In the Oct. 11-16 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 16 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
About 350 companies, trade associations and local manufacturing groups and chambers of commerce are urging Congress to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement "as soon as possible this autumn." The letter, led by the National Association of Manufacturers and signed by giants like Ford, GM, Fiat Chrysler, Caterpillar, IBM, GE, Honeywell, Bayer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, was sent Oct. 15. It said that ratification "is essential to promoting certainty and growth for manufacturing businesses." Volvo North America and Mahindra Automotive America signed the letter, but BMW and Mercedes -- whose supply chains would likely have to change to meet stricter rules of origin -- did not. The letter referred to trade facilitation -- though not explicitly higher de minimis levels in Canada and Mexico, in saying that the USMCA will eliminate red tape at the border, and make "it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to sell into these critical markets."
China and Singapore will soon implement a system to electronically transmit preferential certificates of origin and certificates of non-manipulation when the two countries trade, according to an Oct. 15 notice from Singapore Customs. The system, which will take effect Nov. 1, will no longer require companies to send hard copies of the certificates overseas, saving “cost and time,” Singapore said. The notice contains details on how to apply for and send the electronic certificates as well as how importers can claim preferential treatment on Chinese imports.
The conventional wisdom in Washington is that a House ratification vote for the new NAFTA can be held before Thanksgiving, according to Dan Ujczo, chairman of Dickinson Wright's cross-border law practice. Ujczo, whose firm works with auto manufacturers and who follows the politics of North American trade closely, said when his clients did fly-ins, Republicans, trade associations, and Democrats outside the Progressive Caucus all said that. But Ujczo doesn't think that's true.
EU exporters will no longer be able to claim value-added tax (VAT) refunds on goods exported to the United Kingdom after Brexit, the U.K.’s HM Revenue & Customs said in an Oct. 9 guidance document. Instead, they must follow manual processes for companies outside the U.K., it said. The main differences are that the repayment period runs July 1 to June 30 instead of the calendar year, and that the deadline for submitting a claim is the following Dec. 31 (six months from the end of the claim period), HMRC said. Claimants will also have to provide a certificate confirming their taxable status, as well as all original invoices and receipts to support the claim, it said.
FedEx urged a court to deny the Commerce Department’s motion to dismiss FedEx’s June lawsuit against the agency, saying Commerce’s points were invalid, court records show. FedEx’s original suit alleged Commerce’s export controls were “unconstitutional,” “impossible to comply with” and placed an “overbroad, disproportionate burden” on FedEx (see 1906250030). Commerce responded in September by asking the court to dismiss the suit because it said it was a political matter, was precluded from judicial review under the Export Control Reform Act, and that FedEx did not raise a “patent violation” and did not meet the conditions to file a due process claim (see 1909110073).
In the Oct. 10 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Business and labor leaders and government insider panelists agreed that the U.S.-China trade war will be difficult to unravel, but disagreed on how quickly Democrats could -- or should -- resolve outstanding issues on the NAFTA rewrite. The trade panel Oct. 10, hosted by Fiscal Note, included Clete Willems, former White House deputy assistant to the president for international economics, who said that although it pained him to say it, "The political conditions in both countries are just not conducive to the big deal."
In the Oct. 9 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted: