The European Commission is seeking comments on “potential areas for regulatory cooperation” between the EU and the U.S. stemming from a trade agreement reached between the two sides in July 2018, the commission said in a notice. The commission is seeking feedback on three main categories, including “conformity assessment,” which asks for input on any barriers or administrative burdens faced by exporters in trans-Atlantic trade. The second category, “dialogue on standards,” asks for comments about creating trade “standards ... where no standards exist yet,” such as “robotics and technical textiles.” The commission added that cooperation in this area “could bring trade benefits,” such as a reduction in adaptation costs for exporters. The third category, “regulatory cooperation in sectors,” asks for suggestions on “concrete initiatives for regulatory cooperation in sectors with the potential of facilitating bilateral trade.” All comments should be made in written submissions to the European Commission and will be made public, the notice said. Comments must be submitted by April 23.

Agricultural products imported into the European Union from the United Kingdom will face new export certificate requirements related to radiation testing once the U.K. leaves the EU at the end of March 29, the EU said in a new regulation published March 8. The EU requires non-members to test their agricultural product exports for radioactive contamination if they are located in the zone affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and the U.K. will become one of those countries after Brexit, the EU said. “As soon as Union law ceases to apply to and in the United Kingdom, agricultural products originating in the United Kingdom will have to be checked in terms of radioactive contamination before they are allowed to enter the Union,” the regulation said.

Importers and exporters in the United Kingdom with an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number that was assigned by another European Union member state (i.e., does not start with “GB”) will still be able to import and export goods with the EU “for a temporary period” once the U.K. leaves the EU as planned March 29, the U.K.’s HM Revenue and Customs said in a guidance document. “HMRC will provide further guidance shortly after the UK leaves the EU to tell you when you’ll need to apply for UK EORI number,” the agency said. Companies without an EORI number at all will need to get one before importing or exporting with the EU after Brexit, and getting one could take up to three days, the guidance document said. U.K. companies with an EORI number that begins “GB” already have the required U.K.-assigned EORI number for trading with the EU and non-EU countries after Brexit, the guidance said.

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices for March 8 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

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

Air carriers, freight forwarders and express couriers that transmit manifests and air waybills to Mexican customs must certify they meet certain data transmission requirements by the end of June or face penalties, the Mexican Tax Administration Service said in a March 6 fact sheet. Under Mexican regulations, anyone transmitting such data in the Mexican single window (VUCEM) will at that time be required to have a point of contact available “24 x 7 x 365” to resolve any issues, implement all web services developed by SAT for transmitting and receiving messages, and complete required testing along with their software developer, SAT said.

The Mexican Tax Administration Service will begin testing on March 11 of electronic transmission of air cargo manifests for goods entering bonded facilities, it said in a fact sheet issued March 6. That transmission must include the number of the bonded facility where the goods are arriving, SAT said, outlining technical requirements for the transmission. Once this information is received, the Mexican Single Window will send a response message, it said.

The Food and Drug Administration seeks comments on the burden on exporters of its requirement to obtain foreign letters of approval for the export of unapproved medical devices, it said. FDA requires that, for devices it has not approved that are to be exported, the exporter provide either a letter from the government of the importing country that the device is approved there, or a certification from a company official in the U.S. that the device doesn't violate the foreign country's laws. The agency is set to request an extension from the Office of Management and Budget for the existing information collection requirement. Comments on the requirements and FDA’s estimate of their burden on importers are due May 10.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control amended two general licenses related to Venezuelan sanctions, OFAC said in a March 8 notice, extending the expiration date of provisions allowing transactions that involve the “wind down of certain financial contracts” with Venezuela. The first general license includes a provision that permits the divestment or transfer of Venezuelan-related bonds as long as the trades were placed before 4 p.m. on Feb. 1. The second general license allows “facilitating, clearing, and settling transactions” involving divestiture of holdings in Petroleos de Venezuela, the U.S.-sanctioned Venezuelan oil company, for all transactions that were placed before 4 p.m. on Jan. 28. Both authorizations are permitted only if divestments or transfers are made to a non-U.S. person, OFAC said. Transactions are authorized until May 10.

Work continues at CBP on its electronic pre-departure export manifest system, which the agency sees as a necessary precondition before the post-departure Automated Export System filing program is brought back, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and conveyance security and controls, in an interview. CBP is working on operational benefits for carriers to ramp up participation in its pilots in the ocean, rail and air modes, and hopes to move forward with truck pre-departure manifest next year, Swanson said.