The U.S. must fundamentally revamp its customs enforcement regime in order to suppress growing duty evasion and counterfeit networks globally, said lawmakers and witnesses at the June 25 Senate Finance Committee hearing on trade enforcement. The Obama administration continues to eye successful conclusion to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, but more effort needs to be directed towards effective enforcement of active trade agreements, said Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., during the hearing.
Russia export controls and sanctions
The use of export controls and sanctions on Russia has surged since the country's invasion of Crimea in 2014, and especially its invasion of Ukraine in in February 2022. Similar export controls and sanctions have been imposed by U.S. allies, including the EU, U.K. and Japan. The following is a listing of recent articles in Export Compliance Daily on export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia:
On June 24 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
China, India, Russia and Switzerland’s "continuing problems" with copyright protections landed the nations on the newly renamed Congressional International Creativity and Theft-Prevention Caucus Watch List for 2014, said the caucus co-chairmen on Capitol Hill June 24. The Co-chairmen are Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. The caucus, formerly known as the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus, changed its name because piracy “conveys an image of adventure,” but piracy is “downright theft,” said Goodlatte, who hinted at the name change earlier this year. Italy and the Philippines were highlighted in the report as “countries making progress” on copyright safeguards. The caucus highlighted a report (here) by the Digital Citizens Alliance (DCA) on ad-supported online theft. Congress and stakeholders fighting piracy “need to be as organized” as the “criminals,” said DCA Executive Director Tom Galvin at the event.
The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about Russian unwillingness to conform to wide-ranging trade liberalization principles and multilateral regimes, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a review on Russian participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Russia is continuing to implement sanitary and phytosanitary measures that violate WTO rules, said the report. Russia has a virtual “zero tolerance” for residues of the antibiotic tetracycline but has not yet provided WTO members with related risk assessment. “Russia also has adopted a zero tolerance for ractopamine and certain hormones,” said USTR. “While Russia published a purported scientific justification for its measure on ractopamine, which we are reviewing in close consultation with U.S. industry and interested stakeholders, Russia has not provided any risk assessment with regard to hormones.”
On June 23 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls ordered on June 16 Intersil Corporation to pay $10 million in penalties for approximately 3,152 export transactions of radiation hardened parts without DDTC authorization and in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. The exports transactions took place between 2005 and 2010, DDTC said. Intersil exported the products to customers in Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. DDTC ordered Intersil to pay $6 million to the State Department as penalty. DDTC is suspending an additional $4 million on the condition Intersil applied this amount to remedial compliance measures. The company is permitted to continue exporting goods.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website June 16, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at http://adcvd.cbp.dhs.gov/adcvdweb.
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases June 13-17 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines).
The International Trade Commission published notices in the June 17 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
On June 16 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports: