Mexico’s Senate this week voted 76-5, with 35 abstentions, to approve new higher tariffs on a range of products imported from China and other countries that don't have free trade agreements with Mexico, according to an unofficial translation of the Senate's news release.

Mexico Customs announced that it will delay mandatory use of its new electronic value manifest until April 1, amid concerns over industry readiness and the potential for processing delays at Mexican ports of entry around the original Dec. 9 deadline (see 2512050039).

The Council of the EU, which is made up of government ministers from each EU country, voted last week to eliminate customs duties on industrial products and to grant tariff rate quotas for some seafood and agricultural products. It also voted to extend duty-free treatment for U.S. lobster exports. That tariff treatment had expired in July.

The ruling Democratic Party of South Korea submitted a bill on Nov. 26 to establish a state-run investment fund for managing investments in the U.S., paving the way for a reduction in U.S. tariffs on Korean automobiles and their parts, the Korea Times reported.

Law firms are advising clients of changes to Mexican customs laws that begin Jan. 1, including that customs brokers will be liable if their clients provide false or inaccurate information.

EU ministers and Parliament members this week urged the bloc to respond forcefully to China’s rare earth export restrictions if Beijing doesn’t repeal them or swiftly grant export licenses to European companies. Some also said they’re skeptical Beijing’s one-year suspension for some of its export controls will last.

The U.K. on Nov. 26 opened a public comment period for its planned elimination of duty exemptions for low-value imports. The country for several months had been reviewing whether to remove the tariff exemption for imports costing under 135 pounds, and the finance ministry said it expects to eliminate the exemption by March 2029 "at the latest."

The European Parliament this week voted 402-250 -- with eight abstentions -- in favor of delaying the bloc's deforestation reporting requirements for one year, which would give large companies until Dec. 30, 2026, to come into compliance and small companies until June 30, 2027.

India's Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, the lead negotiator on the trade deal with the U.S., told reporters in New Delhi on Nov. 17, "We should get a closure soon."

The Council of the European Union agreed Nov. 13 to eliminate its de minimis provision, through which goods worth under $174 could enter the EU without customs duties being paid. The council said the new rule will start applying once the EU customs data hub is running, which is expected to be in 2028, since the hub is "currently under negotiation between the Council and the European Parliament as part of a broader fundamental reform of the EU customs framework." The customs data hub will allow for calculation and notification of customs debt on a "per-item basis." To facilitate a speedier implementation of the end of the de minimis provision, however, the council said it committed to work toward a "simple, temporary solution" to impose duties on goods under the de minimis threshold by 2026. No further specifics were provided.