The House approved granting Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relation Nov. 16. The bill (HR-6156) would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries. The bill includes the so-called Magnitsky rule, which calls for repercussions for Russian leaders thought to be involved in the death of a Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. The bill is expected to be approved. The floor schedule is (here).
Russia export controls and sanctions
The use of export controls and sanctions on Russia has surged since the country's invasion of Crimea in 2014, and especially its invasion of Ukraine in in February 2022. Similar export controls and sanctions have been imposed by U.S. allies, including the EU, U.K. and Japan. The following is a listing of recent articles in Export Compliance Daily on export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia:
The House Rules Committee on Nov. 13 gave its approval for a closed vote on Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), thus preventing the addition of amendments that could further slow the process. The bill (HR-6156) would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries. The bill being considered includes the so-called Magnitsky rule, which calls for repercussions for Russian leaders thought to be involved in the death of a Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. The Magnitsky language was a sticking point for several lawmakers involved with the PNTR bill. A vote on the legislation is expected this week. Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget said the Obama Administration strongly supports the bill. The OMB statement is (here).
The House Rules Committee scheduled a Nov. 13 hearing on legislation that would grant Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). The bill (HR-6156) would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries. The bill being considered by the Rules Committee also includes the so-called Magnitsky rule, which calls for repercussions for Russian leaders thought to be involved in the death of a Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. The Magnitsky language was a sticking point for several lawmakers involved with the PNTR bill.
On Nov. 9 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
A coalition of more than 500 trade associations and businesses called the Coalition for U.S.-Russia Trade said Congress should "move quickly" in the lame duck session to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Russia, they said in a letter to Congress. A similar letter to President Barack Obama urged the President to work with Congress on the issue. Coalition members include the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Foreign Trade Council, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, the Information Technology Industry Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Since Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August, the coalition said U.S. competitors in Europe, China and elsewhere are happy to "step in and take advantage of meeting Russia's needs not only in infrastructure and modernization of its industrial base, but also the demands of a growing consumer class that is highly educated and appreciates quality." Until Congress passes Russia PNTR, U.S. executives will be relegated to an "observer" status as foreign competitors "snap up contracts that will lock in commercial relationships for years to come," they said.
On Nov. 7 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
On Nov. 6 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said import statistics are available for the first eight months of 2012 relating to competitive need limitations (CNLs) under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The statistics identify some articles for which the 2012 trade levels may exceed statutory CNLs, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Nov. 6. USTR said parties may want to use the information in deciding whether to submit a petition to waive the CNLs for individual beneficiary developing countries (BDCs) with respect to specific GSP-eligible articles. The deadline for submitting product petitions to waive the CNLs for individual BDCs with respect to GSP-eligible articles is 5 p.m., Nov. 21. The interim import statistics for the first eight months of 2012 relating to CNLs are (here). Full calendar-year 2012 data for individual tariff subheadings will be available in February 2013 at http://dataweb.usitc.gov/. USTR said the following products met the criteria to be placed on the list:
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases Oct. 26-30 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines):
In the Oct 27-29, 2012 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted: