As of 1 January 2024, Switzerland will abolish its industrial tariffs on the import of industrial goods. This measure will apply to goods in chapters 27 to 97 of the Customs tariff, with the exception of some products in chapters 35 and 38 which are classified as agricultural products. Removing industrial tariffs will strengthen Switzerland’s position as a strong business and industrial location. The potential welfare gains are estimated at some CHF 860 million. Whereas…
On 7 December 2023, the government announced a package of customs simplification measures to simplify export and import processes for traders. These measures are aimed at supporting the UK government’s goal of having “the world’s most effective border” under its 2025 UK Border Strategy (our previous blog on that here), developed in 2020 to “simplify processes to traders, improve the security and biosecurity of the UK, and embrace innovation”. Together these improvements in the following…
The bonded system allows foreign goods to be stored, processed and displayed in warehouses, factories, museums and other facilities that have been approved by Japan Customs in bonded zones prior to obtaining an import permit. By obtaining a bonded zone permit and utilising the bonded system, goods can be stored, processed, and displayed while customs duties and other taxes are withheld, which is a great advantage in terms of commercial transactions. By utilising the features…
The Indonesian government is currently trying to tighten the flow of imported goods into Indonesia. As part of that effort, the government aims to further amend Minister of Trade Regulation No. 25 of 2022 on Amendment of Minister of Trade Regulation No. 20 of 2021 on Policy and Arrangements of Import (“MOT Regulation No.25/2022”). The revision involves changing the import trading system for several types of commodities from “post-border” to “border”. The difference between the…
On 15 November 2023, the European Public Prosecutorâs Office (âEPPOâ) uncovered a EUR 200M customs and VAT fraud scheme. This is yet another case of the EPPO, launched in 1 June 2021, as the first new supra-national prosecution authority in the EU. The EPPO has the power to investigate, prosecute and bring to judgment crimes against the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption or serious cross border fraud. This can also include cases on circumvention of anti-dumping…
In the Court of Justice of the EU (âCJEUâ) judgment of 23 November 2023 in case C-653/22 J.P. Mali, the CJEU ruled on the EU principle of proportionality with respect to the imposition of penalties for underpayment of customs duties (including anti-dumping duties) in Member States. The case concerned Hungarian company J.P. Mali, which imported into Hungary bicycles and bicycle parts declared as originating in Taiwan. For context, both bicycles and bicycle parts originating in…
Companies importing goods into the EU should be aware of a recent uptick in investigations into alleged circumvention of EU anti-dumping and/or anti-subsidy duties, and, in particular, the implications of such investigations under customs law. For context, in August 2023, the European Commission initiated three circumvention investigations, covering imports of biodiesel consigned from China, plywood consigned from Kazakhstan and TĂźrkiye, and stainless steel consigned from Taiwan, TĂźrkiye and Vietnam. These investigations signal a return of…
In keeping with tradition, we are pleased to invite you to our annual Global Year-End Review of Import/Export & Trade Compliance Developments Conference to be held between December 4-7. The conference will provide valuable insights on the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of international trade.We will kick off the conference with an in-person networking session and panel discussion on December 4 on the pressing topic of “Navigating Trade Compliance Amidst Geopolitical Disruptions…
The most significant updates to the Combined Nomenclature (“CN”) relate to â amongst others: The declaration of goods upon import, export, or when subject to intra-Community trade statistics between EU Member States is based on the CN. This sets the customs duty rate that is applicable as well as determines how the products are handled for statistical purposes. Therefore, the CN is an essential working instrument for industry and the customs departments of the EU…
On 21 September 2023, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) gave its judgment in a case concerning the non-preferential rules of origin (“ROO”) as laid down in the European Commission’s Union Customs Code Delegated Act (“UCC DA”), which supplements the Union Customs Code (“UCC”). The ECJ concluded in this case that the ‘Change of Tariff Heading’ (“CTH”) ROO laid down in the UCC DA can be deemed invalid in the light of the Treaty of…