The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service issued a report on Aug. 14 about the European Union’s import controls for certain agricultural goods. It details the EU’s “extensive” control regimes for food items, including pre-export check requirements and special conditions for entry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service issued a report on Aug. 14 about upcoming changes to technical requirements for alcoholic products in the Eurasian Economic Union. The changes, which mostly take effect Jan. 9, 2021, detail safety standards and establish requirements for distribution, packaging, labeling, storage, transportation and disposal.
Due to human rights concerns, the European Union officially ended preferential import treatment on a range of Cambodian products, an Aug. 12 notice said. The move, set in motion in February, will affect about 20% of Cambodia’s exports to the EU, the notice said, which will now be subject to the EU’s general tariffs instead of the previous duty-free access. The move is expected to affect about $1 billion worth of Cambodian exports (see 2003030020), including garments, footwear and travel goods.
The United Kingdom will continue to impose countervailing and antidumping duties on imports of U.S. biodiesel, including biodiesel consigned from Canada, after the U.K. leaves the European Union, the country said Aug. 10. The determination filled a “call for evidence” from U.K. companies to examine trade remedies imposed by the EU that “matter to U.K. industry,” it said.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade on Aug. 6 updated its guidance for exporting to Azerbaijan. The guidance contains information on trade risks for companies doing business in the country, including Azerbaijan’s “lack of transparency,” “inconsistent” application of regulations and procedures for licensing and certification, and ranking in an index of perceived corruption risks.
The European Union on July 31 proposed a measure to continue to apply EU value-added tax rules to Northern Ireland after Brexit. Under the proposal, goods traded between Northern Ireland and the EU would be treated as “cross-border supplies of goods within the EU” and would be eligible for VAT exemptions and deductions. The measure would not apply to supplies of services in Northern Ireland, which will be subject to United Kingdom VAT rules. The European Commission said member states should “rapidly agree to the proposal” to help with implementation before the Jan. 1, 2021, end of the Brexit transition period.
The European Union on July 31 issued guidance for its free trade agreement with Vietnam, which took effect Aug. 1. The guidance includes information on proof of origin requirements and how to claim preferential treatment. It said the deal includes a process to simplify customs controls and speed up “physical controls of the goods” and a “commitment to a reciprocal duty relief on repaired goods.”
The United Kingdom will transition a European Union antidumping duty against imports of certain types of Chinese wires after the U.K. leaves the EU next year, the U.K.’s Department for International Trade said July 29. The U.K. said it will retain the duty on certain “pre- and post-stressing wires and wire strands of non-alloy steel.”
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade published guidance July 29 on applying for a trade remedies investigation. Starting Aug. 5, the U.K.’s Trade Remedies Directorate will accept applications to investigate imports “causing or threatening injury” to U.K. industry, the guidance said. But the U.K. clarified that the directorate can investigate imports only in cases in which there is already a European Union investigation taking place and will not be able to investigate other imports until after the Brexit transition period ends on Jan. 1, 2021.
The European Commission extended its customs duties and value-added tax exemptions on imports of medical equipment to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a July 23 notice said. The exemptions, “uninterrupted” through Oct. 31, apply to masks, protective equipment, testing kits, ventilators and “other medical equipment.” The EU in April applied the exemptions for six months with retroactive effect, from Jan. 30 until July 31 (see 2004030016).