Lithuanian fertilizer manufacturer Lifosa UAB does not have to pay taxes twice for transportation costs it negotiated on imports from a Belarusian company, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled April 22. In its purchase contract, Lifosa negotiated that the Belarusian company would pay the transport costs of the goods, making them essentially priced into the goods themselves, the court said, even if those transportation costs are greater than the cost of the goods. "The costs actually incurred by the producer for their transport to the place where they have been brought into the customs territory of the European Union should not be added to the transaction value of the goods when, according to the agreed delivery terms, the obligation to cover those costs lies with the producer, even though those costs exceed the price actually paid by the importer, provided that that price corresponds to the real value of the goods, a matter which is for the referring court to establish,” the opinion said.

The United Kingdom's Export Control Joint Unit and Department for International Trade on April 22 updated its guidance on standard individual export licenses (SIELs) to aid exporters trading in applicable goods. The new sections include information on when an exporter can use a SIEL, what the company will need to complete an application, how long it takes to get a license, exporter responsibilities, customs declarations, compliance and legal obligations.

The European Commission is preparing legal proceedings against British vaccine developer AstraZeneca for cutting COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the European Union, Reuters reported April 22. The cut in vaccine deliveries prompted major delays in the bloc's vaccine rollout and the imposition of an export control regime on vaccines. Two diplomats told Reuters that the legal challenge was discussed April 21 at a meeting with EU officials, and most states present indicated support for the proceedings. However, no decision has yet been made, a commission spokesperson told a news conference.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment between China and the European Union will not pass the European Parliament in its current form, predicted former EU trade minister Cecelia Malmstrom at a Peterson Institute for International Economics event on April 21. Due to dueling sanctions over human rights violations in China's Xinjiang province and the agreement's lack of substance on key areas such as sustainable development, Malmstrom opined that, without alterations and a breakthrough on sanctions, the agreement would not pass.

The United Kingdom and Serbia signed a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement ensuring continued preferential trade access between the two nations, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in an April 19 news release. The agreement will allow for trading terms similar to those prior to Brexit. The U.K. has a 682 million pound trading relationship with the Eastern European nation, and top exports to Serbia from Britain include scientific instruments, medicine and pharmaceutics, machinery and clothing, the release said.

The European Union, via the Economic Ministry of Belgium, has revoked Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davison's Binding Origin Information (BOI) credentials, hiking tariffs on the company's entire product portfolio from 56%, the company announced in an April 19 news release. In the release, Harley-Davidson claimed the move would “effectively prohibit the company from functioning competitively in Europe,” and “underscore the very real harm of an escalating trade war to our stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic.” The EU originally placed tariffs on motorcycles in retaliation for U.S. Section 232 tariffs on European steel and aluminum.

The European Council will provide 1.37 million euros in new funding for implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, the body announced in an April 16 news release. The additional funding will be to assist treaty signees with their national arms export control systems, the release detailed. EU support will be tailored to training local and regional ATT experts to foster greater implementation, creating a database to match implementation needs and resources, and building IT and communications systems to enable better cooperation between the ATT points of contacts for member countries and the ATT Secretariat, the EC said.

Despite a recent meeting between top U.K. and EU officials, a deal on Northern Ireland is "many weeks away," warned an EU official, Bloomberg reported April 16. David Frost, the head of the U.K.'s relations with the EU, met in Brussels April 15 with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic. The pair intend to meet again in the next two weeks, according to Bloomberg. Following Brexit, an effective trade border rose down the Irish Sea, prompting blowback from Northern Ireland. The EU subsequently brought legal action against the U.K. over its implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Switzerland's Federal Council approved an agreement with the United Kingdom granting mutual recognition of the authorized economic operator status, the council announced in an April 14 news release. The agreement also authorizes AEO status for individual companies, allowing for reduced technical and security-related customs barriers for goods. Following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union, the U.S.has an advance summary declaration obligation for all goods coming into Switzerland, the release said. The U.K. has yet to ratify the agreement.

The Federation of Small Businesses, a small-business industry group in the United Kingdom, is seeking British government export assistance, it said in an April 13 news release. The FSB cited recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that U.K. total exports dropped 10.3% in February compared with the same month last year. “The Government should now turn to its build back better agenda: cutting the non-wage costs of employment to spur hiring, ending a debilitating late payment crisis that has worsened through [COVID-19] lockdowns, and taking innovative approaches to emergency debt to realise meaningful economic value,” FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry said.