U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and New Zealand signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement at the 109th/110th World Customs Organization Council Sessions held in Brussels, Belgium to assist the two nations in safeguarding global trade.
On June 15, 2007, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2638, the fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a notice to its Web site announcing its final selection of "validators" for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism third-party validation program.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on June 30, 2007, the U.S. and Korea signed the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS-FTA). According to the press release, the KORUS-FTA is the most commercially significant FTA the U.S. has concluded in nearly 20 years. (USTR press release, dated 06/30/07, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2007/June/United_States_the_Republic_of_Korea_Sign_Lmark_Free_Trade_Agreement.html.)
Washington Trade Daily reports that key House and Senate lawmakers announced on June 26, 2007 that they had reached agreement on an eight-month extension of the Andean trade preferences program, and have the intention of passing an extension measure before the program's expiration on June 30, 2007. (WTD, dated 06/27/07, www.washingtontradedaily.com)
CBP has updated the following chapters of its "Laboratory Methods" Guide: 4, 7-9, 11, 12, 15, 17-22, 24-35, 38-42, 44, 47-64, 68-76, 78-81, and 85. Requests for copies of "Laboratory Methods" should be sent to cbp.labhq@dhs.gov. (List of updated chapters, posted 06/14/07, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/operations_support/labs_scientific_svcs/technical_documents/lab_methods/)
During the May 15, 2007 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC), DHS officials discussed, among other things, DHS' draft report entitled "Security to Enhance International Supply Chain Security."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials recently announced that CBP was developing an "additional" benefit for C-TPAT members designed to reduce container demurrage. (CBP would only require container(s) targeted for exam to be held at ocean terminals for C-TPAT importers instead of all containers listed on the entry; the remaining containers would be allowed to be removed from the terminal.)
CBP has posted a document to its Web site which provides information regarding the C-TPAT enrollment seminar it will be holding in Mexico City, Mexico on June 27-28, 20071. The document provides information on the event-location, registration, C-TPAT workshop, etc.
American Shipper reports that a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection cargo and conveyance security official stated that CBP wants Canada to strengthen its Partners in Protection program to be more in line with the U.S. C-TPAT program to help with mutual recognition of those programs. CBP would like Canada to dedicate more staff to verify that corporate security plans meet basic criteria, more clearly define its security criteria, and conduct on-site assessments to check that supply chain security practices are followed according to the corporate plan. (American Shipper, March 2007, www.americanshipper.com)