The European Commission gave notice Feb. 28 of the impending expiry of the antidumping duties on ceramic tiles from China, unless a review of the duties is initiated. EU manufacturers can submit a written request for a review up until three months before the Nov. 24 expiration date.

The EU initiated an expiry review of the antidumping duties on heavy plate of non-alloy or other alloy steel from China, the European Commission announced Feb. 25. The European Steel Association requested the review, which covers "flat products of non-alloy or alloy steel (excluding stainless steel, silicon-electrical steel, tool steel and high-speed steel), hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated, not in coils, of a thickness exceeding 10 mm and of a width of 600 mm or more or of a thickness of 4,75 mm or more but not exceeding 10 mm and of a width of 2 050 mm or more." The review will cover all imports of the subject merchandise Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021.

The EU's antidumping duty order on glass fiber fabrics (GFF) from China was being circumvented by imports of the subject merchandise consigned from Morocco by PGTEX Morocco SARL, the European Commission said Feb. 24. As a result, the commission extended the antidumping duty order on woven and/or stitched glass fiber fabrics from China to include these goods consigned from Morocco. The duties cover "fabrics of woven, and/or stitched continuous filament glass fibre rovings and/or yarns with or without other elements, excluding products which are impregnated or pre-impregnated (pre-preg), and excluding open mesh fabrics with cells with a size of more than 1,8 mm in both length and width and weighing more than 35 g/m2." The duty for the extended scope is the 69% antidumping duty rate applicable to "all other companies," and consigned GFF imports from Morocco, whether or not the goods originate in Morocco, are covered by the regulation.

The European Commission accepted a request from Chinese exporter Hunan Jewelmoon Ceramics to be granted new exporting product treatment, subjecting the company to a 17.9% antidumping duty rate. The request regarded antidumping duties on ceramic tableware and kitchenware from China. Following an analysis, the commission said that the exporter met all three of the conditions for this status. Jewelmoon didn't export the subject merchandise during the investigation period, isn't related to any exporters subject to the ADD measures and exported the product to the EU after the original investigation period. Therefore Hunan Jewelmoon Ceramics was added to the annex listing the cooperating companies not included in the sample for determing the ADD rates in the original subject dumping investigation.

The U.K. amended two entries under its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a Feb. 22 notice. The listings for Bank Rossiya and Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction were revised: the address was updated for the first entry, the Cyrillic name for the second. The two entries were designated as part of the U.K.'s first wave of sanctions on Russia for its movement of troops into Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions (see 2202220021).

A group of countries aligned themselves with the European Union's sanctions moves relating to its Nicaragua and terrorist sanctions regimes, the European Council said. In January, the council added seven individuals and three entities to the Nicaragua sanctions list. In response, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia also implemented these additions, the council said. The council also updated its terrorist sanctions regime Feb. 3, and North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Ukraine and Moldova implemented the changes in response.

The EU kicked initiated an expiry review of the antidumping duties on high tenacity yarns of polyesters from China, the European Commission said Feb. 23. The review, requested by European Manmade Fibres Association, covers "high tenacity yarn of polyesters not put up for retail sale, including monofilament of less than 67 decitex, (excluding sewing thread and ‘Z’-twisted multiple (folded) or cabled yarn, intended for the production of sewing thread, ready for dyeing and for receiving a finishing treatment, loosely wound on a plastic perforated tube)." See the notice for information about submitting comments. The investigation is expected to be completed no later than 15 months from the date of the notice.

The EU and the U.K. announced restrictive measures Feb. 22 on Russian individuals and entities in response to Russia mobilizing troops in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the sanctions on five Russian banks and three oligarchs in a Feb. 22 statement to Parliament as a response to Russia's recognition of what he termed the "supposed independence" of two regions of Ukraine. Russia entered forces into these two regions -- Donetsk and Luhansk -- describing the forces as "peacekeepers." Johnson said the U.K. sanctioned IS Bank, Bank Rossiya, Promsvyazbank, Genbank and Black Sea Bank for Development and Reconstruction. Additionally, oligarchs Gennadiy Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg will be subject to the U.K.'s restrictive measures. "This is the first tranche, the first barrage, of what we are prepared to do: we will hold further sanctions at readiness, to be deployed alongside the United States and the European Union if the situation escalates still further," Johnson said.

The U.K. added one entry to its Somalia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said Feb. 21. Ali Mohamed Rage was added to the list for his position as a spokesperson for the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. He will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban.