EU Government Notices for Dec 15-16
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases on December 15-16, 2011 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines):
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Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
- EU welcomes WTO agreement & accessions. The EU and other parties at the World Trade Organization ministerial have reached a Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which consists of an updated set of tender rules and additional market access commitments. As part of the GPA, parties made commitments to expand the market access that they offer to foreign companies. The EU also welcomes the accession of Russia, Montenegro, and Samoa to the WTO, bringing the total number of Members to 157. (here) (here)
- Antitrust proceedings against Honeywell, DuPont. The European Commission has opened antitrust proceedings concerning agreements between Honeywell and DuPont for the development of a new refrigerant for air conditioning systems in cars. It is also investigating whether Honeywell may hold and abuse a dominant position over refrigerant. The opening of proceedings means that the Commission will examine the case as a matter of priority. (here)
- EU-China cigarette smuggling conference. EU and Chinese authorities met at a cigarette smuggling conference on December 14-16 where the countries established direct contacts between the EU's Anti-Fraud Office and regional Chinese authorities in key trade regions. The countries also discussed EU-Chinese cooperation in large-scale international cigarette smuggling cases. (here)
- Committee identifies 12 substance of concern. The European Chemicals Agency's Member State Committee has unanimously agreed on the identification of 12 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). These will be added to the Candidate List and may then become subject to authorization. The Committee also indicated their agreement on ECHA's draft recommendations for adding new substances to the Authorization List and reached an agreement on 4 draft dossier evaluation decisions. (here)
- ECHA delays C&L Inventory launch. The European Chemicals Agency has decided to delay the launch of the Classification and Labeling (C&L) Inventory in order to ensure that information provided by the industry will be made publicly available in an accurate way that allows easy and functional access and navigation. A new launch date will be made in mid-January. (here)
- Recalls. The European Commission has issued its weekly list of measures to prevent or restrict the marketing or use of 41 products in the EU, including certain clothing, toys, electrical appliances, lighting equipment, etc. (here)