Negotiations for the EU–Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded on 24 March 2026. After eight years of talks, this is a significant moment. But it is important to be precise about what “concluded” actually means – and what it does not.
In March 2026, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed on what has been described as the most significant reform of the EU Customs Union since 1968. This is not a technical update. It is a structural redesign of how trade oversight will function across Europe for the next two decades.
The UK announced on 5 May 2026 new sanctions against 35 people and companies tied to Russia’s drone war effort and to human trafficking networks[1][2]. These designations mark the first use of London’s world‑first Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking sanctions...
The EU is overhauling its customs framework to meet 21st-century challenges. Rising trade volumes, complex supply chains and geopolitical shifts have strained a 50-year-old system built around paper declarations and fragmented national IT. The new Customs Reform...
According to Reuters, EU countries and lawmakers have reached a provisional agreement to simplify and delay certain elements of the EU AI Act, particularly around high-risk obligations. At one level, this is about reducing administrative burden and responding to...
It is becoming more complex, more coordinated, and more technology-enabled.The latest session of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Enforcement Committee reinforces a clear direction of travel. Customs authorities are moving toward: data-driven enforcement...
IEEPA tariff situation in the USRecent discussions at ICPA highlight how quickly trade risk is evolving in practice. The ongoing IEEPA tariff situation in the US is a good example. Not just because of the rates or the refund process, but because of the uncertainty...
Here is a summary of the new UK Vaping Products Duty (VPD) regime coming into force on 1 October 2026. The duty itself VPD is a new excise duty charged on vaping products produced in or imported into the UK, at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid,...
Recent developments under the World Customs Organization (WCO)–UNODC Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP) highlight a clear shift in how customs authorities are working together across key trade corridors. A regional exchange held in Mombasa, Kenya (31 March –...