U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice announcing that the next meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) will be held on April 2, 2004 in Washington, DC. (This committee was previously called the "Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs Service.")
At the March 3, 2004 Joint Industry Group Annual Meeting, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') Border and Transportation (BTS) Director of Cargo and Trade Policy outlined its three goals for the next 12 months with regard to cargo security. Components of these goals include, among other things, identifying and filling in remaining gaps in security, possibly fully launching Smart Box, and developing a Threat and Vulnerability Process.
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss, and receive updates from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on, various customs and trade issues.
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss, and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on, various trade and customs issues.
On February 2, 2004, President Bush transmitted to Congress his fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget request. (FY 2005 is October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005.) President Bush has requested $40.2 billion for Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a 10% increase over the comparable FY 2004 budget.
and Establishment of ACE Broker Accounts
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the European Union (EU) is poised to impose trade sanctions on billions of dollars of U.S. goods starting in March 2004, as congressional leaders signaled their inability to reach agreement on repeal of the U.S. Foreign Sales Corp./Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act (FSC/ETI) tax regime. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled this tax deduction illegal and given the EU permission to impose as much as $4 billion in sanctions a year. According to an EU official, if the law isn't repealed, the EU is certain to retaliate starting March 1, 2004. (WSJ Pub, 01/26/04, www.wallstreetjournal.com)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a notice announcing that the next meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) will be held on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC. (This committee was previously called the "Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs Service.")
The Editor's page in the weekly Journal of Commerce opines that although the voluntary C-TPAT program has achieved much by responding swiftly to the change in national priorities that followed September 11, it may be time to move on, and work toward formalizing regulations for C-TPAT. The editorial adds that regulations may be needed as it makes little sense to require the use of smart containers through a voluntary C-TPAT program, as there is no guarantee firms will adopt them. (JoC, January 19-25, 2004, www.joc.com )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made available on its Web site an updated document on the U.S./Canada Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program.