Yesterday, Beau Jackson, Robert Stang and Linda Tiller joined manufacturers, distributors and service providers in Kansas City for a discussion about the impact of tariffs on the business community. This insightful program included economic, industry and legal perspectives on current trade conditions and the various implications of recently-imposed tariffs.
Read more on the TMT
On February 10, 2019, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) added the ability in Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for importers to file entries with exclusions from Section 301 duties.
The U.S. is expected to make an announcement on whether India will retain eligibility under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program within the next two weeks according to unidentified sources cited by Reuters. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is currently reviewing the eligibility of Indian products for duty-free entry into the U.S. under GSP as a response to petitions from the dairy and medical device industries. On November 1, 2018, USTR suspended GSP tariff reductions on 90 imports from India worth $75 billion including textiles, chemicals, and musical instruments.
Husch Blackwell announces its January Trade Law Newsletter on key issues and announcements related to International Trade and Supply Chain.
Carlos Rodriguez, Husch Blackwell LLP partner and Transportation Counsel for the New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association Inc., will be participating in a panel on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
On February 4, 2019, Petitioner American Institute of Steel Construction, LLC filed a petition for the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of Certain Fabricated Structural Steel from Canada, Mexico, and China.
On Sunday, January 27, 2019, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced the lifting of sanctions imposed on En+ Group plc (“En+”), UC Rusal plc (“Rusal”) and JSC EuroSibEnergo (“ESE”). As previously reported here, this announcement follows the Administration’s notification submitted to Congress on December 19, 2018.
President Trump announced on Friday, January 25, that he and Congress reached a deal to temporarily fund the agencies affected by the partial government shutdown until February 15, 2019. Congress voted to pass the funding bill late Friday night.
With the government shutdown entering its fourth week and with no end in sight, a number of federal agencies are feeling the pressure. The Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission have been effectively shuttered for the past four weeks and recently the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a short statement indicating that they had begun furloughing nonessential personnel. A number of other agencies and departments have also had their work affected or completely suspended. Outlined below is a brief analysis the current shutdown is having on those federal agencies which are critical to imports, exports, and international trade.
Most agencies of the United States government, including the Federal Maritime Commission (”the Commission”), have been closed since December 22, 2018. Since that date shippers, ocean common carriers, and non-vessel operating common carriers in their shipper role have not had access to SERVCON, the service contract electronic filing system of the Commission. So how is it intended for these supply chain players to adhere to Commission regulations related to initial or service contracts about to be renewed, or amendments to existing service contracts during this dysfunctional period which at this point hasn’t shown even a hint of an end game? Short answer: the same as always, but without the filing obligation nor risk of sanctions (penalties). The filing requirement is temporarily lifted. Therefore, service contract activity can continue as usual without concern of penalties. There are some caveats though.
