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

The European Union released a report detailing what it says are “45 new trade barriers” outside the EU in 2018 that damaged EU businesses, costing them “billions of Euros every year,” the EU said in a June 17 press release. The EU said the report “confirms” the rise of trade barriers encountered by European companies in foreign markets, which is now at 425 barriers in 59 countries.

In the June 17 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The World Trade Organization posted a trade policy review of Canada by the WTO Secretariat. The review is dated April 17 but was recently publicly released by the WTO. The review includes a broad look at many ongoing efforts on trade, including an update to NAFTA. "Canada is now following its domestic processes towards the timely ratification and implementation of the Agreement with a view to strengthening our commercial relationship with the United States and Mexico and providing important stability and predictability for Canadian businesses and workers," Canada said in its policy statement that accompanies the WTO review.

China has resumed accepting imports of beef from Brazil, after having suspended them on June 3 after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy turned up in the Brazilian state of Mato Grasso (see 1906040066), according to a June 13 press release from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. China is the only one of Brazil’s trading partners that has a policy of suspending imports when cases of atypical BSE are found, and Brazil’s Agriculture Minister said she will continue negotiating a new protocol with China, the press release said.

A spokeswoman for China’s National Development and Reform Commission on June 17 gave the clearest indication yet that China may seek to impose restrictions on rare earths exports to retaliate for U.S. tariffs. In response to a question during a regularly scheduled press conference on potential export restrictions, the spokeswoman said China is “resolutely opposed” to “anyone who attempts to use China’s rare earth resources to manufacture products” that are used to “contain and suppress China’s development,” according to an unofficial translation. The spokeswoman also mentioned the possibility of export controls and traceability requirements for Chinese rare earths.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing all federal departments and agencies to eliminate one-third of their current Federal Advisory Committee Act-authorized committees by Sept. 30. The order limits the total government-wide number of advisory committees to 350. Eliminated committees should include those found to deal with subject matters that have “become obsolete,” have accomplished their stated objectives, have primary functions “that have been assumed by another entity” or that the agency finds have a “cost of operation [that’s] excessive in relation” to their “benefits to the Federal Government.” Agencies can count committees already eliminated since Trump entered office in January 2017 toward their quota. Agency heads can seek a waiver of the requirement if OMB concludes “it is necessary for the delivery of essential services, for effective program delivery, or because it is otherwise warranted by the public interest.” All agency heads will need to submit recommendations by Aug. 1 to OMB for eliminating committees. OMB will recommend which committees to eliminate by Sept. 1.

A bipartisan group of 23 lawmakers from Arizona, California and Texas objected to the possible inclusion of "seasonality" provisions within the implementing legislation for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in a June 14 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. "Seasonality, whereby certain agricultural products could be subjected to numerous seasonal and regional dumping duties at various times throughout the year, runs counter to the spirit of a free trade agreement intended to tear down both tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade," the lawmakers said. "Using USMCA as a vehicle for pursuing seasonal agriculture trade remedies risks pitting different regions of the country against each other."

The European Union Council revoked its sanctions regime on the Maldives because of the country’s improving political situation, the council said in a June 17 press release. The sanctions were created in July 2018 to target people or entities that contributed to human rights violations and the “deterioration of the political situation” in the country, but “no persons or entities were listed under this sanctions regime,” the press release said. The council made the decision to revoke the regime after the country held “peaceful and democratic parliamentary elections” in April and committed to “ensure good governance, and promote respect for human rights” during a March policy meeting with the EU.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to pass before Congress’ August recess, two Chamber of Commerce officials said, saying Democrats’ issues with the bill are “bridgeable.” “We do think that we can see USMCA move forward before the August break,” said John Murphy, the Chamber’s senior vice president for international policy. “We want to get on with it. We need the certainty that USMCA will provide.”