On 2 October 2014, the Australian Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, announced that he will host a three-day meeting of his counterparts from the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) in Sydney from 25 October 2014. Ministers will work to progress negotiations with an eye to concluding the basic elements of the agreement before the end of the year. The Ministers will address key outstanding issues in the negotiations, including…
On July 1, 2014, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the United States signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) with Chile on June 30, 2014 marking a significant milestone in collaboration on security and trade facilitation between the two countries. The CBP Commissioner signed the agreement on behalf of CBP and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Minister of Finance signed the agreement on behalf of Chile. The U.S. –…
On or about June 2, 2014, the US Trade Representative (USTR) posted on its website a document entitled, Trans-Pacific Partnership: Summary of U.S. Objectives which describes the Administration’s goals and objectives for TPP, and presents the main elements of each chapter from the United States’ perspective. The document states in part: The Obama Administration is pursuing TPP to unlock opportunities for American manufacturers, workers, service providers, farmers, and ranchers – to support job creation and…
On February 26, 2014, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued Customs Notice CN 14-004 which informed the public that that the timeframe for submitting an application for a refund of duties under the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) is being amended. The CCFTA was implemented in Canada on July 5, 1997, and on April 16, 2012, Canada and Chile signed an agreement amending the CCFTA entitled Agreement to Amend the Free Trade Agreement Between…
On December 18, 2013, The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice of determination of procurement thresholds for implementation of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended (TAA, 19 U.S.C. 2511 et seq.). Executive Order 12260 requires USTR to set the US dollar thresholds for application of Title III of the TAA, which implements US trade agreement obligations, including those under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement,…
CSMS #13-000615 dated December 18, 2013 announced that each Free Trade Agreement (FTA) page on CBp.gov has been updated and expanded to include the following documents: Implementation Instructions Attachment A (Certification of Origin) General Note Link (Always current) Regulation Link (Always current) Agreement Text USITC Report (Includes the General note, the goods that went free immediately and the phase-out schedule to determine future duty rates.) Summaries and Reports (USTR) Implementation Act (The public law.) Presidential…
Decree № 30 dated 17 Oct. 2013 – sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopts measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (N.Korea) in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2,094, of 2013
CSMS #13-000476 (September 20, 2013), “Drawback Claims Filed on Goods Subject to the U.S. – Chile Free Trade Agreement,” discusses the drawback changes scheduled to take effect as a result of the US-Chile FTA. As a result of the US – Chile FTA, drawback claims made on goods exported to Chile after January 1, 2012 are subject to special treatment as described in 19 U.S.C. 1313(j)(4)(B) and 1313(n). US duty drawback on exportations to Chile…
On August 26, 2013, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that after two years of trade negotiations between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, known as La Alianza del Pacífico, an agreement had been concluded. Under the agreement, 100% of their trade will be covered and 92% of tariff lines will be reduced immediately upon signing, which is expected before 2013 ends. The announcement said that Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative established on…