International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 4-8 in case they were missed.
The longer the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) expiration continues, the less likely renewal legislation will include retroactivity provisions, said Marideth Sandler, CEO of Sandler Trade, during a Nov. 7 webinar on GSP. The webinar was co-sponsored by Sandler Trade, the Alliance of GSP Countries and the Coalition for GSP. Despite routine implementation of GSP duty retroactivity dating back to the program’s 1976 inception, political concerns render retroactivity uncertain, said Sandler.
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases Nov 6-7 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines):
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 15-18 in case they were missed.
The prospect for Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) and Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal legislation to pass with retroactivity provisions remains high, according to industry executives and attorneys, despite the fiscal battles lawmakers continue to wage over federal appropriations and an administration-proposed debt ceiling hike. But political dysfunction is causing some anxiety for the the future of the largely non-controversial bills and retroactivity inclusions, they said. Typically, retroactive provisions allow the benefits of a law to extend beyond the law's expiration and through to when a new law is passed.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 23-27 in case they were missed.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting written public comment for the annual review of country eligibility for benefits associated with the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The USTR African Growth and Opportunity Act Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee will consider comments in developing recommendations for the AGOA’s 2014 calendar year. The comments should be submitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2013-0035, by Oct. 25.
"CBP revenue collections" will be among the Department of Homeland Security operations that will be exempt from an all-out agency stoppage in the event of a government shutdown Oct. 1, said a Sept. 27 detailed contingency plan issued by DHS.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) should release information that ensures that Uzbekistan-sourced cotton is not produced through child and forced labor, the main U.S. and Canadian purchasers of Bangladeshi cotton said Sept. 20 in a letter to the BGMEA. BGMEA plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Uzbek government, the letter says. The U.S. and Canadian groups cite reports that indicate Uzbekistan systematically traffics citizens for cotton harvest.
Members of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) were meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Sept. 24 to push them to move forward with several pieces of trade legislation. The meetings were part of the NCBFAA's Government Affairs Conference. At the top of the list of legislation brokers would like to see the next step be a customs reauthorization bill, according to a paper distributed by the NCBFAA to its members going to the Hill. Differences in the House over how the customs bill will treat antidumping/countervailing enforcement changes has emerged as a sticking point between Republicans and Democrats (see 13040911). NCBFAA "strongly supports passage of a robust customs reauthorization bill that provides firm direction to revitalize CBP's commercial trade facilitation and enforcement function," the paper said.