by Andrea | Jun 11, 2018 | international trade rules, tools for importers
Citing national security concerns, in March (2018) the Trump Administration imposed a 25% duty on steel imports and a 10% duty on aluminum imports. Have US tariffs launched a trade war? Or is it clever use of a negotiating tactic by the Administration? Negotiations...
by Andrea | May 21, 2018 | access to finance, international trade rules, tools for importers
Should the system of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) be reformed? That is the question being considered by the United Nations Commission on Trade Law (UNCITRAL). ISDS provisions are contained in about 3,000 investment treaties and investment chapters of free...
by Andrea | Apr 26, 2018 | access to finance, international trade rules
GSP is back! As of April 22, 2018 importers can once again take advantage of the retroactive renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. This means: Entering GSP-eligible products without having to pay duties; and Claiming refunds for duties paid...
by Andrea | Apr 15, 2018 | CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, world financial crisis
The Trump trade agenda is in the news. Since January (2018), the Trump Administration has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, started a trade war with China, and re-negotiated the 6-year old Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). The Administration also...
by Andrea | Apr 1, 2018 | Brexit, CSME, markets in Africa, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers
On March 29, 2019 the United Kingdom (UK) is scheduled to leave the European Union (EU). On what terms? What will Brexit mean for the future of the UK’s trading relations with the EU and the rest of the world? Just over a year ago (on March 29, 2017), UK Prime...
by Andrea | Mar 19, 2018 | CSME, informal trade, markets in Africa, tools for importers
Do gender issues belong in a trade agreement? “Yes!”, says Canada. The updated Canada – Chile Free Trade Agreement contains a gender chapter, the first of its kind for a G-20 country. And Canada has proposed that a gender chapter also be included in re-negotiated...
by Andrea | Mar 8, 2018 | markets in Africa, tools for importers
(In Part I, we explained that while Canada and Mexico seek to “modernize” NAFTA, the U.S. has said it seeks to “restructure” NAFTA.) Even as NAFTA negotiators concluded the 7th round of negotiations (March 5th in Mexico), the threat to “Kill NAFTA” resonates....
by Andrea | Feb 27, 2018 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, markets in Africa, tools for importers
The threat to “Kill NAFTA” was a consistent promise of Trump as a presidential candidate. Instead, while the threat remains, on May 18, 2017 the Trump Administration announced its intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To what end?...
by Andrea | Feb 12, 2018 | CSME, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development
Under the theme – Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World – attendees of the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos recognized that the undeniable gains from the growth in international trade have bypassed some countries and some people in just about every...
by Andrea | Feb 5, 2018 | CSME, Recent Trends in Trade, tools for importers, Trade and Development, world financial crisis
The Joint Ministerial Statement on Investment Facilitation for Development adopted on the last day of the 11th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (for our discussion on the Ministerial click here), signals an opportunity to advance a development...
by Andrea | Jan 29, 2018 | international trade rules, world financial crisis
– In Part I we discussed the weak and divided outcomes from the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference. Institutional Concerns Several institutional factors explain the weak and divided outcomes from the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference. The WTO’s consensus approach to...
by Andrea | Jan 24, 2018 | international trade rules, world financial crisis
Do the weak and divided outcomes of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference signal that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is becoming another example of failed multilateralism? Launched in 1995 as the world’s rulemaking organization on international trade, the stated...
by Andrea | Mar 7, 2017 | informal trade, tools for importers
This is a guest post authored by Ashley Evans, a graduate of Loyola College of Law with an interest in international agricultural law related to trade: It’s not easy to be a woman in the agricultural trade business – their key role should be recognized and...
by Andrea | Jan 17, 2017 | access to finance, CSME, international trade rules, Recent Trends in Trade, Russia WTO membership, world financial crisis, world trade month 2016
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention that several developments of 2016 will bear fruit in 2017. Trade Watch 2017 lists some key issues to watch out for in the trade arena this year: Brexit: Britain must act on its vote to leave the...
by Andrea | Nov 9, 2016 | CSME, Russia WTO membership
Global markets initially reeled in response to Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. They have since recovered, but a preview of Trump trade policy helps to explain the initial nervousness. Protectionism In his trade platform to “make America great...
