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In keeping with tradition, we are pleased to invite you to our annual Global Year-End Review of Import/Export & Trade Compliance Developments Conference to be held between December 4-7. The conference will provide valuable insights on the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of international trade.We will kick off the conference with an in-person networking session and panel discussion on December 4 on the pressing topic of “Navigating Trade Compliance Amidst Geopolitical Disruptions…

Después de mucha expectativa desde la entrada en vigor del Tratado entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (“T-MEC”), el 17 de febrero de 2023, la Secretaría de Economía publicó en el Diario Oficial de la Federación un Acuerdo que establece las mercancías cuya importación está sujeta a regulación a cargo de la Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social (el “Acuerdo contra Trabajo Forzoso”), que prohíbe la importación de bienes producidos mediante trabajo forzoso. El Acuerdo…

US Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) updated its guidance related to the new Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) Region Alert, and announced that it will be deployed in the Automated Commercial Environment (“ACE”) on March 18, 2023. The deployment of the UFLPA Region Alert was delayed since it was first announced by CBP in 2022. The UFLPA Region Alert will add new validations to ACE in certain applications so that (i) a postal code…

The UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax (“PPT“) that has taken effect on 1 April 2022 and applies to plastic packaging in the UK that contains less than 30% recycled plastic content at a rate of £200 per metric tonne. You can access our recent webinar on PPT here. The tax is aimed at encouraging the use of more sustainable plastic packaging, increasing the use of recycled plastic and helping to reduce plastic waste. The PPT has been promoted…

As part of Europe’s economic recovery, the EU Commission has acknowledged the trading bloc’s technological and strategic dependencies will need to be addressed. The EU Commission identified a number products imported into the EU on which the EU is highly dependent in notably sensitive sectors. The EU Commission also performed six in-depth reviews on the origin of strategic dependencies and their impact on importation. The EU Commission concluded that it will continue to work on…

On March 5, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued a new factsheet regarding how Withhold Release Orders (“WROs”) might be modified or revoked by CBP (“WRO Modification and Revocation Guidance”), which builds upon previous guidance by CBP on similar issues, including the factsheet issued on August 6, 2020. As a reminder, a WRO can be issued when CBP reasonably (but not conclusively) believes that certain goods are mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or…

Yesterday U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its first finding of forced labor in 24 years (Finding) against importation into the United States of certain goods from a Chinese company.  The Finding was made pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1307, which prohibits the importation of merchandise mined, manufactured, or produced, wholly or in part, by forced labor, including convict labor, forced child labor, and indentured labor.  Building upon the withhold release order issued in May…

Overview On July 20, 2020, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced the Slave-Free Business Certification Act (“the Act”). If passed, the Act would require every “covered business entity” — defined as any issuer under section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 that has annual, world-wide gross receipts of $500 million — to audit and report on instances of forced labor in their supply chains. Companies that deliberately violate the Act could be liable…

The novel coronavirus outbreak continues to have a substantial impact across the globe. As of the writing of this post, more than 87,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been identified in 60 countries and territories around the world, claiming the lives of 2,977 people. Travel restrictions are becoming increasingly tighter at airports, with countries either imposing mandatory health screenings on travellers arriving from certain countries, or denying entry to passengers who have recently…