The United Kingdom is seeking comments, due Oct. 5, on the future of its autonomous tariff rate quota for raw cane sugar after it officially leaves the European Union next year, the U.K.’s Department for International Trade said Sept. 14. It wants feedback on whether the U.K. should impose a tariff rate quota, the “volume of an ATQ” that industry would prefer, if at all, and the quota's impact on industry sectors or businesses in the U.K.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on Sept. 9 renewed two designations under its terrorism and terrorist financing sanctions regime. OFSI renewed the designations for Colombia's Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Army) and Peru's Communist Party, Sendero Luminoso, also known as Shining Path.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation corrected an entry under its sanctions for Guinea-Bissau, OFSI said Sept. 9. The correction amends the entry for Col. Tomas Djassi, commander of Guinea-Bissau’s National Guard. Djassi remains subject to an asset freeze.
The European Union extended by six months sanctions against people and entities threatening the independence of Ukraine, the European Council said Sept. 10. Now expiring March 15, the sanctions continue to impose travel restrictions and asset freezes on 175 people and 44 entities.
Germany's Freie Demokraten Party introduced a motion in the Bundestag to impose sanctions on human rights abusers, the EU Sanctions blog reported Sept. 9. The sanctions would be modeled after the Global Magnitsky Sanctions and would target those responsible for “political murders, torture and mistreatment,” the party said Sept. 9, according to an unofficial translation of a press release. The FDP said it wants to create a sanctions regime that can target individual human rights abusers instead of a whole country or “entire society,” which could “worsen the human rights situation.”
The United Kingdom officially began talks with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership about joining the trade area, the U.K. said Sept. 9. The U.K.’s Department for International Trade said the country has held “preparatory conversations” with CPTPP members, but the current talks mark the first negotiations on accession.
A United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation notice, updated Sept. 3, details its annual frozen asset review and reporting form for 2020. All people or companies that hold or control funds belonging to sanctioned individuals must complete the and submit the form to OFSI by Oct. 16.
The European Commission decided to end European Union import duties on imports of corn, sorghum and rye from the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Sept. 3 report. The change occurred “only four months after re-introducing duties for the first time since March 2018,” the report said. “The re-introduction of duties in April 2020 were allegedly triggered by the decline in U.S. corn prices after the COVID-19 crisis significantly reduced the demand for U.S. bio-ethanol production.”
The United Kingdom released an updated guidance on Sept. 2 for “British businesses on developing their overseas trade and doing business in Iran.”
COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, straightening supply chains and increasing trade were discussed as the United Kingdom held its first economic talks with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Aug. 26. The U.K. said it wants to work with ASEAN to increase trade in essential goods -- including food, medicine and medical devices -- and is committed to “free trade” during the pandemic. “We are determined to build on this partnership and explore opportunities for collaboration,” the U.K. said.