2011
December 2011 Customs & Trade Ezine
AEO and CTPAT – Mutual Recognition Agreed – 29th November 2011
On the 29th of November 2011 the EU and the US strengthened transatlantic economic ties through a number of new initiatives. One of these was an agreement to facilitate each other’s customs procedures.
At the Transatlantic Economic Council, the EU and the US agreed to mutually recognise each others secure traders programmes. The EU's AEO programme and its US equivalent the CTPAT programme allow security certified operators to benefit from quicker and simpler customs procedures.
This mutual recognition decision will bring huge benefits for certified businesses and traders, when it will become operational in June 2012 in terms of reduced costs and time delays, less red tape, greater ease and predictability in the movement of their goods, and new trade opportunities. It will also allow customs on both sides of the Atlantic to focus their resources on real risks, thereby ensuring greater supply chain security.
The full text is on the DGTAXUD website at http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/1481&format=HTML&aged=0&language=en&guiLanguage=en
Air Cargo Security Regulation EC Reg 185/2010 and AEO
WCO has created a Technical Experts Group which includes ICAO and other stakeholders to study;
- Advance electronic information on air cargo
- To compare WCO AEO standards and ICAO Regulated Agent/ Known Consignor standards
It looks like we have some way to go before we emilinate duplication and costs to Authorised Economic Operators, in pursuit of the best possible level of security at the lowest possible cost.
ECHA updates the Candidate List with twenty new Substances of Very High Concern
ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, has added twenty more substances to the Candidate List which now contains seventy-three substances. Nineteen of these new SVHCs are carcinogenic and/or toxic for reproduction. Additionally, for the first time a substance (4-tert-octyl phenol) has been identified as an SVHC because of its endocrine disrupting properties.
Companies may now have legal obligations resulting from the inclusion of these substances in the Candidate List, including the need to notify ECHA of the presence of the substance in any articles produced or imported, or the need to provide information to customers with any articles supplied . Additionally, and most importantly, these substances may later be subject to authorisation under REACH and businesses will then need to get approval to continue using them. We would now urge companies to check if they are using these substances or if they could be present in any articles produced or imported. Companies will need to consider their obligations as well as exploring the possibility of substituting these substances for safer alternatives.
The candidate list can be found on ECHA’s website at http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table and information on the notification of substances in articles and related submission tools, are available at the following link.
If we can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the Authority’s chemicals helpdesk at at chemicals@hsa.ie
NEW GLOBAL PROCUREMENT RULES WTO
During the 8th Ministerial Conference Thursday 15TH Dec 2011, the World Trade Organization finalized the revision to its Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). The IEA welcome the revision stating it will provide new opportunities for Irish goods and services suppliers to secure government procurement contracts in numerous additional markets in WTO member economies. Government procurement represents one of the most rapidly expanding areas of opportunity for all businesses looking to expand internationally. The agreement expands the market access coverage valued at between 80 to 100 billion dollars a year.
US –Canada to Implement Trade Facilitation Plans – December 15th 2011
US and Canadian Officials last week outlined priorities for coordinating customs and cargo security processes, enhancing border infrastructure and harmonizing regulations to increase the efficiency of trade across the border and boost their respective economies. A beyond the border action plan as well as new focus areas for a Regulatory Cooperation Council were the primary outcomes of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the White House.
WTO Questions US Origin Labelling, November 21st 2011
While a World Trade Organisation panel on Friday affirmed the right of the United States to require origin labelling for meat products, it challenged certain aspects of the regulation. In December 2008, Canada and Mexico initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the united States’ country of origin labelling requirements.
WTO launches new tool for accessing trade policy information
The WTO has developed a new application that will allow users to access via one portal all trade policy information notified to the WTO by its members. Known as the Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP), the new application will encompass tariffs, non-tariff measures and related trade statistics. REF ; WTO launches new tool for accessing trade policy information
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