South Korea is breaching labor provisions under its trade deal with the European Union, a panel of experts concluded. The panel, appointed by the EU and South Korea as part of their trade agreement’s dispute settlement system, found that South Korea needs to adjust its labor laws and practices and ratify four conventions under the International Labour Organization, the EU said Jan. 25. South Korea must meet those requirements “regardless of their effect on trade,” the panel said, agreeing with the EU's arguments that they are legally binding. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU will work “closely” with South Korea “to ensure it effectively implements commitments on workers' rights.” South Korea's U.S. embassy didn't comment.

The European Union published a decision to create a “set of common features” required for end-user certificates for certain defense items. The features will establish a “more uniform approach” for exports of small arms, light weapons and ammunition, the European Council said Jan. 18. The goal of the decision -- which requires certificates to include certain information on the exporter, the end-user, country of final destination and more -- is to “diminish the risk of arms diversion to illicit or unintended users.” The council said this will create a “level playing field and increase clarity for the defence industry and its clients regarding relevant requirements.”

The World Trade Organization should rule on “unlawful” export restrictions imposed by Indonesia on raw materials used for the production of stainless steel, the European Union said in a Jan. 14 news release. The EU said Indonesia’s export ban on nickel ore and its “domestic processing requirements” on nickel ore and iron ore “illegally restrict access” of raw materials for EU steel producers. The processing requirements force businesses to subject their raw materials to “certain processing or purification operations in Indonesia prior to exporting them,” the EU said, which “unduly restricts exports of unprocessed raw materials.”

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade Dec. 29 updated the guidance on its open general import license and its use. The U.K. updated the guidance and the license to reflect that the Brexit transition period ends Jan. 1, 2021, when the updated version takes effect. The guidance includes explanations of the licensing provisions affected by the end of the transition period, including those related to firearms, chemical weapons and sanctions.

ssssThe United Kingdom on Dec. 29 updated its guidance on existing trade agreements with non-European Union countries. The guidance now includes information on trade agreements that will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, with Turkey, Vietnam, the Solomon Islands, Samoa and the Republic of Guyana.

Denmark-based Danske Bank is no longer being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for potential sanctions violations, it said in a Dec. 19 news release. Authorities in Denmark, the U.S., Estonia and France were investigating the bank in connection with a money-laundering scandal, Reuters reported Dec. 15. The bank said OFAC “decided to close its investigation” in relation to “the Estonia case” but may take “future enforcement action should new or additional information warrant renewed attention.” A Treasury spokesperson declined to comment.

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade launched a service it said will help companies identify overseas trading barriers and find “new trade opportunities,” it said Dec. 21. The digital service will allow users to search for information on trade barriers imposed by other countries that could restrict business and investment activities, it said. The service also will highlight new areas that may present business opportunities. The “new database will be regularly updated” to show the latest barriers.

Russia recently extended its import ban on agricultural goods from countries that impose financial sanctions on Russia, including the U.S., according to a Dec. 21 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The ban will remain in effect through the end of 2021 with no changes to the list of covered products, FAS said, which includes various meats, seafood, dairy products and vegetables.

The United Kingdom Dec. 21 updated its guidance on exporting controlled goods after Brexit to reflect new provisions on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the European Union (see 2012180009). Northern Ireland will be considered part of the EU’s customs territory and no licenses will be required to ship dual-use items, with some exceptions, the U.K. said. If unsure, traders should seek advice from their “relevant EU member state licensing authority.”

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the evening of Dec. 21 that he hopes the closure of the U.K.-France border to truck cargo can be resolved in the “next few hours,” according to a report from Reuters. But as of press time, the border was still shut, after French President Emmanuel Macron closed it at 11 p.m. London time on Dec. 20 to help prevent the spread of a new, potentially more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 that recently was discovered in the U.K. In a statement on Dec. 21, Johnson said the delays only affect human-handled freight at the port at Dover, which is “only 20 per cent of the total arriving from or departing to the European continent.”