The World Customs Organization is organizing the Second Technology and Innovations Forum in Cairo, Egypt. In addition to demonstrating a wide range of new and emerging technologies, this year’s Forum focuses on engaging all relevant stakeholders in the discussion on the efficient use of technology at the border. The forum will be held on November 2-4, 2010 in Cairo.
The European Commission has published a summary of the proceedings from a March 2010 conference on EU policy towards developing countries. Among other things, the proceedings discuss the outlook for the EU's public consultation on its GSP scheme.
The World Customs Organization reports that government, business and civil society representatives gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland at the IMD Business School campus on July 7 and 9, 2010 to discuss ways in which to foster an equitable trade system, sustainable development and healthy global governance. The panel composed of trade experts agreed that as each region has its specific dynamics, the highly institutionalized European model is not necessarily applicable to other regions. In practice, what is happening is often a series of bilateral agreements or loose regional arrangements rather than EU-type regional integration.
The European Commission has announced a multi-year agreement with British American Tobacco (BAT) to work together in tackling the illicit trade in tobacco products. Under the legally binding agreement, BAT will provide significant funds (totaling $200 million over the next 20 years) and work with the EC, its anti-fraud office OLAF, and Member States’ law enforcement authorities to help in the fight against contraband and counterfeit cigarettes.
The European Commission has announced that a first round of negotiations on an Association Agreement with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia will take place in the capitals of the three South Caucasus countries in the coming week. The Agreements are based on joint commitments to a set of shared values and will cover a wide range of areas, including Political dialogue, Justice, freedom and security, as well as trade and cooperation in sectoral policies.
In its recent evaluation of the U.S. economy, the International Monetary Fund states that U.S. recovery from the “Great Recession” has become increasingly well established, but many challenges remain such as restrained private sector spending, high public debt, and the need to increase government revenue.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries. Sign up for free NIST service here. Notifications for 07/16/10 include:
In the July 15, 2010 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
On July 14, 2010, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Union began cooperative activities in protecting and promoting intellectual property rights in the ASEAN region. ECAPIII, a co-funded project to the amount of EUR 5.1 million over the period 2010-2013, will support ASEAN cooperation and integration in IPR as a means to further economic development. ECAPIII is envisaged to deepen cooperation between the EU, the European Patent Office and ASEAN and supplement national efforts by individual ASEAN countries to strengthen their IP regime.
Xinhaunet. com reports that more postal parcels arriving in China from other countries will be subject to an import tax from Sept 1, according to the latest customs regulation. Previously, when the import tax on a parcel was calculated as lower than 500 yuan, it was made exempt from fees. That minimum threshold will be dropped to 50 yuan, as stated on the website of the General Administration of Customs.The new rule is expected to hit overseas purchasers the hardest, since they buy products on other people's behalf and earn commission from the deals.