The European Commission in an Aug. 23 notice announced the impending expiration of antidumping duty measures on certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (other than stainless steel), of circular cross-section with an external diameter exceeding 406.4 mm from China, unless a review of the duties is initiated. European Union manufacturers can submit a written request for a review up to three months before the duty's May 13, 2022, expiration date. The duties were imposed May 11, 2017.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added seven names to its chemical weapons sanctions list, in an Aug. 20 financial sanctions notice. Added are Alexey Alexandrov, Vladimir Panyaev, Ivan Vladimirovich Osipov, Vladimir Mikhailovich Bogdanov, Kirill Vasilyev, Stanislav Valentinovich Makshakov and Alexei Semenovich Sedov, who are each subject to an asset freeze. All seven are operatives of Russia's Federal Security Service.
The European Council announced the alignment of third countries to its sanctions regimes on Lebanon and Iran. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Georgia aligned themselves with the measures pertaining to the Lebanon sanctions. Except for Georgia, the same countries, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova aligned themselves with the restrictive measures Iran sanctions.
Brexit-related customs and tax issues in Ireland may continue for some businesses, based on KPMG’s experience during the first six months of the United Kingdom’s official departure from the European Union, the firm said Aug. 17. Companies trading between Ireland and Great Britain are facing increased costs from supply chain delays and customs clearance issues, KPMG said, and also need to be aware of a range of declarations and paperwork needed to benefit from certain trade preferences.
The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade amended five open general export licenses to exclude Afghanistan as a permissible destination, the department said in an Aug. 18 guidance. The five OGELs are export after exhibition: dual-use items; export for repair/replacement under warranty: dual-use items from December 2019; export for repair/replacement under warranty: dual-use items; OGEL (X) from December 2019; and OGEL (X).
The Swiss Federal Council implemented an asset freeze and travel ban on eight Nicaraguan officials, joining the European Union in imposing the restrictions, according to a notice from the council. Due to an "ongoing violation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua," Switzerland made the restrictions, including on Vice President and first lady Rosario Maria Murillo de Ortega. The other seven affected individuals include Gustavo Eduardo Porras Cortes, Juan Antonio Valle Valle, Ana Julia Guido Ochoa, Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo, Alba Luz Ramos Vanegas and Bayardo Arce Castano. The council also delisted Libyan General Tohami Khaled, another decision in line with the EU's, since the general died.
The European Commission tacked a section onto its guidance for COVID-19-related aid to countries subject to EU sanctions, to discuss how the guidance extends to counterterrorism sanctions. In the Aug. 13 notice, the commission said sanctions do not cover medicine, medical equipment or assistance given to the population writ large. Sanctions also will not cover exports of medicine and equipment needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Humanitarian operators may “liaise” with sanctioned people or entities if it is needed to organize the provision of humanitarian aid in a safe and effective way, but these operators must ensure that their partners for the delivery of such humanitarian aid are not EU designated, the guidance said.
The United Kingdom published a list of training events that will be hosted in different locations throughout the September through April 2022 time period, for firms needing to comply with British export control laws run by the Export Control Joint Unit. Training will be offered in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Plymouth and Southampton and will cost either 120 or 180 pounds. The U.K.'s Department for International Trade said the events serve companies of all sizes, a wide range of knowledge levels and varied learning paths.
The Swiss Federal Council implemented greater restrictions on trade with Belarus Aug. 11 in response to the continuing repression of civil society and the opposition, the council said. The new sanctions package includes restrictions on trade in monitoring equipment, dual-use goods and technologies, petroleum and potassium chloride products, and goods used for tobacco production. Further, the council placed limits on the “issuance of and trading in certain financial instruments," along with the provision of loans and insurance to the Belarusian government. The country also imposed specific financial sanctions on Belaeronavigatsia, Belarus' state-owed air navigation services provider.
Dutch customs recently announced it will increase monitoring of import declarations for certain sectors, including in the textile, biodiesel, e-commerce and e-bike industries, KPMG said Aug. 12. The Netherlands said it will specifically monitor the customs value and tariff classification for clothing imported from China, Vietnam, India and others; increase monitoring of the origin and tariff classification for biodiesel and used cooking oil from the U.S.; more “intensively” audit e-commerce consignments; and more closely scrutinize the origin and customs value of all imported e-bikes. Although the customs agency said it will target those import declarations, other imports may “also be subject to additional scrutiny,” KPMG said.