The chief negotiator for the European Union, Maros Sefcovic, said that while the EU has a reputation for having "very complicated rules and regulations," that doesn't compare to the burden on companies trying to quantify how much steel (and its cost at the time it was sourced) went into making a Bosch refrigerator, Miele dishwasher or a BMW motorcycle.
Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber and their derivatives will take effect Oct. 14, under a proclamation issued by President Donald Trump. Tariffs will be set at 10% for timber and lumber, 25% for upholstered furniture and 25% on wooden cabinets and vanities.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that while the administration doesn't expect to lose its tariff case at the Supreme Court, "wherever we end up," the approach will be similar to what it is now.
Aidan Curran, deputy communications director for the Democratic staff of the House Select Committee on China, said in an email Sept. 26 that he left the panel and is now communications director for Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a member of the committee.
Serena Tang, who enforces the Shipping Act as a trial attorney at the Federal Maritime Commission’s Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance, said in a case filing Sept. 29 that she is resigning from the FMC effective Oct. 3. Tang has been with the commission for four years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Sara Schuman, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's former senior trade representative for China, has joined Beacon Global Strategies to lead its new international trade practice. Schuman, who left government in 2023, was responsible for trade negotiations with China and coordinating "economic security initiatives" with allies, the firm said.
The Council of the European Union on Sept. 29 adopted a revised carbon border adjustment mechanism that's expected to exempt 90% of European importers from the new rules, representing the final hurdle before the rules can take effect.
A new report from Rethink Trade, an anti-corporate trade nonprofit, says that while the USMCA's Rapid Response mechanism has helped tens of thousands of workers in Mexico, unions and Rethink Trade will push for changes to the mechanism in the USMCA review.
The International Trade Commission began a Section 337 investigation on allegations that Sony, TCL Industries Holdings and their subsidiaries are importing and selling smart television sets that infringe patents held by Cerence Operating Company (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1461), it said in a notice to be published Sept. 30.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Sept. 26-29 on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CVD rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):