CBP and Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT) signed a Joint Work Plan Jan. 17 that allows work toward mutual recognition of the two countries’ Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs. The work plan establishes a pathway to signing a mutual recognition agreement between CBP’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the SAT’s New Certified Companies Scheme (NEEC). The plan, expected to be implemented in two years, was signed by CBP Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar and SAT Director Aristóteles Nuñez Sánchez, said CBP.
CBP released its Jan. 16 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 4). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Jan. 17, 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 addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
CBP posted an updated version of it's frequently asked questions (FAQs) on policy for cargo release/simplified entry. Among updated information is a list of documents supported within the pilot program through the recently added document imaging capability. The FAQs also now say "CBP has a tentative plan to expand the pilot to the ocean mode of transportation in 2014."
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Jan. 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 addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) voted Jan. 15 to adopt a document outlining principles for the One U.S. Government at the Border initiative and recommend that CBP look to the document as it moves forward. The efforts can be monitored through "CBP reporting quarterly back to COAC on progress being made to implement programs that align with these principles, principally through the [Border Interagency Executive Council]," said COAC.
CBP provided some advice on how to reduce the likelihood of holds as a result of new food facility registration requirements. Beginning Feb. 1, if a foreign food facility is required to register with the Food and Drug Administration, but fails to do so, food from that facility that is being imported or offered for import into the U.S. is subject to refusal under section 801(l) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. Food facility registrations (FFRs) that are not renewed by Jan. 31 will be subject to invalidation of registration and could result in food shipments manufactured by those facilities without valid registrations to be held at the port or refused upon arrival in the U.S., said CBP in a CSMS message.
The January version of CBP's Trade Transformation Update removed some mentions of future plans for Simplified Entry that were included in the December version. The January document also included a list of planned capabilities and their benefits in the Automated Commercial Environment, something CBP has previously released. Otherwise, the document was largely unchanged.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Jan. 15, 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 addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)