The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has posted the statement from USTR spokeswoman Carol Guthrie on the recent conclusion of the 5th round of negotiations for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) that was held in Rabat on July 16 and 17, 2009. Participants in this meeting agreed that the next round will be hosted by the Republic of Korea in November 2009. With regard to the progress of negotiations, participants confirmed their intention to conclude the agreement as soon as possible in 2010. (Press Release, dated 07/20/09, available at http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/july/statement-ustr-spokeswoman-carol-guthrie-anti-counte-0)
Trade associations such as the National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and non-governmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and Rainforest Action Network (47 groups in all) have issued a consensus statement recommending a number of changes to the way the Lacey Act Declaration is implemented and administered.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an updated version of its 2006 Frequently Asked Questions regarding the enforcement of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's wood packaging material (WPM) regulations.
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)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule to increase the user fees charged for export certification of plants and plant products, to add a new user fee for Federal export certificates obtained from a State or county cooperator, and to make several non-substantive changes to APHIS' user fee regulations for clarity.
The Census Bureau has issued an Automated Export System broadcast announcing that effective August 3, 2009, AESDirect will deploy modifications to security measures and user authentication practices. All of these changes fall under the Department of Commerce's security guidelines and address the U.S. Census Bureau's IT Security Program Requirements. The upgrade to the AESDirect system will provide AESDirect users with the utmost in account security. (See broadcast for list of changes.) (AES Broadcast 2009027 available by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.)
Note that Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions does not appear in today's issue of International Trade Today. Publication of this feature will resume as new information becomes available.
The World Customs Organization states that Cuba, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka have deposited their instruments of accession to the revised Kyoto Convention on the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures with the WCO during the Annual Sessions of the WCO Council. (Press Release, dated 06/26/09, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/press/?v=1&lid=1&cid=6&id=185)
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano released her remarks at a "pen and pad" session with DHS reporters regarding five major DHS missions - counterterrorism, securing the borders, enforcing smart and effective immigration policies, preparing for, responding to, recovering from disasters; and then building one Department of Homeland Security out of the 22 agencies that were originally put into DHS. (Remarks, dated 06/25/09, available at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/speeches/sp_1245965901250.shtm.)
China's Ministry of Commerce reports that China will abolish export duties on some grains and industrial products and cut the export duties for chemical fertilizers and nonferrous metals from July 1 to promote exports. (Notice, dated 06/23/09, available at http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/newsrelease/commonnews/200906/20090606352494.html)