More Trade News in Brief – Week 52 (24 – 31 December 2012)

 

* EFTA Approve the Updated EU ETS

 

The EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) announced the adoption of the new guidelines European Union’s (EU) Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) – EU system to facilitate the taxation of carbon emissions.

 

Check here.

 

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* ASEAN & India Extend Trade Agreement

 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India have concluded a free trade agreement to include trade in services and investments, to add to their exiting FTA on trade in goods.

 

Find more here.

 

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* Barbados & San Marino Signed DTA

 

A new tax treaty, double tax agreement (DTA) has been signed between Barbados y San Marino.

 

Follow the link for more.

 

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* UNCTAD Acknowledges Admission of South Sudan as Forty-ninth LDC

 

18 December 2012

 

The United Nations General Assembly added South Sudan to the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

 

LDC status is granted to those economies that are deemed the most structurally disadvantaged and the most likely to experience difficulties in their efforts to come out of poverty.

 

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More Trade News in Brief – Week 51 (17 – 23 December 2012)

 

* EU & Singapore Concluded FTA

 

The European Commission & Singapore have concluded the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA).

 

Check here.

 

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* US to Modernize Its Customs

 

US introduced the Customs Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2012. The bill’s aim is to modernize the United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and boost the enforcement of trade laws governing import duties.

 

For more follow the link.

 

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* Andorra’s Tax Reforms

 

The tax heaven small country Andorra announced the implementation of “courageous” reforms in order to construct a completely new tax system.

 

More here.

 

ISO Survey of Management System Standard Certifications – 2011

12 December 2012

 

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released for free The ISO Survey of Management System Standard Certifications – 2011.

ISO Survey of Management System Standard Certifications – 2011

 

 

 

 

 

7 ISO Standards regarding management systems

were included in the survey:

 

ISO 9001 data (excel)
ISO 14001 data (excel)
ISO 22000 data (excel)
ISO/IEC 27001 data (excel)
ISO 50001 data (excel)
ISO 13485 data (excel)
ISO/TS 16949 data (excel)

 

 

 

The publication is available here.

 

EU – New VAT and Tax Evasion Rules

 

* New EU VAT Rules

 

New simplify VAT rules enter into effect in the European Union (EU) from 1st January 2013.

 

Check for more here.

 

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* Stronger EU Rules on Tax Evasion

 

New and strong rules on tax evasion will enter into force in the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2013.

 

Please follow the link.

 

EU & Shipping Industry

* European Commission Proposed a New Framework for Marine Equipment

 

 The European Commission adopted a proposal for a new directive on marine equipment (the “MED”).

 

The Commission has proposed a revision of the Directive on marine equipment to ensure an harmonised application of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) standards.

 

The proposal has two general objectives:
– to enhance the implementation and enforcement mechanisms of the MED, and
– to simplify the regulatory environment.

 

For more information, check here and here.

 

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* New Rules on Cleaner Fuels for Shipping

 

On 17 December 2012 entered in force the new EU environmental rules on marine fuels.

 

Check for more here.

 

More Trade News in Brief – Week 50 (10 – 16 December 2012)

 

* Austria & Chile Signed DTA

 

A bilateral double taxation agreement (DTA) has been signed between Austria and Chile.

 

Kindly read more here.

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* Nordic Nations Extended Their Network of TIEAs

 

The Nordic group of territories (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands) has extended their network of TIEAs to 40 after signed a new tax cooperation agreement with Jamaica.

 

More details following the link.

 

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* EU approved New FTAs

 

11 December 2012

 

The EU’s Parliament approved two landmark pacts trade with Colombia, Peru and six countries in Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama).

 

Please check here for further details.

 

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* EU-Russia Relations

 

13 December 2012

 

“EU-Russia relations are still suffering from Russia’s failure to embrace democratic values fully and strengthen the rule of law” state the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

 

Kindly read more here.

 

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* UN Extends Sanctions on Liberia

 

12 December 2012

 

The UN Security Council  extended the sanctions imposed on Liberia for another year.

 

Follow the link for more information.

 

WTO – One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities

13 December 2012

 

With the occasion of the estimated one billion numbers of tourists travelling this year, UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) lunched a new campaign One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities.

 

The WTO insists tourists to respect local culture, presser heritage and buy local goods when travelling.

 

                                                                                                                        Credit: WTO

ICC Published New Volume on DOCDEX

13 December 2012, Paris

 

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has issued a new volume containing decisions on Documentary Credit Dispute Resolution Expertise (DOCDEX – Decisions 2009-2012).

 

DOCDEX include cases based on other ICC rules kike:

– Uniform Rules for Collections (URC)

– Uniform Rules for Bank-to-Bank Reimbursements (URR)

– Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG)

 

The new volume is an important point of reference for bankers, lawyers, importers/exporters and other practitioners who make use of ICC rules.

 

For more information visit the ICC DOCDEX Rules.

 

World Intellectual Property Indicators – 2012 Edition

11 December 2012, Geneva

 

World Intellectual Property Indicators 2012 is a report developed with data from national and regional IP offices, WIPO, the World Bank and UNESCO.

 

The 2012 edition provides a wide range of indicators covering various areas of intellectual property: patents, utility models, trademarks, industrial designs, microorganisms and plant varieties protection.

 

Check for more here.