The European Union imposed countervailing duties on aluminum converter foil from China, with duties of 8.6% to 18.2%, the European Commission said in a Dec. 22 notice. The duties specifically cover "aluminium converter foil of a thickness of less than 0,021 mm, not backed, not further worked than rolled, in rolls of a weight exceeding 10 kg" and cover July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020. Four products are excluded, and they include "Aluminium household foil of a thickness of not less than 0,008 mm and not more than 0,018 mm, not backed, not further worked than rolled, in rolls of a width not exceeding 650 mm and of a weight exceeding 10 kg."

Seven countries aligned with the European Union's decision to sanction 17 individuals and 11 entities relating to the ongoing situation in Belarus, the European Council said Dec. 22. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway also sanctioned the relevant parties. On Dec. 2, the EU, along with the U.S. and other allies, sanctioned a host of individuals and entities in Belarus for aiding illegal border crossings through Belarus to the EU (see 2112020023).

The United Kingdom extended four autonomous tariff rate quotas for fish products at current volume levels and the ATQ for raw cane sugar at its current volume level until Dec. 31, 2024, the Department for International Trade announced. These ATQs will be reviewed ahead of this date, the DIT said. One remaining ATQ for fish products will go up to 6,500 metric tons for 2022, and it will be reviewed by Dec. 31, 2022, the announcement said.

Russia has imposed travel bans on a "proportionate number of British representatives who are deeply involved in anti-Russian activities" in response to the U.K.'s designation of seven Russian citizens over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Russia's Foreign Ministry announced Dec. 17. Russia did not specify which individuals it listed. The foreign ministry said it considers the U.K.'s latest sanctions move to be "practical confirmation of the British government's intention to continue its destructive course in bilateral affairs."

The European Council approved on Dec. 20 revised rules for the "use of hired road vehicles for goods transport," with the European Parliament expected to OK them shortly. The measures clarify rules, harmonize the legal framework for lorry drivers and ease the restrictions on the use of such vehicles, the council said. EU member states have to incorporate the new provisions into their national legislation 14 months after the directive is entered into force.

The Court of Odense, Denmark, fined bunker fuel supplier Dan-Bunkering over $4.5 million for violating European Union sanctions when it sold 172,000 tons of jet fuel for use in Syria between 2015 and 2017, the EU Sanctions blog reported Dec. 18. The court also fined Dan-Bunkering's parent company, Bunker Holding, over $600,000 and sentenced Bunker Holding's CEO to four months in prison for the sanctions violations. Authorities seized over $2.3 million in profits from Dan-Bunkering. The court said the company intentionally violated the sanctions since it must have known that the Russian military would use the jet fuel in Syria. The sales were made to two Russian entities in 33 transactions.

The United Kingdom and Australia inked a massive trade deal, marking the first one negotiated completely by the U.K. itself since its departure from the European Union, the Department for International Trade announced. The deal, officially signed by International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan at a Dec. 16 ceremony, is expected to boost bilateral trade by over $13.3 billion, create new work and travel opportunities for citizens of both nations, and eliminate tariffs.

The European Commission initiated a review of the tariff-rate quotas on 26 different steel products, it said in a Dec. 17 notice. The commission will look into whether any adjustments to the TRQs are necessary due to "unduly crowding-out effects" and whether it needs to update the list of developing World Trade Organization member states that need to be excluded from the scope of the TRQs based on their most recent import levels. So long as a developing nation's share of EU imports of the given steel product doesn't exceed 3%, no safeguard measure can be applied to this product from a developing country, the notice said. The review investigation will be wrapped up by June 30, 2022, at the latest, the commission said. The covered merchandise includes electrical sheets, tin mill products, rebar, stainless bars and gas pipes.

The UK Trade Policy Observatory penned a new report laying out steps the UK can take to deliver plurilateral trade agreements at the World Trade Organization. The Department for International Trade-commissioned paper discusses the current state of play with plurilaterals and how to harness the potential of such groups, while concluding with a set of recommendations. The report points out how plurilaterals are a clear way to revitalize negotiations at the WTO, but that "scheduling is not first-best" for new plurilaterals that address issues not covered by the WTO. "A work programme in the WTO to define rules/criteria/procedures on how such OPAs can be annexed to the WTO will increase the prospects that WTO Members will be willing to pursue plurilateral co-operation inside -- as opposed to outside -- the WTO," the report said.

The European Union is reopening an antidumping review into tartaric acid from China to comply with the European Court of Justice's Dec. 3 ruling, the European Commission said. The ruling concerned the commission's determination to find the normal value of tartaric acid in the review based on costs of production in Argentina, whereas in the initial investigation, the commission found normal value based on Argentinian domestic sales prices. The result was an increase in the antidumping duty for two exporting producers, Changmao Biochemical Engineering Co. and Ninghai Organic Chemical Factory, who saw their rates jump from 10.1% to 13.1% and 4.7% to 8.3%, respectively.