Trade Enforcement and Facilitation (Course PE 285)

27-29 June 2018

Ronald Reagan Building
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Rm B1.5-10, Washington, D.C. 20229

Priority Trade Issues

Priority Trade Issues (PTIs) represent high-risk areas that can cause significant revenue loss,
harm the U.S. economy, or threaten the health and safety of the American people. They drive
risk-informed investment of CBP resources and enforcement and facilitation efforts, including
the selection of audit candidates, special enforcement operations, outreach, and regulatory
initiatives. Comprehensive trade enforcement efforts in these areas continue to protect the U.S.
from risk of significant revenue loss, economic risk to U.S. industry, and health and safety
concerns.

 Agriculture and Quota

 Import quotas control the amount or volume of various commodities that can be
imported into the United States during a specified period of time. Quotas are
established by legislation, Presidential Proclamations or Executive Orders. Quotas
are announced in specific legislation or may be provided for in the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).
 Up to date information and publications on agriculture imports can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/quota
 Antidumping and Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD)
 When the Department of Commerce finds that imported merchandise was sold in
the U.S. at an unfairly low or subsidized price, to level the playing field for U.S.
companies injured by these unfair trade practices, CBP is responsible for
collecting the Antidumping and Countervailing Duties (AD/CVD) in a timely
manner.
 The goal of this AD/CVD Priority Trade Issue is to detect and deter
circumvention of the AD/CVD law, to liquidate final duties timely and accurately,
while at the same time facilitating legitimate trade.
 Up to date information and publications on AD/CVD enforcement can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/adcvd
 Import Safety
 The Import Safety Priority Trade Issue is designed to ensure that unsafe products
do not enter the commerce of the U.S. by working collaboratively and collectively
with partner government agencies, other foreign governments and the trade to
better define and assess risk through increased automation and the sharing of
information to encourage greater use of partnership and best practices to protect
the U.S. consumer.
 The Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) is a U.S.
Customs and Border Protection facility designed to streamline and enhance
federal efforts to address import safety issues. The Import Safety CTAC combines
the resources and manpower of CBP and other government agencies to protect the
 American public from harm caused by unsafe imported products by improving
communication and information-sharing and reducing redundant inspection
activities.
 Up to date information and publications on import safety can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/import-safety
 Intellectual Property Rights
 Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens America’s innovation economy,
the competitiveness of our businesses, the livelihoods of U.S. workers, and, in
some cases, national security and the health and safety of consumers. Trade in
these illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities,
and often funds criminal enterprises. CBP protects businesses and consumers
every day through an aggressive IPR enforcement program.
 CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforces
exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR violative goods. U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigates these issues and submits
cases for prosecution. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also leads the
National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.
 Up to date information and publications on import safety can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/ipr
 Revenue
 The goal of the Revenue Program is to ensure that CBP has effective internal
controls to protect the duties and taxes it collects for the U.S. Government, and
that its financial reports meet the highest accounting
 Up to date information and publications on import safety can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/textiles
 Textiles
 CBP’s efforts in the textile area focus on promoting legitimate trade, while also
encouraging a strong domestic manufacturing base. As one of the largest
manufacturing employers in the United States, the textile sector is a key
component of the U.S. economy. The goal of the Textiles Priority Trade Issue is
to ensure that textile imports, which generated 40 percent of the duties collected
by CBP in fiscal year 2014, fully comply with applicable laws, regulations,
quotas, Trade Preference Program requirements and Intellectual Property
provisions.
 The enforcement of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and legislative mandates
continues to make textiles a politically sensitive industry. The average duty rate
for textiles is 16% and more than $21.1 billion of entered textiles and wearing
apparel claim preferential tariff treatment, placing textiles and apparel at a high
risk for non-compliance.
 Up to date information and publications on import safety can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/textiles
 Trade Agreements
 Over the last decade, the number of Free Trade Agreements and preferential trade
legislation programs has increased significantly. In response to this current trade
environment reality, CBP has designated Trade Agreements as a Priority Trade
Issue (PTI).
 The objective of the Trade Agreements PTI is to advance CBP’s mission by
working with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate legitimate trade and
address areas of non-compliance while effectively communicating the terms of
our free trade agreements and preferential trade legislation. The Trade
Agreements PTI is limited to goods other than textiles and apparel, as textiles and
apparel products are handled under a separate Textiles PTI.
 Up to date information and publications on import safety can be found at
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/trade-agreements