The Swiss Federal Council imposed sanctions on eight individuals and four entities for their roles in the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said in a July 1 news release. The listings follow the third round of Myanmar sanctions imposed by the European Union and subject the parties to an asset freeze and travel ban. The individuals, all military or government officials, are Soe Htut, Tun Tun Naung, Win Shein, Khin Maung Yi, Tin Aung San, Thida Oo, Aung Lin Tun and Zaw Min Tun, a State Secretariat notice said. The entities are Myanma Gems Enterprise, Myanma Timber Enterprise, Forest Products Joint Venture and Myanmar War Veterans Organization.
Ghana on July 1 effectively implemented the interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, the European Commission said in a news release that day. The agreement enacted duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market for Ghanaian-made goods since 2016. Ghana began liberalizing market access July 1 for 80% of its total volume of EU exports. “This is crucial for developing and diversification of our bilateral trade,” the release said. “It also creates better opportunities for EU companies to trade and invest in Ghana and produce goods for export to the wider African market under the preferences available under the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in a July 1 Financial Sanctions Notice amended the listing of Andrei Valeryevich Kartapolov under the commonwealth's Russia sanctions regime. OFSI removed a known alias from his listing.
The European Union and the United Kingdom agreed to extend by three months a grace period for shipments of particular meat products from Britain to Northern Ireland, Reuters reported June 30. The agreement marks a temporary halt in the trade spat dubbed the “sausage war.” It will also be easier for medicines and guide dogs to cross into Northern Ireland due to temporary concessions made by the EU. Northern Ireland drivers will be allowed to travel to Ireland with existing insurance documents as well. The chilled meat products grace period was set to end on July 1 due to an EU ban on these products entering from third countries, which now include the U.K. following Brexit.
The European Union extended its vaccine export control regime until the end of September, the European Commission announced June 30. The controls apply only to companies with which the EU has negotiated an advance purchase agreement and require these companies to notify their member state authorities of their intention to export COVID-19 vaccines. Due to the controls, the EU has gained greater transparency into the vaccine supply chains and has gleaned that it is a global leader in vaccine exports, the release said.
The United Kingdom and New Zealand wrapped up the fifth round of negotiations on a free trade agreement, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said in a June 30 news release. Steps were made toward a deal on government procurement, a dispute settlement mechanism, transparency levers and gender equality in trade, the release said. Progress was made toward improving procurement access for small and medium-sized enterprises and supply chain integrity, it said. Negotiations were held June 16-18.
The United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council conducted a review of opportunities for their trading and investment relationship, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in a June 30 news release. The review focused on goods trade, services trade and investment. The U.K. and the GCC agreed to enhance cooperation to facilitate greater market access in key sectors such as professional and business services, agriculture, food and drink, education, healthcare, financial services and environmental technologies. The Gulf nations have a comparative advantage in natural resource extraction, petrochemicals and aluminum, while the U.K. has an advantage in manufacturing transport equipment, pharmaceuticals and beverages, an executive summary of the review said.
Switzerland's Federal Council adjusted the Swiss customs tariff in line with the latest revision of the internationally harmonized goods classification from the World Customs Organization, the council said in a June 30 news release. The products that required the new classification numbers include “hybrid vehicles, drones, 3D printers, new products in the tobacco industry and edible insects, for example,” the release said. The next revision is scheduled for 2027.
The United Kingdom and Singapore are looking to remove barriers to digital trade between the two nations through a new Digital Economy Agreement, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said in a June 27 news release. Seventy percent of the U.K.'s services exports were digitally sent to Singapore in 2019, totaling about £3.2 billion, the release said. The DEA would allow for more seamless electronic transactions, e-signatures and e-contracts. Other focuses of the agreement's negotiations include data flows, data protection, consumer rights and cybersecurity.
The European Council gave the green light for “neighbourhood aviation agreements” with Ukraine, Armenia and Tunisia along with an air transport agreement with Qatar. The four pacts will open up air transport markets, promoting trade, tourism, investment, and economic and social development, the council said in a June 28 news release. The Qatar agreement will open up the air transport market for all 27 European Union member states and upgrade the standards between Qatar and the EU. The accords also hold environmental, social and fair competition clauses accompanied by enforcement mechanisms to act as guardrails for the agreements' implementation.