LOUISIANA TRADE MISSION TO PANAMA JANUARY 19-22

The World Trade Center, in conjunction with Louisiana Economic Development and the Port of New Orleans, is organizing a major Louisiana Trade Mission to Panama City on January 19-22. The purpose of the mission is to promote Louisiana’s trade, transportation, tourism, educational, and other reciprocal interests with Panama.

The co-leaders of the mission are Michael Olivier, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development; Gary LaGrange, President of the Port of New Orleans; and Charles Nelson, incoming WTC President and CEO of Waldemar S. Nelson & Co., Inc.

Panama has a vibrant economy that offers numerous opportunities for Louisiana companies in many sectors. Also, the U.S. and Panama are currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, which will further expand the opportunities for doing business. The U.S. Embassy considers the best prospects for U.S. exports to Panama to be: telecommunications equipment and services, computers and peripherals, security and safety equipment, food processing and packaging equipment, building products, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, hotel and restaurant equipment, water and wastewater treatment equipment, financial services, and U.S. agricultural products and services.

The mission agenda includes high-level business briefings, meetings, and networking events, including:

• A luncheon seminar on "Doing Business with Louisiana" hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Panama, followed by informal matchmaking with the Chamber’s members (the luncheon menu of Louisiana favorites for this and other events will be prepared by Chef Keith Faulkner of the WTC’s Plimsoll Club);

• Briefings by government and business leaders on the country’s economy, its economic development plans, and opportunities for doing business;

• A special orientation on the operations of the Panama Canal, followed by a reception hosted by the Panama Canal Authority at the Miraflores Locks;

• A reception hosted by U.S. Ambassador Linda Watt for the members of the Louisiana delegation to meet prominent Panamanian officials and business executives;

• Optional participation in the Gold Key Service offered by the Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy for mission members who want to focus on pursuing specific business objectives in Panama, such as locating agents or distributors for their goods or services.

For details on the mission, visit www.wtcno.org/panama. For questions, contact Susannah Coolidge at the WTC by phone at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or by e-mail at scoolidge@wtcno.org.

MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING OF SED FOR EXPORTERS

Mandatory use of the Automated Export System for electronic filing of the Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) will be implemented in the first quarter of 2005 (www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/documentlibrary/index.html#aes_newsletters). The U.S. Government will issue steep penalties for non-compliance of the new requirements. AES filing and penalty highlights are as follows:

• The paper SED will be eliminated and replaced with the Automated Export System (AES)

• The Data Entry Center (DEC) will cease to exist. Current DEC filers must obtain Power of Attorney or written authorization from the exporter (U.S. Principal Party of Interest, USPPI) and become Forwarding Agents

• The ten-day post departure privilege (AES Option 4) will accept new applications. USPPIs already approved will not need to reapply

• Filing time frames:

Vessel: 24 hours prior to departure from the U.S. port where cargo is laden;

Air and Courier: two hours prior to departure from U.S.;

Rail: two hours prior to arrival at the border;

Truck: one hour prior to crossing the border.

• The current AES Exemption Statement will be called "Proof of Filing Citation"

• The ITN will be mandatory as part of AES Proof of Filing Citation on bills of ladings, air waybills, or other loading documents (an ITN is assigned to the shipment by Customs.)

• A new Proof of Filing Citation for shipments moving under Downtime will be present. The XTN can no longer be used except during Downtime (an XTN is the Filer’s ID-Shipment Reference Number.)
• Penalties will increase from $100 per day to $1,000 per day, with a maximum of $10,000 per violation

• Penalties can be civil or criminal and can carry up to five years in jail

• Penalties can be assessed against USPPIs, Forwarding Agents, and/or Carriers

For AES information, call "AES SUPPORT" toll-free at 1-877-715-4433 or e-mail box-support@tradegate2000.com or contact Census AES Branch toll-free at 1-800-549-0595 or e-mail: askaes@census.gov.

WTC LANGUAGE CLASSES TO BEGIN JANUARY 13

The World Trade Center’s spring session of foreign language classes, conducted by the faculty of Alpha Tech Language Solutions, will start the week of January 10. The emphasis is on business usage and conversation. The session will last 12 weeks: classes will meet once a week for two hours. The following languages will be offered: French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Japanese. Tuition is $180 for WTC members and their spouses, and $360 for non-members. (Registration and materials cost $60.) Free parking is available in the WTC Garage. Registration closes on January 6.  For details, call Alpha Tech at (504) 454-6554 or click here.

LOUISIANA EXPORTS UP 11% IN FIRST THREE-QUARTERS OF 2004

Louisiana worldwide exports increased by 10.8% to $14.0 billion during the first nine months of 2004, compared to the same period in 2003, according to a report released by the World Trade Center of New Orleans. For the entire U.S., exports increased by 13.8% to $602 billion for the first three-quarters of this year. Agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum and coal products were the top three export categories for Louisiana, while Japan, Mexico, and China were the three leading markets for Louisiana exports.

The WTC report was generated by the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER) and the U.S. Department of Commerce. It covers the exports of both Louisiana originating products and certain bulk goods (notably grain) produced in other states that are shipped abroad from Louisiana’s ports and recorded as Louisiana exports because of co-mingling and the difficulty of identifying the actual state of origin.

Of Louisiana’s top-10 export destinations for the nine-month period, four were in Asia (Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore), three in the Western Hemisphere (Mexico, Canada, Colombia), two in Europe (Netherlands, Belgium), and one in the Middle East (Egypt).

Although still having economic problems, Japan remained Louisiana’s number one export destination during the first three quarters of 2004, taking $1.7 billion of the state’s international shipments, which represented a 1.1% decrease from the first nine months of 2003. Mexico was Louisiana’s second-largest export market, with an increase of 9.8% to $1.4 billion, compared to the same period last year. China ranked third, posting a 20.2% decrease to $1.2 billion and Canada was fourth, importing $1.1 billion, an increase of 13.7%. The state’s fifth-largest market was South Korea, which imported $536 million of Louisiana goods, a 28.1% increase for the first nine months of 2004.

As for specific industries, Louisiana’s number one worldwide export sector, agricultural products, increased in total value during the first three quarters of 2004 by 7.5% to $9.4 billion. Chemicals represented the state’s second-largest export category of $3.7 billion, a 16.6% increase over the first nine months of last year. Petroleum and coal exports were third at $1.2 billion, an increase of 10.6%. Processed food products placed fourth with a 17.5% decline to $1.3 billion, while transportation equipment rounded out the top five Louisiana export industries with $367 million, a 78.9% increase over the first nine months of 2003.

Louisiana ranked as the 13th largest state in exports for the first three-quarters of 2004 with $14.0 billion. Texas was again the top exporting state with $86.5 billion, followed by California with $81.5 billion, New York with $32.3 billion, and Michigan with $26.5 billion. Louisiana’s ranking was only slightly below Georgia in 10th place with $14.3 billion and Indiana and New Jersey with $14.2 billion.

Trade reports that provide information on 32 industry categories of Louisiana exports to more than 200 countries worldwide, as well as export totals of other U.S. states, are available on the World Trade Center’s website at (www.wtcno.org/tradestats/).

OIL & GAS CATALOG SHOW IN QATAR IN 2005

U.S. oil and gas sector firms interested in selling their products and services in Qatar should register for the February 28-March 3, 2005 catalog show, a trade event certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The participation fee is only $200. For a registration form, call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at (504) 589-6546; e-mail: jo.daugherty@mail.doc.gov, or contact the Shreveport office at (318) 676-3064; e-mail: patricia.holt@mail.doc.gov.

U.S. INITIATIVE TO STOP IPR PIRACY

A U.S. Government interagency task force has developed a new Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection program called the "Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy" (STOP!) initiative. The program will work aggressively to target and attack criminal networks that produce and/or distribute fake products around the world. The initiative also helps United States. businesses to secure and enforce their rights in international markets. The STOP! Fact Sheet (www.stopfakes.gov) and a toll-free hotline (1-866-999-HALT) offer resources to help Americans protect their products against piracy.

WOOD PACKING MATERIALS

Packaging certificates are "out" and approved stamps are "in" with regard to shipments containing coniferous and non-coniferous wood. Updates on the Industry Alert Wood Packaging Material Notification are available at: www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/swp/industry/. Information on the countries participating in the packaging regulation changes can also be found on the website.

EU SANCTIONS AGAINST U.S. EXPECTED TO END

In March 2004, the European Union (EU) began imposing retaliatory trade sanctions on a number of U.S. products as a result of the World Trade Organization ruling that the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extra-Territorial Income provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code constituted a prohibited export subsidy. The U.S. Congress recently removed the FSC/ETI tax provisions and the EU is expected to lift the sanctions on January 1, 2005.

ANDEAN MARKETPLACE CATALOG SHOW

U.S. companies taking part in the Andean Marketplace 2005, a U.S. Department of Commerce Catalog Exhibition on May 9-24, will receive valuable market exposure in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. The catalogs will be seen by hundreds of business visitors in each country and the product profiles will appear in printed and online Spanish directories. Participants will receive customized reports of interested contacts from each market. Increased demand for U.S. goods and services and the lowering of trade barriers are among the benefits expected from the proposed Andean Free Trade Agreement with Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Registration is only $450. To sign-up or for details, contact Louis Quay, Project Officer/International Catalog Exhibition Program, at (202) 482-3973 or e-mail louis.quay@mail.doc.gov.

2005 SABIT GRANT PROGRAM

The Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) program offers competitive grants to cover a share of the costs of hosting mid-to-senior level Eurasian managers and scientists for three to six months of hands-on professional training in U.S. business, research, and technology development practices. The program encourages U.S. exports and investment into Eurasia and assists economic restructuring by facilitating public-private partnerships. SABIT will open the next round of grant funding in January 2005. For details and to request the 2005 Grant Application Kit, visit www.mac.doc.gov/sabit, or e-mail Patrick Brennan at: Patrick_brennan@ita.doc.gov, or call (202) 482-2077.

U.S. BLOCKS DEALINGS WITH CUBAN MONEY-TRANSFER FIRM

The U.S. Treasury Department recently identified SERCUBA, an electronic money-transfer business, as a national of Cuba. The firm has been providing a means by which U.S. currency can be forwarded to Cuban nationals via a third country or through SERCUBA’s website. Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction may not engage in any transactions with SERCUBA unless authorized by U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and all property of SERCUBA that is in the possession of persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction is blocked. To view the entire press release, go to: http://usinfo.state.gov/ei/Archive/2004/Oct/26-239470.html.

CONTACT FOR EGYPT TRADE

Dr. Soliman Soliman is offering to facilitate your international trade and investment activities in the Middle East, and specifically in Egypt. He is an Associate Professor and has been an accounting faculty member at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business since 1979. Professor Soliman’s interest is in developing control systems to ensure the integrity and reliability of information and resources, and to put systems in place to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions. A native of Cairo, he speaks fluent Arabic, French, and English and is a member of numerous professional organizations. His articles and publications include four co-authored textbooks. Professor Soliman can be reached at Tulane at Soliman@Tulane.edu or by phone at (504) 865-5460.

COMMERCIAL SERVICE MARKET OF THE MONTH: TURKEY

The U.S. Commercial Service is featuring Turkey as its current market of the month. U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $2.9 billion in 2003. Reduced trade barriers and increased trade between Turkey and its neighbors provide American exporters a unique opportunity to use Turkey as a springboard to Southeast Europe, Eurasia and beyond. The current top five U.S. exports to Turkey are cotton/yarn/fabric, machinery, aircraft, electrical machinery, and medical equipment. Best prospects for U.S. exporters exist in the following sectors: Telecommunications Services/Equipment, Natural Gas Transmission/Distribution/Storage, Automotive Parts/Service Equipment, Information Technology, and Safety & Security Equipment/Services. For more information, go to: www.export.gov/comm_svc/press_room/marketofthemonth/Turkey/Turkey.html or call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at (504) 589-6546 or Shreveport at (318) 676-3046.

FREE LISTING IN LOUISIANA TRADE DIRECTORY

The World Trade Center is in the process of compiling data for the 2005 Louisiana International Trade Directory. Jointly published by Louisiana Economic Development, the Export Assistance Center, and the WTC, the Directory is published annually and also posted on the WTC’s website with a free link to listed companies’ websites. The Directory contains over 1,700 detailed listings of Louisiana exporters, importers, trade services, and organizations. To see if your company is already listed, click here. If your company is based in Louisiana and is presently exporting or importing goods or services and is not already listed in the Directory and you would like to be listed at no charge, please complete the online form, or call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 271 and request a Directory questionnaire. To order a Directory, click one of the following links:

• Purchase the Directory in hard-copy or on CD