The U.K. this week designated 25 people and 20 entities under its Russia sanctions regime. The listings included a mix of businesses based in Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Serbia and Uzbekistan, covering industries in the energy, shipping and defense sectors. Among those sanctioned was Russian firm Aeroscan, which was designated for supplying drones to the Russian military, along with Dubai-based shipping companies Radiating World Shipping Services and Star Voyages Shipping services, which do business in a Russian "sector of strategic significance."
African and Brazilian participants at the U.N. Climate Change Conference complained that the EU's due diligence requirement to certify that commodities were not grown on deforested land in the tropics (see 2112030047 and 2307270041) is burdensome to small farmers in their countries.
A "substantial volume" of apparel made with Uyghur forced labor is entering the EU without restriction, a new Sheffield Hallam University report said. The report, released Dec. 6, studied four Chinese suppliers and focused on how their products were getting into the EU. In all, 39 brands are "at high risk" for sourcing goods made with Uyghur forced labor, including Hugo Boss, Inditex and Skechers.
The U.K. government this week issued new guidance to alert the country’s financial services industry about ways Russia is using third countries to evade export controls and sanctions. The “red alert” also includes a list of red flags that banks, credit card operators, foreign exchange dealers and other payment service providers should monitor for potential Russian sanctions evasion, and the country’s National Crime Agency urged financial institutions to submit reports about any suspicious activity.
The European Council on Dec. 4 adopted decisions for two trade agreements with Chile, which together would create an updated version of the EU-Chile Association Agreement currently in force. The new agreements -- which the bloc is calling an advanced framework agreement and an interim trade agreement -- contain political, trade and investment components and trade and investment liberalization, respectively.
The U.K.'s Solicitors Regulation Authority fined British law firm Ashfords LLP about $128,000 for violating the country's anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations. The U.K. said Ashfords, in helping a property investment company conduct a transaction, failed to discover or act on a potential link between the company and one of its sanctioned beneficial owners.
The European Council on Dec. 4 extended by three years, until Dec. 8, 2026, its EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime pertaining to individuals and entities responsible for perpetrating human rights abuses around the world, the council announced. The sanctions cover 67 people and 20 entities and include a travel ban and asset freeze. The council said that "[e]xisting restrictive measures (sanctions) will continue to be reviewed annually."
The European Commission on Dec. 1 sent the European Council the deal it reached with Japan on cross-border data flows to be included in the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. If the council authorizes it, the amendment to the EPA will be sent to the European Parliament for consent, after which it would take effect, the commission announced.
The U.K. amended one entry under its Russia sanctions regime and five entries under its Libya sanctions regime in a pair of Nov. 30 notices from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The listing for Mihajlo Perencevic under the Russia restrictions was altered to reflect that he is the former, not current, president of construction, energy and extractive firm Velesstroy. Under the Libya restrictions list, OFSI amended the entries for Osama Al Kuni Ibrahim, Abd Al-Rahman Salim Ibrahim Al-Milad, Mohammed Al Amin Al-Arabi Kashlaf, Saadi Qadhafi and Sayyid Mohammed Qadhafi.
The EU General Court on Nov. 29 accepted the second application from Alexander Pumpyanskiy, son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, to annul his sanctions relisting, according to an unofficial translation. The court rejected his claim for damages. Pumpyanskiy was sanctioned in March 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, because of his relationship to Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, and because he was president and board member of the Sinara Group.