In the Oct. 8 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom on Oct. 8 published a draft of the tariff schedule and tables of tariff rate quotas that will take effect Oct. 31 if the U.K. leaves the European Union with no transition deal in place. “These documents are drafts. Final versions will be uploaded with the legislation, which is subject to Parliamentary approval,” the U.K.’s HM Revenue & Customs said. The U.K. also updated its guidance on non-preferential, most favored nation rates of duty after a no-deal Brexit. “If your goods are not listed on this page, you will not have to pay customs duty (tariff) when importing them into the UK,” the updated guidance says.

European Customs Data Model Version 5.0 (EUCDM) is now available on the European Commission’s Tax and Customs Union EUCDM website, the commission said. The new version includes changes implemented in December on VAT collections and anti-fraud, as well as changes to the Union Customs Code from a September regulation (see 1909110069). EUCDM is the model for trans-European customs systems, as well as the national customs clearance systems of EU member states.

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department released its exemption process for “air trans[s]hipment cargo of specified strategic commodities” for 2020, Hong Kong said in an Oct. 8 notice. The TID is inviting “eligible parties” -- including carriers, airlines, ground handling agents and freight forwarders -- to apply for the exemptions by Nov. 8. The exemption scheme will waive certain license requirements and will issue applicants a “Certificate of Exemption” valid until Dec. 31, 2020, the TID said.

Certain manufacturers in China are eligible for value-added tax refunds for the filing period that began July 1, 2019, “and for subsequent filing periods,” according to an Oct. 8 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The move is aimed to boost the development of China’s advanced manufacturing industries, the report said. The refund can be used by companies with a majority of total sales coming from “non-metal mineral products, general equipment, special equipment, computers, communications and other electronic equipment,” the HKTDC said.

The Congressional Research Service released a report on Oct. 4 on Brexit and its impact on the United Kingdom's trade agreements, the European Union Customs Union and the U.K.'s relationship with the U.S. The report also explains possible scenarios under a no-deal Brexit, how it will affect the EU’s economy and what the U.S. Congress would need to do in order to agree to a trade deal with the U.K. post-Brexit.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on Oct. 7 released its report to Congress on defense-related exports licensed under section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act during 2018. The report contains an overview that details categories and subcategories of the U.S. Munitions List in the report and an appendix with a list of which countries received the exports, including their value and quantity. The exports had an “authorized value” of about $63.4 billion, according to the appendix.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., at the end of a short trip to Mexico aimed at assessing that country's “ability to follow through on promised reforms” issued a statement that contained a not-too-veiled warning to the Mexican government that is eager for U.S. Congress to ratify the new NAFTA. “Our meeting with President López Obrador shed further light on the Mexican government’s desire and intentions to carry out its labor justice reform, but the United States needs to see those assurances put into action,” the statement said.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. and China “could do something very substantial” when Chinese officials travel to Washington for trade talks this week, but he dismissed the idea of a partial deal.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), a migrant songbird that breeds in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Ontario, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule. Threats to the species have been "eliminated or reduced to the point where it no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species," FWS said. The delisting takes effect Nov. 8.