I have pulled together some recent articles on trade compliance and global trade management below. Enjoy!

The following is an update from Elyse Eriksson, Director of Training at the International Trade Center-SBDC, which is hosting the Import Certification seminars on Thursday and Friday. Please see below for additional information on registering for the program, whether live or in webinar format.

Just a reminder, everyone - exporting (and importing for that matter) is a privilege and not a right.

The following press release is courtesy of The International Trade Center SBDC, a joint program of the Small Business Administration and the Dallas County Community Colleges system.

The US government has announced its support of banning the trade of bluefin tuna. The fish has long been highly valued as a sushi delicacy. However, due to its popularity, the bluefin tuna population in the Atlantic has been dwindling.

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U.S. Wine company E. & J. Gallo has triumphed over local French wine producers after discovering that these exporters were intentionally mislabeling their wine in order to command a higher price when selling to Gallo.

The Boston Business Journal reports on the case of a customs broker intentionally misleading a Danish company into paying customs duties on duty-free items.

Although I'm not an ICPA (International Compliance Professionals Association) member, I am an animal lover and a coworker passed along the recent emails about the work ICPA is doing to rescue a puppy from Afghanistan. Special thanks to the ICPA for sharing this story with its members. Hopefully by posting this online, I can help reach their fund-raising goal.

The Story of Recon: http://puppy.earthserve.com

Recon is a rescued stray from Kabul, Afghanistan. Life as a stray is especially hard there, as the local culture does not welcome animals into the home and strays are left to fend for themselves.

Recon was taken in by his new family - a platoon of US Soldiers stationed in the area as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. After withstanding injuries & homesickness, these guys needed some comfort and Recon provided just that.

STRTrade published this helpful summary article encouraging exporters looking to increase their sales to also remain compliant with international trade regulations, especially in relation to the new National Export Initiative:

FINDING A WILLING BUYER ONLY ONE PART OF THE EXPORT PROCESS: Exporters Looking to Boost Business Need

The Obama administration is launching a government-wide effort to double U.S. exports over the next five years as part of a plan to increase domestic employment and boost the U.S. economy. However, companies looking to take advantage of the new National Export Initiative to break into new markets should be aware that shipping goods overseas comes with potential perils as well as opportunities.

As part of the NEI, the federal government plans to increase its trade advocacy efforts, including educating U.S. companies about opportunities overseas, directly connecting them with new customers and advocating more forcefully for their interests. The NEI will also include a focus on improving access to export financing and helping to remove barriers that prevent U.S. companies from getting access to foreign markets. Only a very small percentage of U.S. companies currently export their products, and of those that do, 58% export to only one country. The Obama administration is looking to increase these figures in the expectation that doing so will also increase employment.