The European Union on Oct. 4 published a directive outlining procedures for the movement of certain foods and feeds, plants and animals from ports of entry to their destination within the EU. The new directive replaces rules set in the 1990s that were repealed by an overhaul of the EU’s border control scheme in 2017, effective in December 2019. Under the new procedures, border authorities may only authorize the transport of a shipment to the establishment at the place of destination indicated in the Common Health Entry Document associated with the shipment. The operator responsible for the establishment at the place of destination must notify the relevant inspection authority within one day of the shipment’s arrival at its destination. A lack of notification within 15 days of authorization of transport will cause an official investigation, which may result in enforcement action against the operator responsible for the consignment. The directive takes effect Dec. 14.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 4 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The Canada Border Services Agency plans to again push back the sunset date for legacy release options as part of the Single Window Initiative and Integrated Import Declaration transition, the agency said in an Oct. 2 email. "Due to the delay in issuing the Single Window Initiative (SWI), Integrated Import Declaration (IID) ECCRD Addendum, the deadline to sunset the legacy Other Government Department (OGD) release service options (OGD PARS and OGD RMD) will be extended to April 1, 2020," the agency said. "The SWI IID ECCRD Addendum includes the necessary functionality that will enable TCPs to be able to process co-regulated shipments, and, as such decommissioning cannot occur until this functionality has been implemented." The CBSA released the addendum document on Oct. 2.
Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo maintenance from 4 a.m. to noon on Oct. 20, it said in an Oct. 3 notice. During the downtime, the only applications that will not be processed are those involving “amendment, cancellation, refund and stock related permit applications,” the notice said. Singapore is advising traders to submit applications before Oct. 20 “to minimise disruptions to your business operations.”
Japan is creating a “Brexit Service Desk” to support the country’s small and medium-sized companies operating in the United Kingdom after the U.K. leaves the European Union, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in an Oct. 4 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The service desk will be run by 200 “staff and specialists,” the release said, and will provide “individual consultations” to Japanese companies to help them understand the “latest information on local laws and regulations” for “smooth business.”
The Congressional Research Service issued an Oct. 3 report detailing how the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act regulations will reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. The report explains the new powers FIRRMA grants CFIUS, what changes are proposed, potential issues the regulations may pose for Congress, and how FIRRMA impacts reporting procedures and export controls. The Treasury Department released the proposed FIRRMA regulations in September, and comments are due Oct. 17 (see 1909180018).
Many Republicans in Congress have been accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of dawdling on ratifying the new NAFTA, and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that if it doesn't come to the floor of the House by the end of October, "I don't think we're gonna get it."
The U.S. government lacks technical knowledge and a single, leading voice in its approach to technology competition with China, said Adam Segal, the emerging technologies chair at the Council on Foreign Relations. Segal, speaking during an Oct. 4 Brookings Institution panel about the U.S.-China technology relationship, said U.S. industries are concerned that technology policies, such as certain export controls, are being made without a full understanding of their impacts.
The State Department should revamp several aspects of its draft guidance for exports of surveillance technology (see 1909040071) because some of it is “troubling,” “overly broad” and may unnecessarily restrict exports, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in comments.
Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows: