Ottawa, June 1, 2012 — The International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations (IFCBA) held its bi-annual world conference entitled “The Future of Customs Compliance: Business Models and Strategies” in Athens, Greece from May 8-12, 2012. The conference sessions were well attended by participants from all corners of the world, including Argentina, China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, and Nigeria, allowing the IFCBA to provide a global look at compliance and client services.

The following is from the 17 May 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce.

Agency will begin screening all cargo from international passenger flights Dec. 3

The following is from the 18 May 2012 edition of The Globe and Mail.

The United States imposed punitive tariffs on solar panel imports from China, the latest in a series of trade disputes between the world’s two biggest economies and sparking accusations by Beijing of protectionism.

The following is excerpted from a 17 May 2012 news release by the International Chamber of Commerce.

Developing nations were the key drivers of growth in international trade for 2011, in spite of the volatility caused by the international financial crisis, according to a report published today by the International Chamber of Commerce.

The WTO today published the Appellate Body report on “United States – Measures concerning the importation, marketing and sale of tuna and tuna products” (WT/DS381/AB/R)

The following is excerpted from a 16 May 2012 news item by the World Trade Organization.

The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 24 May 2012, of the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all WTO members and oversees legal disputes among them. The meeting notice is circulated in the form of a document officially called an “airgram”.

The following is excerpted from a 16 May 2012 news release by the International Chamber of Commerce.

Results of the ICC-Ifo World Economic Survey, released today, showed a fresh rise in the climate indicator during the second quarter of 2012, reaching 95.0, up from 82.4 in the previous quarter, and confirmed a trend towards recovery in the world economy.

The following is excerpted from a 14 May 2012 report by the World Customs Organization.

The 57th Spanish-speaking Fellowship Programme opened at the Headquarters of the WCO in Brussels on Monday, 7 May 2012.

The following is from a 14 May 2012 speech by Pascal Lamy of the World Trade Organization.

The following is excerpted from a 14 May 2012 release by the International Chamber of Commerce.

ICC recently issued a policy statement on “Transfer Pricing and Customs Valuation” aimed at supporting companies that face the challenge of determining the appropriate related party valuation of goods.