During the last decades, the number of natural disasters and those caused by human intervention has significantly increased at global level (e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, alluvions, nuclear incidents, etc.). In occasion of such events, also Customs administrations have precise responsibilities, as they must do all the necessay to allow the rapid entry, exit or transit in the interested territory of the relief consignments, of personnel and humanitarian aid sent by foreign Nations to assist the victims of the disasters and rehabilitate the areas hit by the incidents. A new section of the World Customs Organization (WCO) website gathers all the tools developed so far by the WCO and its partner Institutions involved in managing natural disaster relief operations, included the June 2011 WCO's resolution on the role of Customs in natural disaster relief.

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After the European Union (see our article), now is the the turn of the United States to incorporate the new amendments to the Harmonized System adopted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) during the latest revision cycle of the main system of classification of goods at global level, adopted so far by 206 Countries and Customs territories.

On 29 December, the President of the United States signed a Presidential proclamation of amendment of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (the american Customs Tariff), to transpose such modification in the US legislation. Said amendments will be effective 30 days after the publication of the proclamation in the Federal Register (the Official Journal of the US), not yet out.