Canada: Customs Notice 26-02: Administration of Surtax on Imports of Certain Steel Goods Remission Order 2025
This Customs Notice explains how to apply for relief under the Surtax on Imports of Certain Steel Goods Remission Order, 2025, which helps reduce the unintended impact of the surtax on Canadian importers of eligible steel goods. Source
Canada: Customs Notice 25-33: Steel Derivative Goods Surtax Order
Canada updated its steel trade measures in late 2025, imposing a 25% surtax on many "steel derivative goods" (processed steel items like fasteners, wire, furniture, etc.) globally, effective December 26, 2025, under the Steel Derivative Goods Surtax Order, supplementing existing duties, with specific product lists and potential remission rules. Source
European Union: Combined Nomenclature
The European Commission has published the latest version of the Combined Nomenclature (CN), which will apply from 1 January 2026. The CN was updated m.in: (1) due to the implementation of a gradual reduction of tariffs on products covered by the Agreement in the form of a declaration on the development of trade in information technology products (ITA), in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2016/971; (2) In order to continue to be exempt from customs duties in order for the products covered by the Agreement in the form of an ITA Trade Development Declaration, given that certain passive optical splitters should be classified under heading 9013, a separate CN code has been introduced for these specific products. The regulation enters into force on 21 November 2025 and is directly applicable in all Member States.
European Union: Updates to the CN Explanatory Notes
The Explanatory Note to the EU Combined Nomenclature (C/2026/220) published on 8 January 2026 introduces a new clarification on the classification of photovoltaic inverters under CN subheading 8504 40 84. The amendment clarifies that the subheading includes inverters equipped with the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) function.
European Union: Tariff rate quotas
Tariff rate quotas with a date of validity from 1 January 2026. The Council (EU) published Regulation 2025/2614 opening and laying down the manner in which the autonomous tariff rate quotas of the Union for certain agricultural and industrial products are to be managed. For the electronics industry, quotas have been established m.in for: (1) 09.2034 - Combined multifunctional instrument cluster for dashboard enabling communication by means of CAN-BUS or K-LINE transmission protocols, (2) 09.2554 - Articles made of ferrite or cobalt or samarium or other rare earth metals or their alloy to become permanent magnets after magnetization, (3) 09.2555 and 09.2556 - Articles of neodymium alloy or samarium alloy intended to become permanent magnets when magnetized, (4) 09.2558 - Electronic sound generator producing analogue signal for motor sound generating equipment, (5) 09.2559 - Electric alternating current motor, single phase, whether or not with commutator used in the manufacture of household goods, (6) 09.2574 - Multifunction device (switchboard) used in the manufacture of passenger cars powered solely by an electric motor falling within HS subheading 8703 80, (7) 09.2585 - Copolymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and cyclohexane dimethano, containing more than 10 % by weight of cyclohexane dimethano, (8) 09.2652 - Refined copper foil and strips, electrolytically produced for the manufacture of printed circuit board laminates and printed circuit boards in the printed circuit board industry, (9) 09.2662 - Boards consisting of at least one layer of epoxy-impregnated glass fibre cloth covered on one or both sides with copper foil of a thickness of not more than 0,15 mm, (10) 09.2840 - Magnesium powder, (11) 09.2928 - Silica filler in granular form, (12) 09.2935 - Rosin and resin acids, obtained from fresh oleoresins.
Mexico Increases Import Duties on Countries without a Free Trade Agreement
On December 29, 2025, the President of Mexico published a Decree in the Diario Oficial containing 1,463 statistical breakouts with an increased import duty. These duties are applicable to countries that do not have a Free Tade Agreement with Mexico. The list of statistical breakouts includes products such as makeup, lips preparations, rubber tires, paper, cardboard, textiles, apparel clothing, footwear, certain glass products, iron, steel, aluminum, passenger vehicles, and furniture. The increased duty on the products in this decree range from 5% to 50%. This decree went into effect on January 1, 2026. Source
United States: Iran's partners face tariff threat from Trump
The newest development in trade is President Donald Trump's threat of a 25% tariff on goods imported from countries that do business with Iran, amid the mass-scale protests in that nation that have killed thousands and threatened the stability of the regime. Iran exports much of its oil to China, and trades heavily with India, Turkey, Iraq, Brazil and other nations. The move risks angering China, as Beijing weighed in swiftly to say it will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its interests, opposing any unilateral sanctions. Trump's earlier move to assert control of Venezuela's oil – and now threaten Iran – could have ramifications for China, the largest world oil importer, even though that nation has reduced imports from Tehran.
United States: White House Delays Increase of Section 232 Tariffs on Furniture and Cabinets
In an Executive Order (EO) published on December 31, 2025, the White House announced that they were delaying the increase in Section 232 duty rates for upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities. These duties were scheduled to increase from 25% to 30% for furniture and 50% for cabinets on January 1, 2026. The Section 232 duties are delayed to assist ongoing negotiations with “multiple countries.” The Section 232 duty rates for upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities will now increase on January 1, 2027. The “Amendments to Adjusting Imports of Timber, Lumber, and Their Derivative Products into the United States” EO can be read here.
United States: White House Announces Section 232 Duties on Semiconductors
In a Proclamation issued on January 14, 2026, the White House announced that it was implementing a new 25% Section 232 import duty on certain semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and their derivate products. The Proclamation includes an annex that details the technical parameters of which semiconductors are subject to additional duty. The annex also reviews the exemptions headers for the Section 232 duties, which include exclusions for U.S. data centers, U.S. research and development, consumer electronics, industrial applications, and the public sector. The Section 232 duties are part of a two-phase plan, and during this first phase, the U.S. will “continue ongoing trade negotiations with foreign jurisdictions that have the potential to strengthen the United States semiconductor industry.” Source
United States: Trump threatens 200% tariffs on French wines
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit French wines and champagnes with 200% tariffs in an apparent effort to cajole French President Emmanuel Macron into joining his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Trump's initiative, which would start by addressing Gaza and then expand to deal with other conflicts, raises questions about the role of the United Nations and a source close to Macron said the French president intended to decline the invitation to join.
United States: Trump Threatens More Tariffs Over Greenland Deal
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries to pressure NATO to allow the United States to purchase Greenland. The tariffs have been threatened against the countries who have resisted his bid to acquire the Danish territory. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would all face a 10% import tariff starting February 1, 2026, rising to 25% on June 1, 2026 if no agreement for the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland is reached. European leaders have called the tariff threat unacceptable and a form of economic blackmail, while planning emergency meetings and discussing possible retaliatory measures, including their own tariffs on U.S. goods. This action has put a potential trade deal between the U.S. and the EU on hold. The potential retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. are estimated at $108 billion. A notice from the Federal Register with specific details is still pending.
HS 2028 Amendments - Adapting the Harmonized System to Global Priorities and Trade Evolution
The HS 2028 amendments have now been accepted, marking a major milestone in the evolution of the Harmonized System, the international classification of goods that gives every traded product a standardized code, facilitating the implementation of trade regulations and serving as the backbone of international trade statistics.
The amendments comprise 299 sets of changes, resulting in a nomenclature of 1,229 headings and 5,852 subheadings. Compared with the HS 2022 edition, six new headings and 428 new subheadings have been created, while five headings and 172 subheadings have been deleted to reflect evolving trade patterns, technological progress and growing regulatory needs. Those changes reflect critical, urgent or emerging topics, such as health emergency preparation, the fight against epidemics, and environmental pollution.
Key updates to the HS 2028
Public health is a central focus of HS 2028. New subheadings enhance the visibility of essential supplies used in health emergencies, including ambulances, personal protective equipment, medical ventilators and diagnostic devices. These changes respond to lessons learned from recent global health crises and will facilitate the application of emergency trade measures and preparedness planning.
HS 2028 also introduces major structural changes for vaccines, reclassifying products previously covered by heading 30.02 into two new headings: heading 30.07 for vaccines for human medicine, with disease-based subheadings, and heading 30.08 for other vaccines, including veterinary vaccines. This new structure improves transparency of vaccine trade flows and supports global immunization programmes, particularly in emergency situations.
Another significant development is the creation of new heading 21.07 for dietary supplements, accompanied by new legal Notes. This amendment resolves long-standing classification challenges at the interface between food and pharmaceutical products, strengthens legal certainty and improves the quality of trade statistics in a rapidly expanding market.
Environmental protection features prominently in HS 2028. The classification of plastic waste has been restructured to align with the Basel Convention, introducing new subheadings that distinguish hazardous plastic waste, plastic waste subject to prior informed consent procedures and other plastic waste. In addition, HS 2028 improves transparency in trade in plastic products, including single-use items, through new subheadings and legal clarifications that support more consistent classification, better trade data and policies to reduce plastic pollution and promote circular economy approaches.
Beyond these key areas, the HS 2028 amendments also address societal protection, enforcement priorities and technological change, including improvements for goods controlled under international conventions, enhanced visibility for certain environmentally relevant products and targeted clarifications to HS provisions to ensure more uniform interpretation and application.
Next Steps
With the HS 2028 amendments now accepted, the remaining two-year implementation period provides essential time for the WCO and its Members to prepare for entry into force on 1 January 2028, including the development of the Correlation Tables, updates to HS tools and publications, capacity-building activities and national implementation measures. These efforts will support a smooth transition and the effective, uniform application of HS 2028 worldwide. Source: WCO