On December 21, 2018, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register, a notice of public meeting and request for public comments [Docket No. USCBP-2018-0045]. (CBP) is cognizant of the need to stay modern in order to meet the challenges of an evolving trade landscape. New actors, industries, and modes of conducting business have emerged, disrupting the traditional global supply chain. To continue to effectively fulfill CBP’s mission, CBP is pursuing an initiative titled “The 21st Century Customs Framework.” “The 21st Century Customs Framework” will seek to address and enhance numerous aspects of CBP’s trade mission to better position CBP to operate in the 21st century trade environment. Through preliminary efforts, CBP has identified key themes for which CBP seeks public input: Emerging Roles in the Global Supply Chain, Intelligent Enforcement, Cutting-Edge Technology, Data Access and Sharing, 21st Century Processes, and Self-Funded Customs Infrastructure. To that end, CBP is announcing a public meeting to discuss these themes. CBP will use the public comments received in response to this notice to initiate discussion at the public meeting for CBP to consider possible policy, regulatory, and statutory improvements to further the trade mission. CBP is already pursuing related efforts through the Border Interagency Executive Council and the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee and is ensuring coordination among these initiatives.

The meeting to discuss “The 21st Century Customs Framework” will be held on Friday, March 1, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting whether in-person or via teleconference must register as indicated in the Addresses section of the notice by 5:00 p.m. EST, February 4, 2019. February 4, 2019 is also the deadline for submitting public comments.