U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice regarding the visa and Certificate of Origin/Eligibility numbers for the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement's (SFTA's) tariff preference level (TPL) for certain cotton or man-made fiber (MMF) apparel.
European Union (EU) sources have confirmed that effective March 1, 2004, the EU will impose additional customs duties on imports of certain U.S.-origin products in connection with the EU's World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over the U.S. Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act (FSC/ETI) tax regime.
According to The Journal of Commerce (JoC), the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may reduce the time that importers and exporters have to store their containers for free. (JoC, dated 02/16/04-02/22/04, www.joc.com)
In the February 25, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 9), CBP issued a notice proposing to modify or revoke four classification rulings on glass-beaded artificial fruit and foliage. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued the February 2004 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Modernization newsletter. This newsletter contains articles on new Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) account revenue features coming in summer 2004, the testing of prototypes of new border security technologies for possible incorporation into ACE, the January 2004 meeting of the Trade Support Network (TSN), etc. (February 2004 newsletter available at http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/import/modernization/reference/library/finalnews0204_2edoc/v1/finalnews0204.doc.)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated administrative reviews of the following antidumping (AD) duty orders for the specified companies listed in the ITA notice:
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated a changed circumstances antidumping (AD) duty review to consider revoking the AD duty order on industrial nitrocellulose from Brazil, due to a December 31, 2003 request to revoke the order by Nitro Quimica Brasileira (Nitro Quimica), a Brazilian exporter of subject merchandise and an interested party in this proceeding.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a final rule, effective February 20, 2004, that amends 15 CFR Parts 764 and 766 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by incorporating a guidance document (guidance) entitled, "Supplement No.1 to Part 766 - Guidance on Charging and Penalty Determinations in Settlement of Administrative Enforcement Cases."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its first version (dated February 12, 2004) of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
On February 24, 2004, World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrators decided that the European Union (EU) has no current right to retaliate against the U.S.' Antidumping Act of 1916 (1916 Act). However, the arbitrators did allow for the EU to retaliate if final judgments or settlements are made under the 1916 Act in the future.