In the October 2 and October 5, 2010 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
The European Commission has posted a summary of the "state of play" through June 2010 of its Economic Partnership Agreements with various countries in the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP countries). These EPAs replace certain previous preferential trade arrangements between the EU and ACP countries.
World Trade Organization Director-General Lamy stated in a recent speech that failure on the Doha Round would spill over into other present and future cooperation efforts, and not only in the trade policy domain. He added that countries simply cannot go their own way and disregard the costs of neglecting international cooperation. (Speech, dated 03/18/10, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/sppl_e/sppl150_e.htm)
U.S. Trade Representative negotiators have completed their third day of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. Ten negotiating groups met, including industrial goods, agriculture, customs, rules of origin, government procurement, environment, and trade capacity building. TPP negotiators agreed to draft concept papers, exchange information, and undertake other work ahead of the second TPP negotiating round in June as part of their efforts to begin shaping a framework for the negotiation. (Notice, posted 03/17/10, available at http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/blog/2010/march/trans-pacific-partnership-negotiations-update-day-three)
The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 2.9 percent lower in November 2009 than in November 2008, dropping to $58.9 billion. Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. About 88 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moves on land. (Press release, dated 01/28/10, available at http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2010/bts005_10/html/bts005_10.html)
On December 15, 2009, the European Union and Latin American countries reached an agreement to end their 15-year dispute over EU banana imports. In response, the U.S. has agreed to settle its related dispute with the EU.
The World Customs Organization has announced that the State of Qatar deposited its instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (revised Kyoto Convention. Qatar is the first member state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to accede to the revised convention. (Press Release, dated 07/14/09, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/press/default.aspx?lid=1&id=189)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Port of Los Angeles has issued a Public Bulletin informing the general aviation community of a change in procedure that will require all private aircraft to report to a single CBP approved General Aviation Facility (GAF) upon landing from abroad at Los Angeles International Airport. (LA09-017 is available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com)
European Union member states have adopted a new regulation applying the European Commission's (EC's) Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for the period from January 1, 2009 until the end of 2011 for the benefit of certain developing countries.
A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel (DSP) has again found that the European Community's banana importing regime, in particular its preferential tariff quota reserved for African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, is inconsistent with certain Articles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.1