The European Union announced its latest round of tariff suspensions for goods that are otherwise unavailable in the EU, it said in a notice published June 20. Similar to what the U.S. Miscellaneous Tariff Bill allows, the duty suspensions allow products to be imported at reduced or zero duty rates. The EU is adding 97 products not currently covered by duty suspensions to its list, and modifying the conditions for 47 products that are already listed as covered by duty suspensions, it said. The EU is also ending 96 duty suspensions, either because it they are no longer in the “interest of the Union,” conflict with EU sustainability goals, or are no longer necessary because of internationally agreed tariff cuts for information technology goods. The changes apply from July 1.

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:

The 2019 tariff rate quota for "food preparations containing more than 10 per cent but less than 50 per cent on a dry weight basis of milk solids, not in retail packaging" is nearly full, Global Affairs Canada said in a message to industry. As of March 12, 2019, there was only 14 kg of the access quantity remaining, it said in the June 19 message. "As soon as the TRQ level is fully reached, a broadcast message will be released stating that the TRQ is closed for the 2019 quota year and specific import permits under the tariff rate quota will not be issued in respect to the relevant goods." Also, "General Import Permit No. 100 – Eligible Agricultural Goods (GIP No. 100) will cover, for the balance of the 2019 quota year, unlimited imports classified under the 'over access commitment' tariff item number at the 'over access' tariff rate."

The owner of Rapid Export Services in Miami pleaded guilty on June 12 to one count of illegally smuggling goods from the U.S., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a June 20 news release. Juan Carlos Rodriguez Espinoza "faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine," the Department of Justice said. Rodriguez is said to have received 13 containers of alcohol and cigarettes in 2016 from Panama. He then arranged for the containers to be held in-bond at a bonded warehouse operated by Double Ace, Inc.

Senators on June 20 voted to block the sale of billions of dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after weeks of criticism from bipartisan members of Congress. The sale, originally announced by the Trump administration on May 24, used an emergency provision in the Arms Export Control Act to allow the State Department to bypass congressional approval and certify 22 arms transfers to the Middle East. But Democratic and Republican members in both the House and Senate criticized the move, saying it was a misuse of executive power (see 1906120066).

A Senate bill introduced June 13 with bipartisan support would require the Trump administration to submit reports to Congress on whether Hong Kong is following U.S. export control laws and sanctions. The requirement, part of a bill that would amend the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, would order the Treasury, State and Commerce secretaries to send several House and Senate committees a report on whether Hong Kong has enforced U.S. export controls with respect to “sensitive dual-use items” and abided by both U.S. and United Nations sanctions. The administration would need to submit the reports within 180 days after the enactment of the bill, which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

The shift in travelers' habits "has given rise to an ongoing evolution in the design and construction of travel goods," creating the need for further customs classification guidance, the Canada Border Services Agency said in Memorandum D10-15-29. The new memo, which was issued June 20, outlines the CBSA's "interpretative policy with respect to the tariff classification of suitcases, travelling bags, backpacks (rucksacks) and handbags of heading 42.02," it said. Chapter 42 covers "Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut)" and heading 42.02 includes trunks, suitcases and briefcases.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is updating its Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations to change how parties file reports on blocked property, unblocked property and rejected transactions related to economic sanctions, OFAC said in a June 20 notice. The amended regulations, to be published in the June 21 Federal Register, also detail revisions to OFAC’s electronic license application procedures, the availability of its records under the Freedom of Information Act and other “certain technical and conforming changes,” OFAC said.

Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security added five Chinese computing companies to its Entity List, requiring licenses for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations with a review policy of presumption of denial. The entities are: Chengdu Haiguang Integrated Circuit, Chengdu Haiguang Microelectronics Technology, Higon, Sugon and Wuxi Jiangnan Institute of Computing Technology.

The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​​