The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a summary of Plant Health Import Requirements for Temperate Fresh Fruit Approved for Entry into Canada.
In the October 2 and October 5, 2010 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
On October 4, 2010, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada reported on International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan's speech on expanding international trade, particularly with the Asia-Pacific region. “Free trade is a pathway to strong economies, and our government is committed to pursuing an aggressive and ambitious free trade agenda that will create jobs in Canada and lead to prosperity for economies at various stages of development,” said Van Loan.
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal will hold a public hearing on October 28, 2010 to consider the appeal, Wolseley Canada Inc. v. President of the Canada Border Services Agency, on whether boilers, model G234X, which are classified under tariff item No. 8403.10.00, are entitled to the benefits of tariff item No. 9948.00.00 as articles for use in process control apparatus, excluding sensors, which converts analog signals from or to digital signals.
The European Union and Vietnam signed an aviation agreement on October 4, 2010 to remove nationality restrictions in the bilateral air services agreements between EU Member States and Vietnam. The agreement will allow any EU airline to operate flights between any EU Member State and Vietnam, where a bilateral agreement exists and traffic rights are available.
The World Customs Organization announces that the SAFE package is now online, which includes tools to secure and facilitate global trade that have been compiled into one convenient package to ensure ready access for WCO Members and Customs’ stakeholders.
The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) announces that in a visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, a delegation from the Office of Thailand Trade Representative stated that the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) has enabled the ASEAN-6 -- Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- to import and export almost all goods across their borders at no tariff. The representative stated that the entry into force of AFTA is one of ASEAN’s tangible achievements in the economic front this year, taking the region one step closer to building an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/15/10 news, 10011599 #6, for BP summary of the AFTA's entry into force on January 1, 2010.)
The World Customs Organization has issued a press release announcing that a transnational operation coordinated by the WCO and INTERPOL targeting organized criminal counterfeiting networks across 13 countries in South America has resulted in more than 600 arrests and the seizure of fake goods worth $50 million U.S. dollars.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission will hold a fifth review session for its 2010 Annual Report from October 12-14, 2010. These sessions are open to the public.
The European Commission has posted a "quick reading guide" to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and South Korea. According to the EC, it is the most comprehensive FTA ever negotiated by the EU.