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Archive for the ‘News’ Category

UK Secures First Post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement with South Korea

News, South Korea, Trade Agreements

June 10, 2019

The International Trade Council is pleased to announce that the United Kingdom has signed a preliminary free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, the first post-Brexit trade deal secured by the UK in Asia. The agreement seeks to maintain existing trade arrangements and provide stability under a no-deal Brexit scenario. International Trade Secretary Liam […]

US Terminates Preferential Trade Status for India Amid Tariff Dispute

India, News, Trade Policy, United States

June 1, 2019

The International Trade Council acknowledges President Donald Trump’s confirmation that the US will end preferential trade status for India next week. Until now, India has been the largest beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which allowed $5.6 billion worth of exports to enter the US duty-free. In March, President Trump announced the […]

EU Tariff-Free Textile Quota Revision (May 2019) – Supply Chain Adjustments

June 1, 2019

EU Tariff-Free Textile Quota Revision (May 2019) – Supply Chain Adjustments

The May 2019 revision of the EU’s tariff-free textile quotas was a development that, while not entirely unexpected, prompted a flurry of recalibration across the apparel import sector. Many importers, already navigating a complex patchwork of preferential arrangements, found themselves needing to revisit sourcing strategies with little time to spare. The revision itself—intended, according to […]

US-China Trade War: Tensions Rising

China, News, Trade Relations, United States

May 29, 2019

In light of the ongoing US-China trade war, the International Trade Council is offering insights into potential strategies that Beijing could employ to destabilize President Trump’s approach. Drawing inspiration from Chinese history and ancient strategic manual The Art of War, we delve into a range of tactics that China could utilize in response to the […]

U.S. Executive Order on Strengthening the Cyber Supply Chain (Oct 2018) – Compliance Roadmap (2019)

May 15, 2019

U.S. Executive Order on Strengthening the Cyber Supply Chain (Oct 2018) – Compliance Roadmap (2019)

The cybersecurity landscape for federal contractors shifted markedly after the issuance of Executive Order 13800 on May 11, 2018. Though the order itself was broad in its directive—aiming to enhance the resilience of federal networks and critical infrastructure—it quickly became clear that its real teeth would be felt in the supply chains supporting those networks. […]

International Trade Council: “World Markets React to US-China Trade Tensions”

China, News, Trade Relations, United States

May 9, 2019

The International Trade Council is closely monitoring the impact of US-China trade tensions on global markets. As President Trump vows to double tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods, stock markets worldwide have experienced significant losses. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 1.5% on Wednesday, following a 1.8% drop in the Dow Jones. European markets also […]

Canada’s Tax Avoidance and Profit Shifting Legislation (Bill C-208, Mar 2019) – Supply Chain Financial Transparency

May 1, 2019

Canada’s Tax Avoidance and Profit Shifting Legislation (Bill C-208, Mar 2019) – Supply Chain Financial Transparency

When Bill C-208 received Royal Assent in June 2019, it marked a notable shift in Canada’s stance on tax avoidance and profit shifting, particularly where cross-border supply chains are concerned. The changes it introduced, especially to transfer pricing rules, were not revolutionary in isolation. But taken together, they represented a tightening of the net—an unmistakable […]

EU Timber Regulation (2013) – Roadmap to EUTR Compliance for Small Furniture Exporters (2019)

April 15, 2019

EU Timber Regulation (2013) – Roadmap to EUTR Compliance for Small Furniture Exporters (2019)

Small furniture exporters operating within or supplying to the European Union found themselves increasingly under scrutiny by mid-2019, as regulators stepped up enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). The regulation, originally adopted in 2013, has long aimed to prevent illegally harvested timber and timber products from entering the EU market. Yet for many smaller […]

U.S. National Trade Estimate Report (Mar 2019) – Supply Chain Barriers Identified

April 1, 2019

U.S. National Trade Estimate Report (Mar 2019) – Supply Chain Barriers Identified

The 2019 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report, released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative in March, once again drew attention to a range of non-tariff barriers affecting American exporters, particularly in the electronics and automotive sectors. For seasoned trade analysts, much of the content felt familiar—concerns about divergent technical standards, opaque licensing […]

Canada’s Supply-Chain Emissions Disclosure Discussion Paper (Jan 2019) – Preparing for Future Regulations

March 15, 2019

Canada’s Supply-Chain Emissions Disclosure Discussion Paper (Jan 2019) – Preparing for Future Regulations

In January 2019, Natural Resources Canada released a discussion paper that, while perhaps under the radar for many outside policy circles, signaled a potentially significant shift in how large firms—particularly those in energy-intensive sectors—will be expected to account for supply-chain emissions. The paper focused on Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, those indirect emissions that arise […]

U.K. Social Value Act (2013) – Measuring Social Impact in Public Procurement Supply Chains (2019)

March 1, 2019

U.K. Social Value Act (2013) – Measuring Social Impact in Public Procurement Supply Chains (2019)

The Social Value Act, first enacted in 2013, has long been praised—and sometimes quietly criticized—for its ambition to embed social benefit considerations into public procurement processes. For years, the legislation encouraged contracting authorities to look beyond price and technical merit, to consider how procurement decisions might contribute to broader community wellbeing. Yet, for all the […]

EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR, 2017) – Transition to Traceability via EUDAMED (2019)

February 15, 2019

EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR, 2017) – Transition to Traceability via EUDAMED (2019)

The European Union’s Medical Devices Regulation, published back in May 2017, introduced a host of transformative requirements aimed at reshaping medical device oversight, not least in the realm of supply chain traceability. The deadline for compliance may have felt distant at first. But by early 2019, manufacturers, suppliers, and regulators alike found themselves grappling with […]

U.S. Farm Bill (2018) – Hemp and CBD Supply Chain Licensing (2019)

February 1, 2019

U.S. Farm Bill (2018) – Hemp and CBD Supply Chain Licensing (2019)

When the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill was signed into law that December, it marked a turning point for hemp cultivation and its downstream industries, particularly for the burgeoning CBD sector. The removal of hemp from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act created both opportunity and uncertainty, especially as stakeholders sought clarity on supply chain […]

Canada’s Bill C-69 (Impact Assessment Act, June 2019) – Supply Chain Implications for Resource Projects (2019)

January 15, 2019

Canada’s Bill C-69 (Impact Assessment Act, June 2019) – Supply Chain Implications for Resource Projects (2019)

The passage of Canada’s Bill C-69 in June 2019 marked a profound change in how resource projects, notably pipelines and mines, would be evaluated and monitored from both environmental and social perspectives. The introduction of the Impact Assessment Act under this bill signaled a shift—not merely in procedural requirements, but in the expectations placed on […]

U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA, Dec 2017) – Supply Chain Restructuring Effects (2018–2019)

January 1, 2019

U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA, Dec 2017) – Supply Chain Restructuring Effects (2018–2019)

In the wake of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of December 2017, supply chains tied to American operations began to undergo, often in subtle and sometimes in abrupt ways, restructuring that few could have fully predicted at the time of the law’s passage. The most visible driver, of course, was the reduction […]

EU Waste Framework Directive (2008) – Circular Product Design and Reverse Supply Chains (2018)

December 15, 2018

EU Waste Framework Directive (2008) – Circular Product Design and Reverse Supply Chains (2018)

The 2018 revisions to the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive marked a notable evolution in how policymakers sought to embed circular economy principles into industrial practice. While the Directive had long been a cornerstone of European environmental regulation, the updated text sharpened the focus on product design—particularly the expectation that manufacturers, especially in electronics, would […]

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