President Barack Obama in late April will visit Germany to discuss advancement of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House announced on Dec. 30 (here). Obama, who will be the first U.S. president to attend the annual Hannover Messe industrial technology trade show, plans to showcase “American innovation and ingenuity” and tout the U.S. as a sound investment destination. “This visit, which will be the President’s fifth to Germany, underscores the enduring political and economic ties between Americans and Germans and highlights the U.S. commitment to trade and investment as drivers of job creation and economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic,” the White House said.
President Barack Obama on Dec. 28 signed into law the “Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015” (here), which would prohibit the manufacture and entry into interstate commerce of rinse-off cosmetics containing “intentionally-added” plastic microbeads (see 1512210001).
President Barack Obama modified the U.S. harmonized tariff schedule through a Dec. 23 presidential proclamation (here). Tax extender legislation included with the omnibus appropriations bill gives the President the authority to "reduce any rate of duty on certain environmental goods included in Annex C of the APEC Leaders Declaration issued on September 9, 2012, if (and only if) the President" notifies "Congress of the negotiations relating to the agreement and the specific United States objectives in the negotiations” (see 1512170013).
President Barack Obama on Dec. 21 announced a number of changes under various trade agreements, including the removal of Burundi from the African Growth and Opportunity Act list, to take effect Jan. 1 (here). Another adjustment Obama made was the addition of tariff lines to Chapter 99 of the HTS to avoid disruption to sugar marketing and to encourage electronic administration of the quota classifications of sugars, syrups, and molasses, said Obama. Other changes were largely technical adjustments under existing FTAs.
President Barack Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act into law on Dec. 4, the White House, said (here). The law (here), which authorizes budgetary resources for surface transportation programs for fiscal years 2016-2020, includes an increase to customs users fees to help pay for the programs. Among the fees set to increase are the merchandise processing fee (MPF) and broker permit fees. The fee changes will be based on the Consumer Price Index and the first adjustment will occur April 1 (see 1512040024).
President Barack Obama issued an executive order Nov. 22 to sanction individuals contributing to unrest in Burundi, the White House said (here). The order blocks the U.S. property and interests of the sanctioned individuals, along with property and interests that come into the U.S. The order also prohibits other dealings with the sanctioned individuals. "The order is not targeted at the people of Burundi, but rather is aimed at activities by the government and armed groups that contribute to the turmoil there," said the White House (here). The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals List (here).
The U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to a new strategic partnership, said the White House in a Nov. 21 news release (here). The new partnership marks an elevation in the official relationship between ASEAN and the U.S., said the White House (here). The partnership will be driven by a new ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action 2016-2020, "which identified priorities and measures to be carried out by both sides to further enhance political-security, economic and sociocultural cooperation and realise the full potential of the ASEAN-United States partnership," said ASEAN (here). Among other things, ASEAN "welcomed the major progress of the ASEAN Single Window, which the United States has provided technical and financial support to since 2007." President Barack Obama, who lead the U.S. delegation to the U.S-ASEAN summit in Malaysia, discussed the U.S. relationship with ASEAN and various components of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, including intellectual property and political considerations, during a press conference (here).
President Barack Obama took executive action on Nov. 12 to remove national emergency status for Liberia, lifting the sanctions on the country drawn from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Former President George W. Bush issued, also by decree, the imposition of the national emergency in 2004 (here). The national emergency declaration blocked property tied to former Liberian leader Charles Taylor and barred imports of round logs and timber from the country, among other measures. Obama last renewed the national emergency in July (here).
The administration will suspend African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits for South African agriculture on Jan. 4, President Barack Obama said in a notice to Congress on Nov. 5. “South Africa continues to impose several longstanding barriers to U.S. trade, including barriers affecting certain U.S. agricultural exports,” said Obama in the memo. “South Africa is not making continual progress toward the elimination of barriers to United States trade and investment as required by section 104 of AGOA.” The AGOA law requires a 60-day notice before the removal of benefits. The U.S. has for months pressed South Africa to remove trade remedies and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers (see 1509140023). The administration opted to go with the suspension over full AGOA removal in order to encourage South African reform, said Obama. “Although South Africa has to date failed to meet critical benchmarks required to address these issues, it continues to express an interest in resolving U.S. concerns,” he said.
President Barack Obama signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act into law on Nov. 5, the White House said. The legislation passed by expedited measures in both chambers. The Senate passed the bill in late October, while the House approved it in July. “The United States will now join a global effort to ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement, which will prevent vessels carrying fish caught illegally from entering our ports, keep illegal product out of the market and demonstrate our continued leadership in the global fight against IUU fishing,” said the White House. “Twenty five countries are needed for the treaty to enter into force. We are more than halfway there and the U.S. will continue to work closely with our partners around the world to finalize this important treaty. These measures will benefit U.S. fishermen, seafood buyers, and consumers by protecting our domestic fishermen from unfair, illegal competition and ensure consumer confidence in the seafood supply.”