GHY Tradelines

Please note that GHY offices in Canada and the USA will be CLOSED on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Other service hours during the period December 24, 2010 through January 3, 2011 are outlined in the following PDF for both GHY Canada and GHY USA.

(AFP)

The United States and the European Union vowed to cut back on trade barriers and hammer out a better definition of joint regulations, aiming to boost jobs amid a stagnant global economy.

“The more I do with respect to trade, the more I’m convinced that there is a lot of added value in (getting rid) of non-tariff barriers,” said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht after talks here. The two economic powers agreed to work together to draw up joint standards for such things as new technology, the intelligent electronic networks and electric cars.

De Gucht was speaking after a meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), set up in 2007 to boost economic convergence across the Atlantic. The meeting “looked at how the EU and the U.S. can better cooperate on new regulations early on in the process. They agreed to a set of agreed regulatory principles,” a statement said. Read more here.

(CFIA)

The Import Control Division will be closed for the Christmas holidays from Friday 24, December 2010 at 4:00 pm (ET) until Wednesday 29, December 2010 at 8:00 am.

If you require assistance please contact the Import Service Centre located in Toronto (ON) or Montreal (QC).

EISC – Montreal: 1-877-493-0468, 514-493-2468, FAX 514-493-4103
NISC – Toronto: 1-800-835-4486, 905-795-7834, FAX 905-795-9658

(International Freighting Weekly – Damian Brett)

Good news for shippers, but there is a warning of higher costs next year

U.S. imports are expected to end this year 17% ahead of 2009 and “solid increases” in volumes will continue next year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker report, import volumes in December will be up by 9% year on year, following an estimated year-on-year increase of 15% in November. […]

While the “solid increases” this year and those expected next year may bring some festive cheer to shippers, Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett warned them that they could face increased costs. He explained that as volumes increase in 2011, retailers could see higher costs from the ocean carriers’ slow-steaming initiatives. He said: “Shippers have not benefited from slow-steaming. The increased round-trip voyage time has a direct impact on the time cost of goods. As a result, costs have increased along the whole supply chain.” Read more here.

(Department of Finance)

The Department of Finance is currently reviewing a request for the removal of the customs duties on imports of blends of oils, containing 2% or less of trans fatty acids, for use in the manufacture of food products. These blends of oils are classified under heading 15.17 of the Customs Tariff as edible mixtures or preparations of animal or vegetable oils, specifically tariff item No. 1517.90.99, dutiable at 11% under the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) Tariff. There is no rate available under the General Preferential Tariff (GPT).

The applicant claims that such blends of oils containing 2% or less of trans fatty acids not available from Canadian production and that tariff relief would enhance its competitiveness in both the domestic and export markets.

If you have an interest in this request, or are aware of others who could potentially be affected by such action, I would appreciate receiving your views by January 28, 2011.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Robichaud
Tariffs and Market Access, International Trade Policy Division
Department of Finance
14th Floor, East Tower, 140 O’Connor Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G5
Phone: (613) 992-2510, Fax: (613) 992-6761 e-mail: robichaud.paul@fin.gc.ca