (see 1902280005) and partner countries (see 1903080033), panelists said March 8 during the International Trade Update at the Georgetown University law school. There was significant pushback from Canada over increasing the value threshold, mostly due to the country's value-added taxes rather than the customs duty collections, said Christine McDaniel, senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.