IFCBA World Conference 2012
The International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations (IFCBA) recently held its 12th world conference from May 8-12, 2012 in Athens, Greece.
About the IFCBA
The IFCBA has been representing the interests of the worlds' customs brokers and their clients since 1990. Many of our member asoociations have been involved in similar activities within their own countries for nearly a century. » more
Recent News
The following is from the 17 May 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce.
Agency will begin screening all cargo from international passenger flights Dec. 3
The Transportation Security Administration will begin screening all cargo arriving from international passenger flights in early December, a year after the agency was tasked to expand its screening reach from the domestic to global scale.
“Harmonizing security efforts with our international and industry partners is a vital step in securing the global supply chain,” said TSA Administrator John Pistole. “By making greater use of intelligence, TSA can strengthen screening processes and ensure the screening of all cargo shipments without impeding the flow of commerce.”
The TSA said Monday it will begin 100 percent screening on Dec. 3. The agency said operations will choose screening approaches on a per-shipment basis, allowing lower risk cargo to be scanned faster and save shippers money.
In 2007, a Democratic-controlled Congress gave the TSA until August 2012 to screen all international cargo arriving on passenger flights. After officials in October 2010 intercepted packages from Yemen that contained concealed explosives, Pistole told lawmakers international supply chains would be secure by the end of 2011, but international security has been much more difficult to achieve.
Internationally, the TSA is working to synchronize its security requirements with other nations’ through a series of mutual recognition agreements. At home, the agency is working closely with Customs and Border Protection to adopt risk-based screening techniques to air cargo.
Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.
The following is from the 18 May 2012 edition of The Globe and Mail.
The United States imposed punitive tariffs on solar panel imports from China, the latest in a series of trade disputes between the world’s two biggest economies and sparking accusations by Beijing of protectionism.
The new tariffs of 30 per cent, much bigger than had been expected, were set on Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department after it ruled in favour of local firms which said the Chinese exporters were dumping cut-price solar panels on their market.
This article is available in its entirety at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/china-blasts-us-over-tariffs-on-solar-imports/article2436721/
The following is excerpted from a 17 May 2012 news release by the International Chamber of Commerce.
Developing nations were the key drivers of growth in international trade for 2011, in spite of the volatility caused by the international financial crisis, according to a report published today by the International Chamber of Commerce.
This year’s ICC Global Survey on Trade and Finance – titled “Rethinking Trade and Finance” – notes that after a year of upheavals, annual trade volume growth for 2011 was 6.6%, slightly above forecasts by the World Trade Organization. After positive growth prospects at the beginning of the year, a series of global shocks including the Arab Spring, the tsunami in Japan and the continuation of the global debt crises, resulted in an uneven performance for the year.
This release is available in its entirety at:
http://www.iccwbo.org/policy/banking/index.html?id=48318