January 26-30, 2026 —
EU Parliament Scheduled to Review EU-US Trade Deal Next Week
The European Parliament will assess whether to unfreeze the EU–US trade deal next week, amid uncertainty over a recent Greenland “framework” agreement that saw Donald Trump rescind threatened tariffs.
Bernd Lange, trade committee chair, told reporters after a closed-door meeting with European Commission officials on Monday that the so-called Turnberry Agreement would be debated by parliamentary group representatives next Wednesday.
“There are some elements which are going in the right direction, but also a lot of uncertainty,” Lange said, citing a lack of details over the Greenland agreement, which Trump has described as a “framework of a future deal”.
Last week, EU leaders made clear during the extraordinary European Council that they were eager to push the transatlantic deal as they seek to smooth over relations with Washington following the Greenland clash.
Trumps Threatens Canada with 100% Tariffs
President Donald Trump threatened Canada with 100% tariffs if Canada “makes a deal with China,” without specifying if the agreement to allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles in at its 6% most-favored nation rate counts as a deal. China agreed to go from 100% tariffs on Canadian canola meal to duty-free, and to drop its tariffs on canola seed imports to 15%, starting March 1.
China is Canada’s second largest trading partner after the United States. After the meeting with President Xi, Canada announced it would slash its 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, originally adopted in fall 2024 to match the U.S. levy. In exchange, Beijing will lift retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola seeds and meal.
However, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Ottawa is not in free-trade talks with Beijing, acknowledging that any move in that direction would jeopardize Canada’s trade relationship with Washington.
Canada is obligated to formally inform Washington if a free trade deal were on the table with China. A rule USMCA requires parties to give such notice — or risk its potential termination.
Trump Threatens to Raise South Korean Tariffs
South Korean lawmakers were surprised after President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would raise tariffs on South Korean autos, lumber, pharmaceuticals and other goods to 25 percent.
Trump complained in the post that South Korea’s legislature has not approved the measures required to carry out Seoul’s commitments under the agreement reached in July, which lowered U.S. duties on most South Korean imports in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in investment pledges.
The agreement is held up awaiting the South Korean legislature to approve legislation that would establish a state-run investment corporation to oversee Seoul’s roughly $350 billion U.S. investment commitment under the deal.
Additional legislation has also been introduced and are scheduled for review, adding that proposals from both the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition People Power Party could help speed up passage.
South Korea has dispatched senior economic officials to Washington to address U.S. concerns. President Trump has yet to issue an order imposing new South Korean tariff rates.
Trump Administration Contemplates Import Licenses to Replace Tariffs
President Donald Trump has broached the possibility of using licenses to regulate imports if the Supreme Court strikes down his ability to impose tariffs under a 1977 emergency powers law — a sign the White House is considering it as one of a suite of replacements for its “reciprocal” duties.
Politico reported that the administration has “been considering this for a long time,” both if the IEEPA tariffs are struck down and in the context of a Section 232 investigation into whether to impose tariffs or other import restrictions on polysilicon.
Currently, only certain goods require an import license, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The list includes cheeses, sugar, arms, ammunition, explosives, radioactive materials, biological drugs, wildlife and pets.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, an industry group that supports the administration’s protectionist trade policy, has called for more import licensing schemes to manage trade.
According to trade experts, Trump could issue licenses under IEEPA, defining “reciprocal” tariffs as license fees to keep them in place and continue raising the same amount of revenue. Alternatively, he could just require companies to obtain an import license without charging a fee. Scott Lincicome, director of the libertarian Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, told Politico, “That wouldn’t raise any revenue, but the licenses could be used to establish import quotas for certain products.”
Base Metals CEE Announces Classification and Trade Law Seminar
The Base Metals Center of Excellence and Expertise and Port of Tampa announced an updated Steel Identification, Classification and Trade Law Seminar to be conducted on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, and Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The program, presented by technical, commercial, and legal experts from the steel industry, aims to increase the knowledge level of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, other U.S. Government Officials, and Customhouse Brokers regarding steel imports. Please note that the seminar program has been significantly modified, revised, and restructured from previous seminars held in Tampa, and other ports across the country. This seminar program includes new material on Section 232 tariffs, IEEPA tariffs, fraud, circumvention and evasion, and information on current issues.
For registration information, an initial agenda, and speakers’ list, please visit http://www.steelseminar.us.
India-EU Finalize Trade Deal
India and the EU have finalized a landmark trade deal that will represent a quarter of the world’s economy. After nearly two decades of on-off negotiations, the deal will pave the way for India to open its vast and guarded market, the world’s largest, to free trade with the 27-nation EU, is largest trading partner.
Bipartisan Bill Carves Out a De-minimis-like Channel Solely for Express Shippers
This week, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced The Secure Revenue Clearance Channel Act. This bill addresses the growing backlog of goods at America’s express ports by fostering close cooperation between express carriers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This crucial legislation will allow low-value shipments to move quickly to their final destinations while ensuring the collection of tariffs and halting the flow of fentanyl and other illicit goods.
Census Seeks Comments Regarding Automated Export System
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on September 11, 2025, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
CBP Issues Reminder of Message on the Electronic Refunds Final Rule
Beginning February 6, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will issue all refunds electronically via Automated Clearing House (ACH) (subject to limited exceptions), as announced in the Electronic Refunds Interim Final Rule published January 2, 2026 in the Federal Register (FR Document 2025-24171).
To prepare for February 6, CBP strongly encourages the trade community to review CBP’s extensive resources (see below) related to the transition to all electronic refunds (subject to limited exceptions) and take any necessary action.
BIS Streamlines Export Controls for Certain Drone (UAV) Exports
On January 21, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR), titled “Streamlining Export Controls for Drone Exports” (91 FR 2467). The IFR is effective January 20, 2026.
CITA Adds Product to Unrestricted Annex
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (‘‘CITA’’) has determined that certain faux leather fabric bonded to a pile fabric, as specified below, is not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the CAFTA–DR countries. The product is added to the list in Annex 3.25 of the CAFTA–DR in unrestricted quantities.
WCO Publishes Amendments to 2028 Harmonized System
The World Customs Organization has published the amendments to the 2028 Harmonized System, the international classification of goods used as the basis for Customs tariffs and international trade statistics, the organization said in a news release.