Flash sales of deeply discounted products can be used to determine the transaction value as long as the required provisions are met, according to the World Customs Organization Technical Committee on Customs Valuation in a recently adopted advisory opinion. Similarly, the committee said that "the discounted price could be used to determine the transaction value of identical or similar goods for which there is no transaction value" if other provisions are met, the WCO said in a news release. "This Advisory Opinion will be submitted to the WCO Council for approval at its Sessions of June 2019," the WCO said.

In the May 29 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of May 29 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

Canada published a notice on refunds for surtaxes paid on steel goods that were subject to temporary safeguard duties but not final safeguards, in the Canada Gazette, Part II. "The Safeguard Surtax Refund Order provides refunds for provisional safeguard surtaxes paid on imports of rebar, energy tubular products, hot-rolled sheet, pre-painted steel and wire rod, as well as imports of heavy plate and stainless steel wire from Korea, Panama, Peru and Colombia specifically," the notice said. "Refunds are granted for such goods that have been imported on or after October 25, 2018, for which surtaxes have been collected under the Provisional Surtax Order, provided that no other relief of the surtax has been granted."

Canada updated the Customs Tariff with a list of subheadings covered by the final safeguards for steel goods, according to an order to amend the import control list published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The country announced plans to impose final safeguards on steel plate and stainless rod in April (see 1904040051).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will begin to add the first commodity group of a phased-in approach for implementing organic import requirements in the Automated Import Reference System on June 10, the CFIA said in a May 28 email. The agency previously said it would begin the phase-in on May 29 (see 1905070054).

The Canada Border Services Agency updated Memorandum D19-13-2 to include multiple revised definitions and other information. The CBSA said the following changes were made:

The Mexican Secretariat of Economy recently issued a ruling on the application to parts and components of upcoming requirements to submit a certificate of compliance with certain Mexican product standards at the time of entry, according to a May 27 circular from the Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) that was posted by the consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior.

The Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department issued a circular May 28 listing the latest version of signatures of officers at the agency that are authorized to sign and issue Delivery Verification Certificates and import and export licenses covering strategic commodities.

The Treasury Department submitted to Congress its semiannual Report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the U.S., finding that “no major U.S. trading partner met the relevant … criteria” for unfair trading practices. Treasury did find, however, that nine “major trading partners” warrant “close attention to their currency practices:” China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, according to a May 28 press release. Of the nine, all but China “met two of the three criteria for enhanced analysis under” the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, Treasury said. In its report, Treasury said China “has met one of the three criteria in every” report since 2016 and “constitutes a disproportionate share of the overall U.S. trade deficit.”