The EU General Court annulled the sanctions listing of former Ukrainian President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych and his son, Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych, in a pair of March 30 orders. The two were listed in 2014 under the Ukraine sanctions regime in connection with the embezzlement of state funds. The listings were annulled because the EU Council failed to satisfy the Yanukovychs' right to defense and relied on criminal proceedings conducted by Ukrainian authorities that failed to respect effective judicial protection. The two remain subject to an asset freeze, with their sanctions listings renewed until Sept. 6.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation released a General License permitting until May 15 the winding down of positions involving sanctioned Russian bank Sovcomflot and its subsidiaries.

EU exporters of ceramic tiles going to Saudi Arabia will have an easier, faster path now, the European Commission said. Starting from March 31, the EU will implement commitments made by Saudi Arabia under a Trade Barrier Regulation case opened in 2020. The EC said it secured Saudi commitments on the removal of a "number of obstacles currently affecting the import of ceramic tiles," meaning EU exporters will no longer need to undergo redundant testing or product audits when they export ceramic tiles to Saudi Arabia. The EC said one of its market examinations in 2021 found that Saudi Arabia’s technical regulations were hindering 75% to 80% of EU exports in ceramic tiles.

Poland’s government adopted draft legislation this week that will allow it to ban Russian coal imports, Reuters reported March 29. Officials, though, are concerned Poland could face penalties from the EU, which hasn’t agreed to the measure, the report said. "We don't want these imports to be possible any longer, although we realize that there's a risk related to the fact that the European Union has not approved such actions to date," Polish Cabinet spokesperson Piotr Muller told reporters in Warsaw.

The EU exempted Polish importer Firma Adam Adam Zietek from the antidumping duty on bicycle parts from China, the European Commission said in a March 30 notice. After reviewing the importer's request for exemption, the commission found the company assembled less than 60% of the total value of the parts of the bicycles, exempting the importer from the duties. The commission further announced duty suspensions of a host of other importers until the reviews of their operations is concluded. The companies are Berria Bike, Northtec, Giant Gyarto Hungary, Motokit Veiculos e Acessorios, nextbike and Propain Bicycles.

The U.K. released guidance to help traders navigate the additional duties placed on a number of goods originating in Russia and Belarus. So far, the U.K. has imposed an additional 35% duty on a host of products from these countries and it intends to implement more duties on fish from Russia and Belarus. The Department for International Trade's guidance walks traders through exemptions from additional duties that apply to goods from Russia and Belarus that have completed export formalities and left the countries before March 25.

The U.K. issued a General License, titled "Continuation of Business and Basic Needs of GEFCO UK Subsidiaries," which permits continuing business operations involving GEFCO -- a joint venture owned by Russian Railways and Stellantis -- or its subsidiaries, until May 23. The subsidiaries include GEFCO UK Ltd., GEFCO Forwarding UK, Auto XP Ltd. or XP Tech Ltd. Permitted activity under the license includes payments to or from the joint venture under contract or payments to or from a third parties needed to continue any obligations or contracts. The license also authorizes a subsidiary to make payments for reasonable fees stemming from routine holding and maintenance of its frozen funds.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued new general licenses for Russia and for Belarus authorizing until April 23 the closing out of any positions involving sanctioned banks. For Russia, these banks are Alfa Bank, GazPromBank, Rosselkhozbank, SMP Bank and the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development. For Belarus, the general license applies to Bank Dabrabyt Joint Stock Co. and any of its subsidiaries.

The U.K. and Canada began negotiations on a new free trade agreement, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said March 24. British Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan met in Ottawa with Canadian International Trade Minister Mary Ng to launch the talks and build on the U.K.-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement. Areas of focus for the talks include "innovation, digital, data, the environment and women’s economic empowerment," the DIT said.

The U.K. added Iceland to its list of permitted destinations under its open general export license for dual-use items. In another notice concerning the OGEL for printed circuit boards and components for dual-use goods, the Department for International Trade announced it's now requiring registration before first use of the license. In a notice concerning the OGELs for the export of military goods brought into the U.K. for repairs, the DIT said it now permits those items to be reexported after repairs in the U.K. or the country of original manufacture.