The Government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices for March 17-19, 2012 (note that some may also be given separate headlines)
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:
On March 16, 2012, President Obama announced his decision to establish a new level for digital high performance computers (HPCs) that are subject to the notification procedure provided by section 1211 of the 1998 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 105-85). The new level will be 3.0 Weighted TeraFLOPS.
On March 15, 2012, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the implications for the U.S. of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Committee Chairman Baucus (D-MT) and private sector witnesses favored the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik's application to Russia and establishment of permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to the country. Baucus stated that Russia is the largest economy currently outside the WTO and the sixth-largest economy in the world. To allow U.S. businesses and exporters to benefit from Russia's WTO accession, Baucus and others stated that Congress must act soon.
According to sources at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Administration is working closely with USTR committees of jurisdiction on the best way forward to terminate application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and to extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Russia. Other sources indicate that the politics of the matter are difficult and no legislation has yet been introduced.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on March 15, 2011 on the implications of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization on the U.S. The President, U.S. Trade Representative, and Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) have recently commented on this issue and called on Congress to terminate the application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to the country so that U.S. companies can take advantage of Russia's WTO accession.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of March 12, 2012 lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The International Trade Administration is publishing notices in the March 8, 2012 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, the scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
On March 7, 2012, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk testified before the Senate Finance Committee on key initiatives of the President's Trade Policy Agenda for 2012, such as the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement (KORUS) that will come into force on March 15, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, and tougher trade enforcement through the new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC). USTR Kirk also stated that Russia's Jackson-Vanik status must be terminated as soon as possible in order for U.S. firms to enjoy the same benefits of Russia's World Trade Organization membership as the U.S.' international competitors. Senate Finance Chairman Baucus (D-MT) also commented on the President's trade agenda and laid out three major trade goals for 2012: (1) establishing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia; (2) Concluding the TPP trade agreement negotiations; and (3) addressing the challenges posed by China.
The Government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices for March 6-7, 2012 (note that some may also be given separate headlines)
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases on March 2-6, 2012 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines):