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.
Both sides are claiming progress during the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) this week in Beijing. Among other things, they decided to continue to implement the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China Concerning Bilateral Cooperation on Supply Chain Security and Facilitation and the Action Plan, according to the official joint statement issued by the two countries after the meeting.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection offered some clarifications on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) seal standard for truckers, in a set of Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQs describe the continued use for seal standard ISO/PAS 17712. A new seal standard for containers was previously planned to be implemented by March 1, 2012, but CBP said in February an indeterminate delay was necessary for testing.
The next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) will be on May 22, 2012 at 1 p.m. (EST) in Savannah, Ga. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seeking comment on the planned agenda items, according to a notice in the Federal Register May 4, 2012. Online registration for webcast and in-person attendance at the COAC meeting is open through May 18, 2012.
The U.S. and Japan will cooperate more closely to strengthen the security and resiliency of the global supply chain and promote the timely, efficient flow of legitimate commerce, according to a White House fact sheet on U.S.-Japan Cooperative Initiatives issued along with a joint statement after President Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Noda.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director of Import Operations Domenic Veneziano went into detail in describing the plans for the voluntary qualified importer program (VQIP) while speaking at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America April 25, 2012. The plans are still in development, said Veneziano. The VQIP was required as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: