The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on April 25 agreed to establish a panel to review the EU's countervailing duties on new battery electric vehicles from China. The panel was created following China's second request to do so, because Beijing says the CVD violate Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (see 2408140010).
Guatemala and Peru told the World Trade Organization on April 23 that they resolved a dispute brought by Guatemala against Peru's additional duties on imports of certain agricultural products. The Guatemalan government said Peru "has adopted the necessary measures to comply with the recommendations and rulings" of the Dispute Settlement Body. Specifically, the dispute concerned Peru's variable additional duties on agricultural products, which were calculated under a price band system. A DSB panel previously found that Peru's duties violate WTO commitments.
The EU opened arbitration proceedings at the World Trade Organization on April 24 to review a dispute panel's findings on China's enforcement of intellectual property rights. The EU started the proceedings under the WTO's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which has been regarded by some nations as an alternative to the defunct Appellate Body. The WTO said the case marks the second time both the EU and China have turned to the MPIA to settle a dispute between them.
The U.K. dropped 12 entities from its Syria sanctions regime on April 24, including major government ministries and media outlets, according to a notice from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Those entities are the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, General Intelligence Directorate, Air Force Intelligence Agency, Political Security Directorate, Syrian National Security Bureau, Military Intelligence Directorate, Army Supply Bureau, General Organisation of Radio and TV, Al Watan, Cham Press TV and Sama TV.
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on April 23 added three FAQs to address issues surrounding the use of sanctions licenses that mention Rosbank PJSC and Bank Otkritie.
Thea Kendler, former assistant secretary for export administration at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, and Aiysha Hussain, Kendler's senior policy adviser, have joined Mayer Brown as partners in the international trade, national security and white-collar defense practices, the firm announced. Kendler served at BIS for three years, joining the agency from DOJ, where she worked as a trial attorney in the national security division. Hussain worked at Commerce since 2020, serving as senior counsel then senior policy adviser for export administration.
The European Commission earlier this month released a "coordination framework" that allows EU member states to voluntarily identify "similar risks and to coordinate with designing national" export control lists. The proposal also "facilitates the exchange of information among Member States and the Commission prior to and after" adopting the national control lists. Member states may additionally consider and benefit from "any additional information provided by other Member States or the Commission" under the proposal. The framework said that shared information might include the scope of the control list, the impact of the list on "EU economic operators" and other "relevant information for the preparation " of the list.
State attorneys general may take the lead on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement in light of the Donald Trump administration's pause on enforcing the act, attorneys at Crowell & Moring said in an April 14 alert. There's good reason to believe states will follow California's lead in announcing that it will enforce anti-foreign bribery efforts, the firm said.
The U.K. on April 14 added two entries to its Iran sanctions regime and amended entries under its Russia and global anti-corruption sanctions lists. Under the Iran sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation listed Rawa Majid and the Foxtrot Network. OFSI amended the entries for Paramount Energy & Commodities and its owner, Niels Oscar Troost. Under the global anti-corruption list, OFSI corrected the listing of Moldovan national Marina Tauber.
World Trade Organization members elected Argentina's Gustavo Nerio Lunazzi the new chair of the Council for Trade in Goods, the WTO announced.