On September 19, 2022, the European Commission (“Commission”) presented the Single Market Emergency Instrument (“SMEI”), a crisis management framework designed to secure supply chains of “identified, strategically important goods and services” within the European Union (“EU”) during times of emergency.
Global Trade Policy Blog
The Global Trade Policy Blog, published by Steptoe LLP, covers developments in international trade law and policy, including antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, trade remedies, tariff regulations, and investment treaties. It addresses regulatory changes such as the Department of Commerce's rules on particular market situations, updates on U.S. trade actions like Section 301 tariffs, and regional trade agreements including the African Continental Free Trade Area's investment protocol. The blog also explores the intersection of industrial policy and international investment agreements, focusing on performance requirements and their implications for foreign direct investment and trade relations.
Latest from Global Trade Policy Blog - Page 3
USTR Announces Next Steps in Statutory Four-Year Review of China 301 Tariffs
By Eric Emerson & Judy Wang
On October 12, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced it would be seeking public comments regarding the effectiveness of the actions related to the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer,…
The USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism: An Increasingly Important Component of the Biden Administration’s “Worker-Centric” Trade Policy
On September 24, 2022, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the successful resolution of a labor complaint brought under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This case marked the fifth…
Section 301 Duties on Imports from China: Current Status of Prospects for Relief
By Eric Emerson & Judy Wang
Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, and particularly since earlier in 2021, U.S. companies and importers have been looking forward to the prospect of a reduction in the tariffs originally imposed in 2018 and 2019 following the Section 301…
The Proposed EU Ban on Goods Made With Forced Labor
The much anticipated proposal for a Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labor on the EU market was published by the European Commission (“Commission”) on 14 September 2022, one year after the initiative was first announced by Commission President Ursula…
OFAC Releases Preliminary Guidance on Implementation of the Russian Oil Price Cap
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently released preliminary guidance on the implementation of a price cap policy on Russian crude oil and petroleum products. This policy has major implications for maritime service providers…
EU’s International Procurement Instrument to Enter into Force at the End of August
On 29 August 2022, the European Union’s (“EU”) International Procurement Instrument (“IPI”)[1] will enter into force. The IPI was adopted on 23 June 2022 after more than a decade of legislative preparations and discussions. It provides for a new…
United States Seeks USMCA Dispute Settlement Consultations With Mexico Over Range of Energy Policies
The United States has requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under Chapter 31 of the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (“USMCA”) concerning a range of energy policies adopted by the Government of Mexico that the United States believes discriminate against U.S. interests…
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Part II: Enforcement
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) supports the existing prohibition on the importation of goods into the United States made with forced labor under Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1307). Enforcement…
Biden Administration Suspends Possible Tariffs from Solar Anticircumvention Inquiry
On June 6, 2022, President Biden issued a declaration of emergency with respect to the availability of electricity generation capacity in the United States, and pursuant to this declaration, authorized the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to permit certain solar cells…