Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, speaking May 7 in New Delhi, chided India for its high tariffs and non-tariff barriers, blaming them for the trade deficit with the U.S. He did not acknowledge the termination of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits for India. Although the administration warned India could be terminated from the GSP program as of May 4, so far, that has not happened. However, Ross did tell a local TV station, according to Reuters, that retaliation for the end of GSP would be inappropriate.

The Department of Justice issued an updated guidance for corporate compliance programs, describing how “well-designed” programs should work and detailing what Justice expects from those programs, the department said in an April 30 press release. The 19-page guide aims to “harmonize” compliance guidance with standards from other departments, DOJ said, while “providing additional context to the multifactor analysis of a company’s compliance program.”

The National Association of Manufacturers urged the Senate to confirm three nominees to the board of directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, saying it would restore a “hobbled” entity. NAM endorsed Kimberly Reed for president and chair and Spencer Bachus III and Judith DelZoppo Pryor to serve on the board of directors, it said in a May 6 letter to the Senate. The nominees would give the bank enough directors for a quorum to approve transactions of more than $10 million. The association said the lack of required directors has left the bank unable to “to implement the reforms still outstanding from the 2015 Ex-Im Bank reauthorization.” That has hurt U.S. manufacturers, who have lost about “$119 billion in output as a result.” Calling the nominees “highly qualified,” the letter says their confirmations will help the bank “end America’s unilateral economic disarmament, support America’s manufacturing workers and help the United States compete more effectively with China, Russia and others.” The letter came three days after the Senate voted to end the debate on the nominees (see 1905030027).

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control left out several key components of an effective compliance program in its recent sanctions compliance guide, according to a May 6 report from law firm Paul Hastings. The report said the guide should have included descriptions and instructions for “a confidential reporting process,” an "investigations process,” “disciplinary measures for employees which fail to follow the program” and “an emphasis” on mid-level employees stressing the importance of compliance instead of just senior management. The report said these components “appear in guidance documents in other areas” and "it is not clear why OFAC chose to omit these nuances … but no doubt practitioners will seek further clarification from OFAC in the weeks and months to come.” The guide, published May 6, represented an escalating step in OFAC’s effort to disseminate information about effective compliance programs, potentially allowing the agency to more successfully prosecute compliance cases (see 1905030055). The guide provides details of compliance programs that are “now all but mandatory in OFAC’s opinion,” the report said.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls' Defense Export Control and Compliance System (DECCS) Commodity Jurisdiction application is live, the State Department said in a May 6 notice. The new system allows users to save commodity jurisdiction applications as drafts and return to them later. Users can also now download a PDF version of the submitted form for record keeping, State said. Commodity jurisdiction determinations allow users to determine whether a product or service is covered by the U.S. Munitions List and subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations export controls, State said. All “DTrade Super Users with valid email addresses” were automatically enrolled in DECCS, the notice said.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 29 -May 3 in case they were missed.

The recent Global Conference on the future of the Harmonized System for tariffs and trade held by the World Customs Organization resulted in some broad policy recommendations, the WCO said in a news release. Those recommendations will now be sent to the WCO Policy Commission for consideration. The event, which took place May 2-3 at the WCO, included "over 300 participants from Member Customs administrations, partner international organizations, industry associations, trade professionals, import/export companies and academia," it said.

Namibia will launch a new customs and tax agency in October as part of a broader trade facilitation effort underway in the country, according to a report in the Namibia Economist. The new Namibia Revenue Agency (NAMRA) "aims for faster clearance times for legitimate trade and increased transparency in regulatory processes and decision-making,” said Acting Customs Commissioner Thandi Hambira, according to the report. Namibia will also create a “Customs Information Centre,” which will “offer online declaration of cargo to be accessed from the clients office as well as pre-arrival processing for perishables, medicaments, ship spares” along with other goods, she said. “Although the client reserves freedom of transit, container inspections at client, importer and exporter premises will also be carried out.” NAMRA will replace the Customs & Excise and Inland Revenue departments in the Ministry of Finance, the report said.

The African Continental Free Trade Area looks set to take effect in July during the next African Union Summit, according to a report in The East African. A total of 22 countries must ratify the agreement and submit their instruments of ratification, and 20 have done so, while another two have ratified but not yet submitted the paperwork. “The AfCFTA brings together a continental single market, which is expected to increase intra-African trade by 52 per cent come 2022, remove tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, liberalise services and tackle other barriers to intra-African trade,” the report said.

The Canada Border Services Agency updated the Regulated Commodities Data Element Matching Criteria Tables for use with Integrated Import Declarations, the CBSA said in a May 6 email. Effective May 6, the agency said it updated the tables for headings covered by Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Global Affairs Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The update will appear on CBSA's website, though the agency notes that the website is still being updated.