On March 22, 2013, the U.S. Senate introduced a bill that would aim to strengthen the trade facilitation and enforcement efforts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2013 would, among other items: • Strengthen trade enforcement to target cargo [...]
A new report from ICC’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) calls for increased regulation and better management of Free Trade Zones (FTZs) to stop the alarming trend of the use of FTZs to facilitate the manufacture, distribution, and sale of counterfeit products. The report, Controlling the Zone: Balancing Facilitation and Control to [...]
“Every organization at the border needs to follow certain success factors for seamless collaboration through an intelligence-led approach by using technology and analytics that can filter right data, as well as mobile real-time inspection processes that increase speed and value of information at the point of trade,” said Brian Moran, Global Managing Director, Public Services [...]
Presented by ABA Section of International Law Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee, cosponsored by the ABA Section of International Law Canada Committee in Cooperation with Ontario Bar Association, International Law Section and Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, Export Committee In recent years, companies in the defense and satellite industries have been struggling to [...]
Managing the flow of goods, information, and money across borders is a highly complex, regulated, and dynamic process—and becoming more so every day! Therefore, companies can no longer rely on manual processes to manage their global trade operations, which is why the Global Trade Management (GTM) systems market is one of the fastest growing segments [...]
There are thousands of stories, many of which we’ve read here at China Law Blog, of companies attempting to sell into China before understanding the legal and regulatory environment for their product. Importing into China is one of these often-overlooked areas, specifically, the rules and regulations as they apply to individual products. In my experience, [...]
Enforcement agencies in the international trade arena are increasingly scrutinizing international trade compliance programs in deciding on the appropriate penalty for violations of the FCPA, export controls, economic sanctions and anti-boycott laws. The latest example involves SEC and Justice Department non-prosecution agreements with Ralph Lauren about allegations of FCPA violations in Argentina where the penalties [...]
In December 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $45 million settlement with an importer of pigment used in ink manufacturing. The importer had been charged with misdeclaring the country of origin of the pigment. The issue was whether certain intermediate processing operations were sufficient for the imported product to be declared as [...]
U.S. aerospace and defense contractor Raytheon Company has reached an agreement with the U.S. State Department to pay a $4 million fine and invest an equal amount in additional compliance measures for violations of federal arms control regulations. The State Department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs determined that [...]
Contractors involved in the Federal Government’s procurement of information technology (IT) systems should consider taking affirmative steps to prepare for significant legal uncertainties arising from a confusing provision enacted by Congress to combat Chinese cyber-espionage. The new provision, which Congress recently included in the “must-pass” appropriations measure that averted a government shutdown, generally prohibits certain [...]
Small businesses are often the heartbeat of local economies. But could some of your best customers be waiting overseas? Outside of governments and multinational corporations, international trade was, until recently, a discipline that most small businesses didn’t dare attempt. Paperwork, fees, regulations, tariffs, language barriers: keeping a business afloat is hard enough without piling on [...]
Jock Finlayson of the Business Council of British Columbia recently wrote a column for Troy Media on the virtues of the Canada-European Union free trade deal. He listed five reasons why he thinks the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, should be ratified as soon as possible. But there are at least as many [...]
As forecasters continue to downgrade their near-term projections for the global economy, many countries are stepping up efforts to conclude new trade agreements with key commercial partners. In just the past four months, the United States has announced that it wants to reach a free trade accord with the European Union, Japan has joined the [...]
Hosted in conjunction with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, IE Canada’s intensive three-day Customs Duty and International Trade Course is a practical tool providing importers and exporters with up-to-date knowledge to navigate and succeed in the global trade arena. A team of top trade and customs experts will outline the main rules that govern the [...]
Governments are facing a series of “convergence challenges” on the future of the international trading system, according to a report issued on Wednesday by a 12-member panel convened by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy. The report – which was issued under the Director-General’s own responsibility – marked the conclusion of a process that was announced at [...]
On April 18, 2013, CBP announced the opening of three new Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE): Base Metals in Chicago; Industrial & Manufacturing Materials (IMM) in Buffalo, N.Y., and Machinery in Laredo, Texas. The virtual centers are the product of extensive collaboration between industry stakeholders and CBP. CBP is currently accepting applications from importers [...]
With President Obama’s announcement in February 2013 that the United States will be launching trade negotiations with the European Union (“EU”) this summer, the pressure is on for Canada and the EU to complete the Canada European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA”) negotiations. Both Parties are said to be engaged in intense negotiations. [...]
Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents to a new survey from Deloitte identified risk in the extended value chain – comprising vendors and customers and where they have less control – as their greatest concern with regards to supply chain risk. The survey of 600 global executives from manufacturing and retail companies, also found that over [...]
A new ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation held its first meeting in Paris this week, establishing an agenda to expand the trade facilitation work undertaken by the former ICC Committee on Customs and Trade Regulations to include international multi-modal transport and logistics issues. Providing a global, cross-sector business forum, the consolidated commission seeks [...]
