The Journal of Commerce Online reports that the U.S. has suspended plans to include the Dominican Republic in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) after Dominican lawmakers passed a 25% import tax on corn syrup during the week of September 20, 2004. (JoC Online, dated 09/28/04. www.joc.com.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release detailing the emergency interim measures being implemented at all land border ports in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and in El Paso, TX as a result of the detection and confirmation of adult Mediterranean Fruit Fly (ceratitis capiata, Medfly) in the municipality of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
According to Reuters, on September 27, 2004, the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched a probe into a complaint by the European Union (EU) that the U.S. had failed to drop illegal import duties on certain EU steel products from Britain, France and Spain. The article states that the panel request followed consultations where the EU stated that the U.S. had not removed all safeguard duties, while the U.S. stated that they had been adjusted after the WTO ruled them illegal two years ago. (Reuters dated 09/27/04, available at http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=6344486 )
According to The Journal of Commerce Online, the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach will delay its implementation of the nation's first-ever charge ($20 per TEU) for moving containers during daytime hours to a date in the first quarter of 2005 (rather than November 1, 2004 as originally planned). The article states that the delay is needed due to a shortage of longshore labor and delays in setting up collections by PierPass, the organization established by terminal operators to manage the program. (Joc Online, dated 09/22/04, www.joc.com )
A federal appeals court returned to the ITC Gemstar- TV Guide International’s high-profile legal battle with Scientific-Atlanta (S-A). The trade commission’s decision that S-A’s set-top boxes (STB) didn’t infringe parts of electronic program guide (EPG) patents was “based on erroneous [claims] constructions,” the U.S. Appeals Court, Federal Circuit, ruled Thurs.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing that, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), it plans to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning the transmission of automated truck manifest (ATM) data.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) have issued separate notices, each initiating five-year sunset reviews on the antidumping (AD) duty order for anhydrous sodium metasilicate from France, the countervailing (CV) duty order on sugar from the European Union (EU), and the AD duty order on sugar for Belgium, France, and Germany.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the Bioterrorism Act (BTA) for Prior Notice (PN) of imported foods and the registration of food facilities.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) frequently issues notices on antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders which Broker Power considers to be "minor" in importance as they concern actions that occur after an order is issued and neither announce nor cause any changes to an order's duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective period.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has posted to its Web site notices announcing the following changes to its D-Trade electronic licensing system: