WCO: Origin Determination of Remanufactured and Recycled Goods – WCO publishes new study
The WCO Study on the Origin Determination of Remanufactured and Recycled Goods analyses free trade agreements (FTAs) provisions related to recycled and remanufactured goods and provides key insights into the challenges met by Customs administrations in applying rules of origin which are primarily designed for new products to these categories of goods. While revealing significant gaps in FTAs origin-related provisions, the Study formulates recommendations for unlocking lower tariffs in free trade agreements for these types of goods.
FTAs and circular economy principles
Many FTAs promote the transition to a circular economy where resources are used more efficiently and economic growth is decoupled from material inputs. For example, the draft trade agreements under negotiation between the European Union (EU) and several countries refers to this notion: the EU-Mexico agreement includes a provision on “inclusive green growth and Circular Economy”, while the agreements with Australia and New Zealand contain provisions aimed at increasing cooperation to promote “sustainable production and consumption, the Circular Economy, green growth and pollution abatement”. Circular models are based on various industrial processes, including recycling and remanufacturing. Remanufacturing is a truly closed-loop industrial process that intentionally recaptures the value-added component of a product so that it may lead additional useful lives rather than being landfilled or recycled. Recycling reduces products into raw material, which can then be used again. Some FTAs contain specific provisions aimed at boosting trade in recycled and remanufactured products, including through differential tariffs applied at the six-digit HS codes that specify recycled or remanufactured goods and/or subheadings containing both new and recycled/remanufactured goods. Source: WCO
WCO builds freight forwarders capacity to manage rules of origin, ensuring enhanced compliance and increased preferential tariff treatment use
To ensure that the benefits of its training extend beyond participants, the WCO often equips Customs trainees to become tomorrow’s trainers, and hence ensure that knowledge is spread across institutions, countries and generations of practitioners. The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme has taken this approach even further by opening its comprehensive competency development cycle to staff from the private sector in East African Community (EAC) Partner States. The objective is to develop a pool of experts from various sectors who can independently transfer knowledge to their peers or clients long after international experts have left.
Return on investment
The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organization focused on economic, political and social integration. It is composed of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Some Customs officers from EAC Partner States have completed the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme competency development cycle and have been delivering rules of origin training to exporters, manufacturers, chambers of commerce, freight forwarders and other economic operators. In so doing, they are enabling their administrations to build capacity using their own specialists rather than relying on external expertise. The launch of the EAC Freight Forwarders Competency Development Programme on Rules of Origin, in March 2026, represents an important step in this multiplier approach designed to expand the number of individuals that the WCO reaches in the region. Relying on WCO accredited experts from the Community, this initiative was made possible thanks to a long-term investment by the WCO in developing sustainable training capacity across Africa. Source: WCO
WTO: United States launches safeguard investigation on lamb meat
On 17 July 2026, the United States notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 13 July 2026 a safeguard investigation on imports of lamb meat. Source: WTO
WTO: Panel to review EU carbon border adjustment mechanism and emissions trading scheme
The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) agreed at its meeting on 25 September to a request from the Russian Federation for the establishment of a panel to review the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Package and alleged export subsidy under the EU scheme for trading greenhouse gas emission allowances. Source: WTO
WTO: Report spotlights role of services export promotion strategies as catalyst for development
A new report launched by the WTO Secretariat and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) on 17 September draws on case studies to illustrate how developing economies’ export promotion strategies can help them take advantage of growing opportunities in services trade. Export Promotion Strategies for Services: Lessons from the Developing World provides useful policy insights for developing economies, underscoring the importance of close coordination with skills upgrading and investment attraction strategies and the need to adapt export promotion mechanisms traditionally focused on goods. Source: WTO
World Trade & Tech Day: AI and trade increasingly intertwined
Hundreds of participants gathered at the WTO for World Trade & Tech Day on 14 September, a sign of how AI is fundamentally changing the way cross-border commerce is evolving. Under the banner of “AI and Trade: Turning Potential into Progress”, the day consisted of a full day of panel discussions and other knowledge-sharing opportunities aimed at fostering conversations on technology and trade. The event shone a spotlight on how AI and frontier technologies are making international trade more efficient, bringing together government leaders as well as academics and private sector representatives to discuss ways to harness AI’s potential into tangible economic gains and an engine for inclusive growth. Source: WTO
WTO: Russian Federation notifies launch of safeguard investigation on certain flat steel products
On 9 September 2026, the Russian Federation notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards regarding the initiation on 7 September 2026 of a safeguard investigation on certain flat steel products with polymer coating imported into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. Source: WTO
WTO: Madagascar Launches Safeguard Investigation on Certain Types of Rice
On 2 September 2026, Madagascar notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 31 August 2026 a safeguard investigation on imports of hulled rice, semi-whitened or whitened rice, polished or glazed, and broken rice. Source: WTO
WTO: Madagascar launches safeguard investigation on self-adhesive labels, packaging and certain other printed items
On 28 August 2026, Madagascar notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 13 August 2026 a safeguard investigation on imports of self-adhesive labels, packaging and other printed items on paper, cardboard, plastics, textiles or other similar materials. Source: WTO
WTO members adopt panel report regarding EU duties on fatty acid from Indonesia
At a meeting on 28 August of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), WTO members adopted a panel report regarding the European Union’s anti-dumping duties on imports of fatty acid from Indonesia. Source: WTO