The UK published its Customs Valuation Handbook (“Handbook”) on 25 June 2025, offering a comprehensive update on its guidance for how the customs value should be determined for goods imported into the UK. While not legally binding, it clarifies HM Revenue & Customs’ (“HMRC”) interpretation of the law, bringing it more in line with the type of customs valuation guidance published by the European Commission.This update follows earlier consultations and forms part of HMRC’s broader effort…
Following a busy week in trade, with numerous US court decisions over the past days, businesses may be left wondering as the week wraps up: where does the recent flurry of decisions leave us? Where things stand Refresher on how we got here
In a landmark decision, the United States Court of International Trade (“CIT”) has ruled against the President’s imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). The decision (involving two consolidated cases, V.O.S. Selections, Inc. et al. v. United States of America et al. and The State of Oregon et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al.), is the first court decision on the Administration’s trade policy and the first…
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…
In briefThe US Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) has initiated a Section 232 national security investigation into the imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients. This investigation aims to determine whether these imports threaten US national security. The scope of the investigation includes finished drug products, medical countermeasures, critical inputs such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), key starting materials, and derivative products of these items. Commerce may restrict imports of these products through tariffs, quotas, or other…
Yesterday, President Trump announced a 90-day postponement of the individualized reciprocal tariffs for most countries (see our blog post on these tariffs here), with the notable exception of China. This decision comes amidst ongoing global trade tensions and aims to provide temporary relief to international trade partners. However, the baseline tariff of 10% for most countries worldwide, which took effect on April 5, 2025, remains in place without a specified end date. China had previously indicated…
Introduction Yesterday Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič at the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) held a press conference following the recent developments following Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs Announcement (see our blog post on that topic here). Commissioner Šefčovič addressed the current trade landscape between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for strategic collaboration. The Impact of Tariffs on EU Exports Approximately €380 billion worth of EU exports to the US,…
At 4 PM EDT on April 2, 2025, President Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs on all imports into the United States. Importantly, goods from Canada and Mexico were excluded from additional duties. Other announced rates include: United Kingdom (10%), EU (20%), China (34%), Vietnam (46%), Taiwan (32%), South Africa (30%), Japan (24%), India (26%), South Korea (25%), and Brazil (10%). While the White House Fact Sheet and Executive Order have been released, official documents referenced…
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…
Import tariffs have become the priority trade issue since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025, with a wide variety of measures announced and imposed. These tariffs have the potential to disrupt all industries; however, they pose unique challenges for the life sciences industry, in particular the pharmaceutical and medtech industry, whose products have typically not been subject to customs duty on cross-border movements. We have set out below i) a summary of…