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May 7, 2012 US - EU Sign C-TPAT Mutual Recognition Decision On May 4, 2012 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the European Union (EU) announced the signing of a Mutual Recognition Decision between CBP's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the EU's Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program. The C-TPAT and AEO programs are voluntary partnerships between members of the trade community and their respective governments in which participants adopt certain supply chain security standards and, in exchange, receive benefits and incentives in recognition of their low-risk security status. Mutual Recognition indicates that the security requirements of two industry partnership programs are the same or similar and allows each program to recognize the validation findings of the other and, consequently, to extend many of the benefits of membership in one program to members of the other. In a news release issued by CBP, Director General Heinz Zourak of the EU Taxation and Customs Union Directorate stated that, "Today's decision on the mutual recognition of the EU and U.S. trade partnership programs is a win-win achievement: It will save time and money for trusted operators on both sides of the Atlantic while it will allow customs authorities to concentrate their resources on risky consignments and better facilitate legitimate trade" The details of the Mutual Recognition Decision and an official implementation date are still pending but are expected to be released in the near future. The full text of the CBP news release is available online at:
On March 29, 2012, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) issued a Federal Register Notice announcing that, effective September 29, 2012, the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) will be the only CBP-approved electronic data interchange (EDI) system for transmitting required advance information for ocean and rail cargo. Programming changes to comply with the modified record formats have been announced and include updates to the acceptable package types available for use in Automated Manifest System (AMS) transactions. Previously, with few exceptions, all package types were accepted by AMS. However, once the transition to ACE is complete only those types listed in Customs Automated Manifest Interface Requirements Appendix N will be accepted. In order to comply with these new requirements, importers may need to amend their internal process to ensure only accurate and acceptable package types are provided in AMS filings. The full text of the Federal Register notice can be accessed online at:
On May 3-4, 2012 the fourth meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) was held in Beijing, China where representatives of the two countries discussed a number of topics centered on economic cooperation and trade. The S&ED was established by U.S. President Obama and Chinese President Hu in 2009 in order to provide a high-level bilateral forum to discuss a broad range of issues between the two nations. According to a fact sheet released by the Department of the Treasury, "Through the Economic Track of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), we are expanding opportunities for Americans to export and sell to China by increasing market access and leveling the competitive playing field. We are encouraging economic reforms, including financial sector opening that would create a more rapidly growing Chinese market for U.S. goods and services by moving China toward more home-grown, consumption-led growth." Accomplishments and topics of discussion included:
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