The Commodity Credit Corporation published a final rule amending the regulation used to administer the Market Access Program (MAP). CCC said the amendments address: application requirements and activity plan requirements with relation to the Unified Export Strategy (UES) system; the eligibility of activities designed to address international market access issues; the list of eligible and ineligible contributions; evaluations, contracting procedures, and the compliance review and appeals process; etc.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito is Managing Editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of May 17, 2012, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
Mexican Secretary of Economy Bruno Ferrari and European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani signed letters of intent regarding industrial cooperation, raw materials, and small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) at a meeting in Mexico on May 14-15. In the letters, Mexico and the European Union pledged to: (1) create a foundation for industrial cooperation to link the Mexican and EU industrial sectors and act as a mechanism for Mexico and the EU to exchange information and best practices; (2) promote a dialogue between the EU and Mexico on raw materials; and (3) deepen cooperation and explore new areas of mutual interest in the SMEs sector.
A former manager of a Netherlands-based freight-forwarding company was sentenced to six months in prison for conspiring to defraud the U.S. by facilitating the illegal export of goods to Iran, said the Justice Department. Ulrich Davis, 50, a Dutch citizen, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. through the violation of a Bureau of Industry and Security Temporary Denial Order (TDO). According to DoJ, a co-conspirator bought U.S.-origin goods from a New Jersey company, among others, for businesses and governmental agencies of Iran, and Davis and the co-conspirator arranged for their shipment to Iran. The New Jersey company was in the business of reselling chemicals, lubricants, sealants and other products used in the aircraft industry.
The Agricultural Marketing Service announced the appointment of two members and two alternates to the Cotton Board. The terms of the member positions, one California producer and one importer, expire on December 31, 2014, and the terms of the alternate member positions, both importer positions, expire on December 31, 2013. The appointed producer member from California is Aaron Barcellos, Los Banos, California. Roger Glaspey from Fresno, California, is the appointed importer member. The appointed alternate importer members are Sapna Sapru, Forest Hills, New York; and Kris Arabia, Orlando, Florida.
The Court of International Trade denied a motion by patent-holder PPC to participate as amicus curiae in an action challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s denial of plaintiff Corning Gilbert Inc.’s protests relating to CBP’s exclusion of its coaxial cable connectors pursuant to an International Trade Commission general exclusion order. CIT said participation in actions challenging the denial of protests is generally limited to the importer and the government, and the broad scope of PPC’s requested involvement would be akin to granting a motion to intervene, which is statutorily barred by 28 USC 2631(j)(1)(a).
The International Trade Administration joined leaders from 11 American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams) in Latin America to announce new partnerships under the ITA’s Global Buyers Initiative. Formal memorandums of understanding were signed during a ceremony at the annual Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA) Conference. According to the ITA, through the Global Buyers Initiative a U.S. company identifies potential buyers of U.S. goods and services, and then refers them to the ITA's commercial posts overseas, where ITA staff works to connect the buyers with American companies who can meet their needs. The ITA said the pilot program has been a success, so it's expanding it through this agreement.
During the week of May 1 through May 7, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration modified the following existing Import Alerts (not otherwise listed on the FDA's new and revised import alerts page) on the detention without physical examination of:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of May 15, 2012, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
Bradford Ward has been appointed Director of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC) by the U.S. Trade Representative. ITEC is expected to be fully operational, with 50 to 60 staff, by the end of next year, said Commerce Secretary Bryson in remarks to the Steel Manufacturers Association Conference on May 15. Additionally, Bryson appointed Constance Hadley as Deputy Director of ITEC.