EIB World Trade Headlines Evolutions In Business • www.eib.com • (978) 256-0438 Fax: (978) 250-4529 • P.O. Box 4008, Chelmsford, MA 01824 May 15, 2020 – Volume 12, Issue 9 NEWSLETTER NOTES When Does Hand Sanitizer Expire? Here's How * When Does Hand Sanitizer to Know If It's Still Safe to Use Expire? … * DEPARTMENT OF… By Nancy Mattia May 01, 2020 * WTO IS THREATENED * How Slovakia Is Beating Among the products that have been in short supply since the novel coronavirus Covid-19 started sweeping the nation a few months ago is hand sanitizer. It's no wonder: * SEC probes Raytheon … Washing your hands on a frequent basis is one of the best defenses against contracting—or spreading—the deadly virus. If you're like most people, though, * Pentagon officials slam you've looked everywhere for a bottle of sanitizer only to find that all the grocery FCC’s Ligado … stores, online retailers, even office-supply stores say the same thing: out of * FCC relaxes federal review stock. Three little words, one big worry—what now? rules to … * Trade Show Floor Robots Then, you find a bottle that's been sitting in the back of your closet probably for several years. Is it still good, or does hand sanitizer expire after awhile? To find * Is American Manufacturing out, we investigated the facts on manufacturing and regulation. Falling … * Can AI Predict the Next Does hand sanitizer have an expiration date, and does it lose its effectiveness Pandemic? immediately after it? * Chinese Cyberattacks May Be Hindering … Yes, hand sanitizer does have an expiration date, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should throw it out if the date listed on the bottle has passed. What *5 ways flying could change in the future makes a sanitizer most effective in removing bacteria and germs is an alcohol content of at least 60 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and *‘ZOOM FATIGUE’ IS REAL. Prevention (CDC). HERE’S … * Trump extends … (*Continued On The Following Page) Sanitizer expires because its alcohol content dissolves over DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE time—once it drops below 60 percent alcohol, it won't be as effective at killing germs. If an expired bottle of sanitizer is unopened, it will have retained much of its alcohol strength; Bureau of Industry and Security Notice of Request for Public alternatively, an opened bottle will have lost some strength Comments on Section 232 National because the alcohol will have evaporated, and the product won't be as effective but is still safe to use. Security Investigation of Imports of Laminations for Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Stacked Cores for It's worth noting that some new bottles produced under a Incorporation Into Transformers, Wound Cores for temporary Food & Drug Administration (FDA) policy to step up Incorporation Into Transformers, Electrical Transformers, and production may not have an expiration date listed. These new Transformer Regulators bottles of sanitizer are expected to be used during the current public health emergency and not linger in the back of a closet MORE INFO: for years. https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/regulations Why is there an expiration date? -docs/federal-register-notices/federal-register-2020/2552- 85-fr-29926-electrical-steel-232-investigation-frn-published- Hand sanitizers are regulated by the FDA, which requires 5-19-20/file manufacturers to print an expiration date on all over-the- counter drugs unless a company has data showing that the AGENCY: product is stable for more than three years. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Technology Evaluation, U.S. Department of Commerce. If I have an expired product, what are my other alternatives? ACTION: Use plain old soap and water. It's the CDC's first choice for Notice of request for public comments. effective hand-washing (hand sanitizer is the next best thing). Though antibacterial soap sounds like a better product to use SUMMARY: than regular soap, it's not, at least for now. The FDA says that On May 11, 2020, based on inquiries and requests from the elevated status of antibacterials hasn't been proven so far; interested parties in the United States, including multiple use bottled hand sanitizer as a backup if soap and water aren't Members of Congress, a Grain- Oriented Electrical Steel available, like when you're outdoors or in a store. Whether (GOES) manufacturer, and producers of Power and using soap or sanitizer, wash your hands thoroughly for 20 Distribution Transformers, the Secretary of Commerce (the seconds and moisturize them after each wash to prevent dry, ‘‘Secretary’’) initiated an investigation to determine the effect cracked skin. of imports of Laminations for Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Wound Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Electrical Transformers, and Transformer Regulators on the national security. This investigation has been initiated under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, data, analyses, or other information pertinent to the investigation to the Department of Commerce’s (the ‘‘Department’’) Bureau of Industry and Security by June 9, 2020. Rebuttal comments will be due by June 19, 2020. While the Department is interested in any information related to this investigation that the public can provide, this notice identifies particular issues of significance. DATES: The due date for filing comments is June 9, 2020. The due date for rebuttal comments is June 19, 2020. Rebuttal comments may only address issues raised in comments filed on or before June 9, 2020. 2 WTO IS THREATENED At the ministerial, one of the substantial issues was the public stock holding (PSH) for food security purposes which could not be agreed upon. WTO wobbles as few countries pull support Pakistan was supporting a solution with safeguards against market distortions in international market and third country Byline: Mubarak Zeb Khan impact. However, India and South Africa wanted a watered- down Bali decision. Many countries wanted PSH to cover new After the 11th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial programmes. The US point blank refused anything on public conference failed to agree on anything, Pakistan joined a stock holding on food security. group of 30 members called 'Friends of the Multilateral System', which aims to protect the more than two decades old The only outcome of the ministerial was an agreement on a trade body and post-war trading system. future work programme on fishery subsidies. Similarly, on e- commerce merely a rollover of the moratorium and the Therefore, there was no declaration and only a chairs present work programme was agreed upon. summary was issued after the conference. The US did not agree to any draft declaration, as it wants no reiteration of Pakistan's Permanent Representative to WTO and Ambassador commitment to a multilateral system. Dr Tauqeer Shah told this scribe that the country participated actively and positively on all issues ensuring its core interest The United States, once the guarantor of a multilateral trading which was reflected and registered in all those meetings. system, is now leading a group of countries against the WTO. The 164 members of WTO gathered in Buenos Aires last week He said Pakistan hosted a meeting of Friends of E-commerce to break a deadlock over stalled negotiations under the so- to develop a like minded group. In this meeting, he said 16 called Doha Development Agenda. counties participated including Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Columbia, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Kenya, China, Moldova, At the beginning of the ministerial, there were only 30 Montenegro and Russia. members, while the rest joined to the end. Friends of the system and like-minded 46 developing and developed On emerging issues, like investment facilitation and trade, no members have come up with a detailed joint declaration agreement was reached at the ministerial. However, China expressing concern over the challenges faced by the WTO and hosted a ministerial meeting about 40 countries including stating that opposing countries should support the multilateral Pakistan participated and there was a joint statement issued trading system. at the end of the meeting. It was observed that no progress has been made in Many trade analysts believe the WTO is at a crossroads and negotiations since the WTO ministerial conference in Nairobi that inward looking policies will remain a major threat to the in 2015. The group demanded that all issues need to be multilateral trading system renegotiated, to cater to the needs of the developing countries. The group also expressed concern on non- A new initiative called the 'Programme for Micro, Small and appointments to Appellate body which are blocked by US.One Medium Enterprises' was attempted by a group of 80 of the voices raised was of Pakistan's Commerce Minister countries including Pakistan. The issue was highly deliberated Pervaiz Malik who said two concepts were enshrined in the but again no agreement was reached. At the end, a joint founding document of WTO multilateralism and development statement was issued highlighting the importance of the which define the future of global trade and the WTO. Pakistan sector and how to integrate it with the multilateral trading remains committed to these ideals. system. 'In our view, any decisions that isolate some members, or do A joint declaration was issued by around 100 counties at the not cater for the concerns and needs of developing countries, sidelines on economic empowerment of women through will be damaging and retrogressive,' the minister said. trade, facilitated by the International Trade Centre. Pakistan was part of the core teams which worked on the Agriculture remains the lifeline for most economies across the empowerment of women in the global trading system.