In the Dec. 30 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The Commerce Department is seeking new members for its seven technical advisory committees to advise the agency on export controls and exporting issues within U.S. industries, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. This includes Commerce’s upcoming Emerging Technology TAC, which is expected to hold its first meeting in early 2020 (see 1911200045). For each of its TACs, Commerce is looking for industry representatives from firms producing items that are currently controlled or proposed for control for national security, non-proliferation, foreign policy or short supply reasons. The agency said it is looking for members from both small and large companies, but no member may represent a company that is majority owned by a “foreign government entity.” Members must also obtain “secret-level clearances” before being appointed and serve terms “of not more than four consecutive years.” Applicants should send a resume to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov. The notice of recruitment will be open until Dec. 31, 2020.
In the Dec. 23 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The National People's Congress Standing Committee of China will consider a draft law on export controls, Xinhua reported on Dec. 24. The draft would add new limits on “the export of special items including nuclear and biological materials as well as weapons, aiming to fulfill the country's international obligations of non-proliferation and protect the nation's security and development interests,” the state-run news outlet said. The law would also require “the supervision of the entire export process including transit and transshipment as well as re-export,” according to the report.
The Commerce Department renewed the charter for the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, it said in a notice. The advisory committee provides advice “on the necessary elements of a comprehensive policy approach to supply chain competitiveness designed to support U.S. export growth and national economic competitiveness, encourage innovation, facilitate the movement of goods, and improve the competitiveness of U.S. supply chains for goods and services in the domestic and global economy; and to provide advice to the Secretary on regulatory policies and programs and investment priorities that affect the competitiveness of U.S. supply chains.”
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The United Kingdom Parliament on Dec. 20 voted 358-234 to advance implementing legislation for the U.K.’s transition deal for its withdrawal from the European Union. The bill’s passage on its “second reading” means it will now head to committee, where amendments will be considered before the full Parliament votes on final passage of the bill after its “third reading.” A new provision added to the bill would legally prohibit the U.K. government from extending the transition period past Dec. 31, 2020, which has some worried about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit or a rushed final agreement with the EU (see 1912130063). Further parliamentary debate is currently set for Jan. 7-9, 2020, according to a BBC report. Once passed, the bill would also have to be rubber-stamped by the House of Lords.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the committee will hold a mock markup of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Jan. 7. “This markup will move us closer to ratifying USMCA in early 2020,” Grassley said Dec. 20. “Farmers, manufacturers and all American workers will soon be able to benefit from a stronger and modernized trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a bill Dec. 18 that would impose “wide-ranging sanctions” on Russian companies and people involved in Ukraine interference, human rights abuses and more, the committee said in a press release. The bill would also sanction Russian banks that support the government’s effort to undermine democracy, sanction investment in Russian liquefied natural gas projects, and impose sanctions on Russia’s cyber sector, sovereign debt, political figures and oligarchs. The bill would also sanction members of Russia’s shipbuilding sector that prohibit free navigation, and designate state-owned energy projects outside of Russia. The bill has strong bipartisan support and next heads to the Senate floor.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed in the House of Representatives with a vote of 385-41, with all but two Republicans and 193 Democrats voting yes. This was the biggest vote for a free trade deal in the House since the Canada Free Trade agreement in 1988, and many of the top Democrats in the House say it will serve as a template for future trade deals. It was a far more resounding “yes” than the original NAFTA vote of 234-200, when just 102 Democrats voted yes.