The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit last week amended various parts of its export control regulations, including one update involving a Syria reference and another corrected two drafting errors "in which words already contained in the retained Dual-Use Regulation were inserted a second time." The country said these changes "do not have an impact on the operation of the retained Dual-use Regulation and have been corrected for the sake of good order.

After a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Joe Biden, the two sides publicly acknowledged they wouldn't meet their Oct. 31 deadline to complete a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, which is meant to keep out non-market overcapacity from the two markets, as well as privilege trade in green metals between them.

The EU General Court on Oct. 18 rejected two sanctions delisting applications from Belarusian automakers Minsk Automobile Plant and BelAZ. In separate applications, the companies said the European Council failed to notify them of the sanctions, failed in the wording of the companies' names in the sanctions listings and failed in assessing the facts surrounding their designations.

The U.K. updated its general sanctions license allowing sanctioned parties to make "permitted payments" to Companies House, the country's executive agency that registers and publicizes company information and incorporates and dissolves limited companies. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the license to clarify that "permitted payments" means payment of fees "owed by or due from" sanctioned parties to the agency for filing a confirmation statement in respect of incorporated U.K. entities and also the payment of late filing penalty fees as a result of annual account late filings by the sanctioned parties.

The U.K. removed three people and three entities from its Iran nuclear weapons sanctions regime, in an Oct. 19 notice. The individuals are Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, former head of Iran's Physics Research Centre; Mohammad Hejazi, commander of the Bassij resistance force; and Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Qods force who was killed in a U.S. air strike. The entities are Barzagani Tejarat Tavanmad Saccal Companies, Doostan International Co. and Pejman Industrial Services Corp.

China and Serbia signed a free trade agreement on Oct. 17, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. The deal marks the first of its kind between China and a Central and Eastern European country, the ministry said, touting the agreement's importance for its Belt and Road Initiative. The deal will allow both countries to achieve a "high level of mutual openness" and establish a more "preferential, convenient, transparent and stable business environment," the ministry said.

The U.K. delisted then replaced 78 entries on its Iran nuclear sanctions list as part of its decision to continue sanctions following Iran's failure to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The actions took place on Oct. 18, the JCPOA Transition Day, when certain restrictions were set to expire. All entities, including 20 individuals and 58 individuals, remain subject to an asset freeze.

The U.K. Solicitors Regulation Authority released its annual Anti-Money Laundering report for 2022-23, covering the agency's role in addressing money laundering and terrorism financing, the role of private parties, enforcement activity, how to report suspicious activity, sanctions, case studies and risk assessments.

The European Council moved to maintain its nuclear nonproliferation sanctions regime against Iran, the council announced. The EU reviewed the sanctions as required under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and ultimately found that since Iran had not fulfilled its commitments under the deal, the restrictions were still required, the council said Oct. 17. The decision follows a similar decision from the U.N. Security Council. The sanctions cover individuals and entities engaged in ballistic or nuclear missile activities or affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Certain sectoral sanctions are also a part of the package.

The European Parliament on Oct. 17 adopted new fisheries control rules requiring all EU fishing vessels to be monitored and their catches to be electronically reported. The measures are meant to establish "full traceability" under the EU's new fisheries control system and were adopted on a 438-146 vote, with 40 abstentions.