The best part about the New Year . . . is that it swept out the old one. Perhaps the year 2020 will become like the 13th Floor; simply dropped from the list and never mentioned or discussed. Next!
The end of the year was particularly active for trade news which gets 2021 off to a rousing start. The U.K struck a trade deal with the EU and Brexit is done. Congress failed to pass a trade vehicle so GSP and MTB expired, as did a large number of exclusions to the Section 301 tariffs. Despite economy fears, the Port of LA/Long Beach was overwhelmed with import container volume, causing delays long enough to put FTZ cargo into General Order while still in transit!
Special thanks go to FTZ #43 which played a key role in the rollout of a vaccine for COVID-19 Vaccine. At the heart of Pfizer’s cold chain, the Battle Creek, MI Zone staged unapproved vaccine doses to enable the fastest possible rollout to elderly Americans and first responders.
Late last year, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) had pressed Congress to pass a bill containing technical corrections to the United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA).
Have you seen the recent CSMS messages about the zone ID numbering and wondered what they are all about?
First CSMS #45116249 let us know on December 9th that the ACE Entry Summary Create/Update CATAIR had been updated to accommodate an FTZ Identifier format change. Then on December 21st, CSMS #45244014 announced that the deployment of that change was pushed from January 23, 2021 to April 24, 2021.
You might be wondering, “Didn’t we already change the FTZ ID a few months ago?” Well, yes, and no. The changes to the e214 in September 2020 did update the FTZ ID format from 7 to 9 characters, to accommodate the need for additional digits in the subzone and site ID portions of the number for new zones. But that change was only to the e214. The zone ID is also included on the entry summary (7501). So, if new zones are going to start using this new numbering format, both filings need to be updated. The plan was to get that done in Jan 2021, but it seems it will be pushed to April.
What does that mean for you? If a broker files your 7501s, make sure they are ready to use the new format when it does go into production, as this will be a hard cutover. So, even though your zone ID will not be changing (the new format is only for newly activated zones in the future), the ABI software must be ready to report your zone ID in the correct location. And if you self-file, check your own software to make sure you’re ready for this switch in April.
If you have questions about this new zone ID, or filing e214s, please send them to our Sr. Vice President and Chairwoman of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones, Melissa Irmen at Melissa.Irmen@iscm.co.
USTR announced last month that countervailing duties (CVD) would be added on certain European Union (EU) products, including aircraft components and wines from France and Germany.
Last month, European Union officials and Chinese President Xi Jinping completed a business investment deal that is sure to rankle the current and incoming US administrations.
After 48 Years, United Kingdom formally exited the European Union on New Year’s Day.
The Census Bureau just issued a clarification to the AES filing requirements for exports to Hong Kong.
The holiday season brought many things, but not a candidate for Secretary of Commerce.
At press time President-elect Biden had yet to announce his picks for Labor Secretary, Commerce Secretary or Attorney General, and his transition team is dealing with intense lobbying as the list of open slots grows smaller.
The best part about the New Year . . . is that it swept out the old one. Perhaps the year 2020 will become like the 13th Floor; simply dropped from the list and never mentioned or discussed. Next!
The end of the year was particularly active for trade news which gets 2021 off to a rousing start. The U.K struck a trade deal with the EU and Brexit is done. Congress failed to pass a trade vehicle so GSP and MTB expired, as did a large number of exclusions to the Section 301 tariffs. Despite economy fears, the Port of LA/Long Beach was overwhelmed with import container volume, causing delays long enough to put FTZ cargo into General Order while still in transit! Special thanks go to FTZ #43 which played a key role in the rollout of a vaccine for COVID-19 Vaccine. At the heart of Pfizer’s cold chain, the Battle Creek, MI Zone staged unapproved vaccine doses to enable the fastest possible rollout to elderly Americans and first responders.