In the June 5-6, 2012, editions of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:
The House Homeland Security Committee approved in a voice vote HR-4251, the Securing Maritime Activities through Risk-based Targeting (SMART) for Port Security Act , June 6. The legislation is meant to authorize, enhance, and reform port security programs through increased efficiency and risk-based coordination within the Department of Homeland Security. Text of the bill is here.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) posted an updated listed of frequently asked questions on the Centers of Excellence and Expertise. CBP officials said during the May 22, 2012 COAC meeting another update is expected shortly. The questions and answers are:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials further elaborated on the challenges they face due to budgetary constraints at late morning and afternoon sessions of its Industry Day event, held in Washington, DC on May 22, 2012. In the face of such constraints, CBP officials said that cooperation with industry is essential to improve efficiency and lessen the burden on port personnel. A panel on intelligence and targeting said such budgetary constraints have encouraged CBP to use pre-departure initiatives for the same motive. However, an official from the Department of Homeland Security research arm bemoaned the effect of budget woes on the development of revolutionary technology.
A number of questions remain for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the next locations for the next five Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs), said participants at the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations meeting May 22 in Savannah, Ga. CBP will be establishing industry working groups to be co-chaired by CBP and trade to take on CEE issues, said Brenda Smith, executive director for Trade Policy and Programs in the Office of International Trade at CBP.
A difficult budget environment for U.S. Customs and Border Protection was the early theme for CBP's Industry Day May 22, despite expectations for increased travel and trade. The days of the Department of Homeland Security budget growing 7.5 percent per year are over, said keynoter Rafael Borras, under secretary for management at DHS.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the following documents ahead of the May 22, 2012 Commercial Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting scheduled for Savannah, Georgia:
CBP continues to consider combining Importer Self-Assessment (ISA) with C-TPAT, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner David Aguilar said during a House May 17 hearing on Customs issues . He also said critical fixes to already deployed ACE capabilities are among the major goals for CBP in the coming year. E-Manifest: Rail and Sea (M1), simplified entry, and the integration of export capability are also top priorities, he said in response to questions following his written testimony.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working in the Asia-Pacific region to increase supply chain security there, DHS Office of International Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Koumans said during testimony May 8, 2012. He also lauded a number of existing programs said to have helped the trade relationship between the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Koumans spoke before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation Security during a hearing on “Building Secure Partnerships in Travel, Commerce, and Trade with the Asia-Pacific Region.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the European Union (EU) reached a Mutual Recognition (MR) Decision between CBP’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the EU’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program May 4, 2012. An EU press release said the mutual recognition would begin July 1, 2012.