All posts tagged: Customs

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

The inside story of how France clinched the EU’s new customs authority – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The delegation toured the white tower that was to host the authority, visited the Flemish old town, and interrupted lessons at the European school, named after late Commission President Jacques Delors. At the end of the day, several guests acknowledged that being the first to declare was an advantage in itself. In reality, the behind-the-scenes lobbying had started far earlier, with France assuming the role of thought leader on how to cope with the exponential growth in e-commerce packages flooding into the EU from online retailers like China’s Shein and Temu. Paris sounded the alarm on unsafe products months before making waves with a unilateral move to impose its own handling fee on inbound parcels. An official in the European Parliament with direct knowledge of the vote said French officials had tested the waters on Lille’s chances during a visit to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport last May. “Most other candidates only really started in January, which was simply too late,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely on the day of …

US Customs Agency Says Tariff Refund System Progressing, but Payments May Take up to 45 Days

US Customs Agency Says Tariff Refund System Progressing, but Payments May Take up to 45 Days

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. customs agency ⁠said ⁠on Tuesday it was making progress ⁠in setting up a streamlined process for refunding some $166 billion in tariff ​collections deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, but that its new system could take up to 45 days ‌to review and process refund applications. In ‌a filing with the U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection official Brandon Lord ⁠said development ⁠of a new refund claims portal, review, processing and refund system is ​now between 60% and 85% complete. He did not provide a start date for applications, but the agency previously had indicated a 45-day goal, a deadline that ends in late April. In the declaration filing on Tuesday, Lord said ​the new system will begin accepting claims in phases, with first priority given to those customs ⁠entries ⁠liquidated, or finalized, within the ⁠preceding 80 ​days and entries whose liquidation status has been “suspended, extended, or under review.” The initial phase will also ​accept declarations containing warehouse and ⁠warehouse withdrawal entries, Lord …

Lille beats Rome in race to host EU customs cops – POLITICO

Lille beats Rome in race to host EU customs cops – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Front runner Lille was first out the blocks, launching its bid to host the authority in November by inviting officials from around the bloc to visit the modern building that could host the agency. Guests were shown the international school where EUCA staff could send their kids and plied with local delicacies. Rome’s bid was less fancied, with representatives of the center-right European People’s Party switching their votes in its favor to prevent Lille winning outright at the group stage, according to two officials. Despite leading 18 out of 27 EU governments and having 14 out of 51 MEPs on the European Parliament’s IMCO committee that took part in the voting, the EPP failed to heave its favored candidate — Warsaw — into the final round. France has a liberal government while Italy is headed by the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists. Far away There was no luck — again — for candidates from further afield, like the Croatian capital Zagreb. That cemented the impression that, despite admitting a raft of new eastern European countries in recent …

Hungary moves to legalize seizure of Ukrainian bank cash convoy – POLITICO

Hungary moves to legalize seizure of Ukrainian bank cash convoy – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

According to Hungarian outlet Telex, lawmakers plan to debate the legislation under an unusual fast-track procedure after the parliament’s national security committee met Monday. Hungarian authorities say they are examining whether the convoy — stopped while transiting the country last week — posed national security risks. They are also investigating the origin and intended use of the money. Hungarian officials insist key questions about the convoy remain unresolved. Fidesz parliamentary leader Kocsis described the episode as a “scandalous Ukrainian gold convoy” and said investigators are examining whether the transport of such large quantities of cash and bullion could pose security risks to Hungary. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, slammed the move on X, accusing Budapest of trying to retroactively legitimize an illegal seizure. “Hungary is falling down a spiral of lawlessness,” Sybiha wrote, calling the bill “a de facto recognition that Hungary’s actions lack any legal grounds.” The clash is the latest flare-up in a long-running feud between Kyiv and Budapest. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly butted heads with Ukraine over energy flows through …

US Customs delays force solar giant Qcells to furlough 1,000 workers [update]

US Customs delays force solar giant Qcells to furlough 1,000 workers [update]

Published by skeptic

In early November 2025, solar panel giant Qcells announced that it was temporarily furloughing 1,000 US workers – 25% of its workforce – and reducing pay and shifts at its Georgia factories due to supply chain delays caused by US Customs. Today – four months later – Qcells announced that its solar panel output is finally back to normal production. March 6, 2026: Qcells spokesperson Marta Stoepker issued the following statement:  We are proud to be back to work, manufacturing the American-made energy the country needs right now. Like any company, hurdles have and will occur, which require us to adapt and be nimble, but our overall goal remains the same – to build a complete American solar supply chain.   Qcells also announced today that it expects its Cartersville, Georgia, factory to have the capacity to manufacture 3.3 GW of ingots, wafers, and cells by the end of this year. Cartersville’s 3.3 GW of solar module production began in April 2025. Its Dalton, Georgia, factory, which came online in 2019, has an output of 5.1 GW. By the end of 2026, the Cartersville and Dalton factories will be building 8.4 GW of solar panels and their key components annually, with a combined workforce of nearly 4,000 people.  Advertisement – …

Customs and Border Protection can’t comply with order

Customs and Border Protection can’t comply with order

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, May 10, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images U.S. Customs and Border Protection told a U.S. Court of International Trade judge on Friday that it is not currently able to comply with his order to begin refunding about $166 billion collected in reciprocal tariffs imposed last year by President Donald Trump. CBP, in a court filing, cited its existing technology, processes and manpower requirements as the reasons it could not immediately comply with the conditions of Judge Richard Eaton’s order on the so-called IEEPA tariffs. The Supreme Court recently ruled those duties are illegal. But CBP also suggested in the new filing that it could begin issuing refunds by late April after revamping its technology. Brandon Lord, executive director of the trade programs directorate at CBP’s Office of Trade, in the filing said that as of Wednesday, more than 330,000 importers have made a total of over 53 millionentries “in which they have deposited or paid duties imposed pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.” …

Inside Keir Starmer’s massive China reset – POLITICO

Inside Keir Starmer’s massive China reset – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

These are likely to include joint work on medical, health and life sciences, cooperation on climate science, and work to highlight Mandarin language schemes, the people said.  Officials are also working on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and visa-free travel for short stays, while firms have been pushing for more expansive banking and insurance licences for British companies operating in China. The U.K. is meanwhile likely to try to persuade Beijing to lower import tariffs on Scotch whisky, which doubled in February 2025. A former U.K. official who was involved in Britain’s last prime ministerial visit to China, by Theresa May in 2018, predicted all deals will already be “either 100 or 99 percent agreed, in the system, and No. 10 will already have a firm number in its head that it can announce.” Threading the needle Yet all five people agreed there is unlikely to be a deal on heavy energy infrastructure, including wind turbine technology, that could leave Britain vulnerable to China. The U.K. has still not decided whether to let Ming …

EU concedes Trump is not on its side – POLITICO

EU concedes Trump is not on its side – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Limited relief Trump’s speech at Davos, during which he called Denmark’s self-governing island “our territory,” did nothing to dial down the temperature 24 hours before the leaders’ hastily arranged gathering in the Belgian capital to discuss their next response to the disintegrating postwar order. While Trump ruled out the use of military force to seize Greenland, EU governments didn’t regard this as a climbdown because of the harshness of his language about Europe in general and clear confirmation of his intentions, according to two EU diplomats. Trump did eventually walk back his threat of issuing tariffs on the eight European countries which he considered to be standing in his way on Greenland, but by that point, things were already too far gone. “Our American Dream is dead,” said an EU diplomat from a country that has been among the bloc’s transatlantic champions. “Donald Trump murdered it.” | Mandel Ngan/Getty Images “After the back and forth of the last few days, we should now wait and see what substantive agreements are reached between [NATO Secretary-General] Mr. …