The European Union on March 29 published a new, overhauled version of its regulations on mutual recognition of goods. Under EU rules, any good lawfully marketed in one member state may be marketed in all other member states, and can’t be denied entry for not meeting regulatory requirements except in certain special cases. The new regulation clarifies the application of the rule, specifying that it also applies to agricultural and fisheries products. It also sets requirements for an optional “mutual recognition declaration” that may be used to demonstrate to an EU member state government that a product is already legally marketed elsewhere in the EU and must be allowed to be marketed in that EU member state. Also, among other things, the regulation sets requirements for each EU member state to have “Product Contact Points” that may be contacted by industry to get information on regulations and technical standards in any EU member state. The regulation is effective April 19, 2020.

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

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently posted new guidance for importers declaring CFIA-regulated goods as Canadian goods returning. A paper declaration must be made to the Canada Border Services Agency for Canadian tariff codes 9813 or 9814, while all other declarations “for CFIA regulated goods returning to Canada can be submitted electronically,” CFIA said. The three main items that must be included on import declaration for Canadian goods returning are the country of origin (Canada), the country the product is being exported from, and the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) end use, CFIA said.

Canada is implementing new import restrictions on certain commodities used in animal feed, including unprocessed and raw grains and oilseeds and associated meals, when imported from a list of countries that have had cases of African Swine Fever in the past five years. According to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency notice posted by the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, the restrictions apply to all goods of Chapter 11 of the Canadian tariff schedule, and some goods of Chapters 10, 12 and 23, imported through the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and Halifax. Such imports, when imported from any of the 43 countries named as having a recent case of ASF, must be accompanied by an import permit from CFIA and a producer questionnaire. The U.S. is not one of the countries on the list.

India again delayed retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the U.S., pushing the new start to May 2, according to a notice from India’s Ministry of Finance. The tariffs, first announced in May 2018 and most recently delayed until April 1, 2019, will target agricultural products, motorcycles, steel products, and phosphoric and boric acid, and are aimed at offsetting the $241 million in duties India expects its U.S. customers to pay on its steel and aluminum exports. The tariffs have been delayed multiple times after they were originally expected to take effect in June 2018. Many of the items already face high tariffs -- walnuts are taxed at 100 percent, fresh apples at 50 percent, chickpeas at 60 percent, motorcycles at 100 percent -- but the actions would add 10 percent more to many ag products, 20 percent more to walnuts and almonds, and 50 percent more to motorcycles.

China will continue to suspend tariffs on U.S.-made cars and auto parts past April 1, according to a notice from China’s State Council and a report from Reuters. In December, China originally announced it was suspending additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S. vehicles and parts as a show of good faith as the two countries negotiated a trade deal. The tariff suspension was scheduled to end April 1, but China announced on March 31 that the country would be upholding the suspension to “create a good atmosphere for the ongoing trade negotiations between both sides,” according to Reuters. China’s State Council said it will announce at a later date when the extension will expire.

Because the Trump administration has cheered on Brexit, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., thinks Congress should not consent to starting negotiations with the United Kingdom on a free trade agreement. Murphy, who spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York April 1, said the U.S. should reach a free trade agreement with the European Union first. Though, in a quick acknowledgement of the difficulty the two sides had during Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks, Murphy added "or at least give that FTA a serious try."

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer touched on India’s potential retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and criticized the country’s “significant tariff and nontariff barriers” in the 2019 National Trade Estimate on Foreign Trade Barriers. The 540-page report, released March 29, said India’s tariff barriers “impede imports of U.S. products into India” and was critical of India’s “complex” customs system and failure to “observe transparency requirements.”

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security would like to increase its funding by about $4 million for export administration (EA), the agency said in its Fiscal Year 2020 budget justification. That new money would be split between "Identifying and Reviewing Emerging Technologies" and "Addressing Increased Foreign Investment Reviews," it said. BIS is asking for funding for 21 new personnel, the agency said.

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