Trade Policy & Market Access

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Section 301 Update: US-China Trade War – List 4 Tariffs To Begin on September 1, 2019

On August 1, 2019, President Trump tweeted that the US will impose a 10% tariff on approximately US$300 billion worth of products from China (“List 4”) beginning on September 1.  This will be in addition to Section 301 tariffs already imposed on US$250 billion worth of Chinese products. … Continue Reading

Prime Minister May Resigns – Another Twist in the Brexit Saga: What Does This Mean for Trade?

By now, avid watchers can agree that Prime Minister May’s resignation will further complicate the already-complex Brexit landscape. Her tenure in office had been looking increasingly challenged for some time. The immediate trigger for her resignation was her final attempt to get her Brexit deal done, which included the offer of the possibility of a … Continue Reading

Registration Now Open: From EAR to ITARnity: Ever-challenging US Export Controls Compliance – September 16-18, 2019 | Winchester, UK

Please mark your calendar for the upcoming three-day US export controls workshops sponsored by our International Trade Practice with EGADD and Rolls Royce – this year in Winchester, UK. Trade Practitioner George Grammas will once again present on export controls topics and host workshops. For additional information about the workshops, please contact Brinley Salzmann and Karen Hayhoe.… Continue Reading

President Trump: “When It Comes to Leverage, Tariffs Are King” – What You Need to Know

Since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has made use of several provisions of US law – including Section 301, targeting unfair trade practices, and Section 232, targeting threats to national security – to bring trading partners to the negotiating table. Major developments over the last two weeks could impact global supply chains across a wide range … Continue Reading

US Changes Policy on Helms-Burton Act – Litigation Strategy for Companies Active in Cuba

On May 2, the Trump Administration ceased waiving Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, thus allowing US individuals and companies to file lawsuits against companies that are operating in Cuba and “trafficking” in (meaning, using or profiting from) property in Cuba which was confiscated from them by the government of Cuba. (For additional details, read our earlier publication.) The … Continue Reading

How Do You, Your Suppliers and Customers Fare as Trade Tensions Escalate?

UPDATE: The Tariff Book was updated on May 10, 2019 to reflect an updated action on Section 301 by the Trump Administration that increased tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese products (List 3). How To Use The Tariff Book Because there is so much information included in this Tariff Book, we have made the document fully searchable. … Continue Reading

Deadline Approaches for Certain Transitioning USML Category Items to CCL

Due to the Export Control Reform (ECR) that began nearly six years ago, the Department of States’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has updated 18 of the 21 categories in the United States Munitions List (USML), and most of these categories had items transition to the Commerce Control List (CCL) of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by respective … Continue Reading

EU Adopts CFIUS-like Framework for Sake of National Security – Regulation Approved by the Council of EU

UPDATE: On March 5, 2019, the Council of the EU approved the Regulation establishing a framework for screening of foreign direct investments into the EU. As further explained below, the Regulation facilitates enhanced cooperation and exchange of information between EU member states and the European Commission. The Regulation could affect businesses and investors, as well as their interactions with government entities at … Continue Reading

Get Your Business Ready for Brexit

With continuing uncertainty, there is still a lack of clarity on what the final Brexit arrangements between the UK and the EU will look like. Many companies have been planning for the implications of Brexit for some time, and some still need to consider how Brexit may affect their operations. Both the UK government and … Continue Reading

2018 UK Government Export Control Symposium

George Grammas, Co-Chair of our International Trade/Global Import and Export Compliance Practice, will present on US export controls topics at the upcoming Manchester Export Symposium hosted by the UK Government Department for International Trade on November 6 in Manchester, UK. The symposium will include plenary session and workshops, and provide attendees with networking opportunity with … Continue Reading

Proposed CFIUS Law Will Impose New Export Controls on US Businesses

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017 (S. 2098/H.R. 4311, FIRRMA for short) was introduced in Congress to reform the national security review of foreign acquisitions of US businesses by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the Committee). However, FIRRMA extends well beyond this purpose of reviewing acquisitions … Continue Reading

CE Marking Post-Brexit

On 10 January 2018, the European Commission published important notice warning of the consequences that Brexit will have in the field of industrial products[1], which are subject to CE Marking requirements when placed on the European Union (EU) market. For those products, the European Commission confirmed that, to demonstrate compliance with CE Marking requirements for … Continue Reading

UK Government Publishes New Trade Bill

On 7 November, the UK government published the Trade Bill, having introduced it to Parliament for its First Reading. Together with the Customs Bill, it is designed to give the UK the powers necessary to bring existing EU trade agreements into UK statute. The bill also establishes a new independent body called the Trade Remedies … Continue Reading

CFIUS Reform: Proposed Legislation to Expand National Security Reviews

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017 (“S. 2098/H.R. 4311” or FIRRMA) was introduced in the US Congress on November 8, 2017 to institute “a modernization of the processes and authorities” of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the “Committee”).… Continue Reading

UK Government Publishes New Trade Bill

On 7 November 2017, the UK Government published the Trade Bill, having introduced it to Parliament for its First Reading. Together with the Customs Bill, it is designed to give the UK the powers necessary to bring existing EU trade agreements into UK statute so that when the UK officially withdraws from the EU, businesses … Continue Reading

Trump Administration Permanently Lifts Sudan Sanctions

  Sudan Sanctions In 1997, the US imposed a comprehensive trade and investment embargo against Sudan. In January 2017, i.e., in the closing days of the Obama Administration, President Obama announced a six-month suspension of US economic sanctions, citing ongoing dialogue with the Sudanese government and the government’s progress in achieving milestones agreed upon in those negotiations. Specifically, the Obama Administration … Continue Reading

NAFTA Modernization Talks – Round One Completed; Next Stop, Mexico

The first round of 5-day negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concluded on August 20. In a joint statement released by trade officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada, they restated the commitment to updating the deal, continuing domestic consultations, and working on draft text. They also committed to a … Continue Reading
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