On January 6, 2012, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued another update on implementation efforts for the free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Among other things, the parties are meeting, exchanging documents, and analyzing each others’ laws and regulations.
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
On December 19, 2011, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative provided another update regarding implementation efforts for the free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.
On November 16, 2011, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and seven Members of Congress sent a letter to President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia announcing that they have established a Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia that will work closely with the Obama Administration, U.S. and Colombian labor organizations and non-governmental organizations, and the Colombian government to ensure that both the U.S. and Colombia continue to make progress on labor rights, including the commitments and timelines announced in the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights (Labor Action Plan).
During an October 14, 2011 international trade event, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Marantis provided an update on progress in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.1 He discussed the negotiators’ short-term goals, outlined some of the more unique aspects of the agreement, mentioned the prospects of other countries joining the TPP, and discussed the Administration’s stance on Trade Promotion Authority.
The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress on October 6- 13, 2011:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has posted to its Web site a fact sheet on the steps that must be taken after each of the recently passed free trade agreements is enacted in order for them to enter into force.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs announced the publication of an updated list of goods, along with countries of origin, that it has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. Changes include adding incense (agarbatti1) from India, the country of Mauritania, and listing cotton for Mali.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued an initial determination that proposes to add three new items to the "List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor” which it preliminarily believes might have been mined, produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor.
On August 3, 2011, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff launched a new international trade policy called "Bigger Brazil" to increase the competitiveness, innovation, and value of Brazilian products. It includes certain goals to be met during 2011-2014 and covers areas such as financing and export guarantees; domestic preferences for government procurement; tax cuts for targeted industries such as apparel, shoes, furniture and software; investments in the medium and high-tech labor force; funding for green projects; etc.
On July 7, 2011, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees held “mock” mark-ups and approved without amendment1 draft implementing bills for the Korea, Colombia, and Panama free trade agreements, which include an increase in the merchandise processing fee for formal entries and retroactive renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA)/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA).