Our speakers provided a global overview of the hot topics and key trends across customs law and policy. A diverse range of regional trends were spotlighted across the US, EU, UK, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East. This included the ânew eraâ of digitisation and data sharing between customs authorities in the EU, the focus on trade facilitation across Latin America and Africa to promote regional economic growth, the convergence with the Russia…
On 15 May 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has delivered a judgment in the ‘Tauritus’ case, offering crucial guidance on how to determine the customs value of imported products when their final price is not fixed at the time of importation but is subject to a provisional pricing arrangement. The ruling provides important considerations and clarification for businesses engaged in transactions with such pricing mechanisms. The judgement can be found via…
On 24 April 2025, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and HM Treasury published draft primary legislation and an associated technical consultation on the introduction of a UK carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The draft CBAM legislation follows a prior public consultation on the UK Governmentâs initial proposals for a CBAM which concluded in June 2024. CBAM forms part of the UK governmentâs wider strategy to tackle carbon leakage. To achieve this it will impose a carbon price…
On 7 May 2025, the EU and Singapore took a step forward by signing a landmark Digital Trade Agreement (âDTAâ). The DTA is a self-standing agreement â meaning it is separate to the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement. This comprehensive agreement goes beyond traditional trade deals, focusing specifically on facilitating digital trade and addressing emerging challenges in the digital economy. Upon implementation, the DTA should bolster consumer confidence, guarantee reliable data…
On 30 April 2025, the European Court of Justice (âCJEUâ) issued a judgment on the concept of repayment granted âin errorâ as laid down in Article 116(7) of the Union Customs Code (âUCCâ). This article (116 (7) of the UCC) provides that if customs authorities have granted repayment or remission in error, the original customs debt shall be re-instated (insofar not time-barred). The CJEU ruled that the concept of repayment granted in âerrorâ should be…
On 6 May 2025, the United Kingdom (UK) and Indian Governments agreed a new âlandmarkâ free trade agreement (âFTAâ) to increase long-term bilateral trade by ÂŁ25.5 billion each year and drive economic growth in both countries. The UK Government believes the FTA will result in a ÂŁ4.8 billion increase in UK GDP and a ÂŁ2.2 billion increase in UK long-term year-on-year wages. The legal text of the agreement and regulatory details must first be finalised,…
The United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have concluded a trade deal covering a range of products and promoting market access for goods. In response to the recent additional tariffs adopted by the US administration, both countries agreed to the following: Additionally, the UK-US trade deal includes: The US administration has also announced that this trade deal includes streamlined customs procedures for US exports, the creation of a secure supply chain for pharmaceutical…
The European Commission has unveiled a proposed response to the US tariffs on cars and automotive parts, as well as the so-called reciprocal tariffs. These countermeasures from the European Union (EU) will be adopted if the ongoing negotiations with the US administration fail. As mentioned in our last blog, the EU decided to pause for 90 days, until 14 July, the implementation of EU countermeasures on a list of US-origin products that could potentially be…
Yesterday, following the adoption of Commission implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/664, the European Commission has extended the ongoing suspension of retaliatory tariffs until 14 April 2025. These tariffs were initially adopted in 2018 (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/886) and 2020 (Implementing regulation – 2020/502 – EN – EUR-Lex) and were supposed to reapply and come into effect tomorrow. This decision was already announced by the EU trade commissioner during a hearing at the European Parliament on…
There is never a dull moment in the ongoing trade war. With effect of 12 March 2025, the US reinstated the June 2018 Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products at a rate of 25% and extended these tariffs to a larger scope of steel and aluminum products (see our prior blog post on the US Section 232 tariffs here). On 12 March 2025, the EU announced countermeasures which shall protect European businesses and…