Customs authorities in the European Union will now be tasked with registering imports of certain fasteners of iron or steel, other than of stainless steel, from China, the European Commission said in a June 17 regulation. For instance, wood screws, self-tapping screws, other screw and bolts with heads and washers will be registered upon import. An antidumping investigation into the fasteners from China began Dec. 21. Should the commission determine dumping occurred, duties could be levied on the registered imports. The antidumping investigation petition alleges a dumping margin of 126% to 270% for the fasteners.

The European Union will implement further sanctions on Belarus in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight and subsequent arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, Reuters said in a June 16 report. The new wave of sanctions will include seven individuals linked to the Belarus aviation industry, according to a European diplomat. A fourth package of sanctions related to Belarus' 2020 election was already being prepared when the forced landing took place.

The United Kingdom negotiated market access in Japan for its poultry exports, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in a June 16 news release. The agreement represents an estimated 13 million pound opportunity for the British poultry industry in both fresh and cooked poultry products. The negotiations over animal health requirements were conducted over the past four years, concluding in April, the release said. The requirements build off the U.K.-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement now in force. That trade deal “has helped to secure new wins for our brilliant food and drinks industry and boost trade between our two nations, which was worth over 24 billion [pounds] in 2020 alone,” U.K. International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena said.

The United Kingdom and Australia reached a new free trade deal, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in a June 15 news release. The pact promises that “iconic” goods such as British cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits and ceramics can be imported tariff-free into Australia, caps tariff-free agriculture imports for 15 years via “tariff rate quotas and other safeguards,” and allows British citizens under the age of 35 to be able to travel and work in Australia more openly, the release said.

The European Union and Canada have reached an agreement on critical minerals as part of the EU-Canada summit, the European Council announced in a June 14 news release. The deal was struck to secure supply chains in raw materials and reduce dependence on China for the key inputs. “To diversify sources of important green and digital economy inputs away from less like-minded producers, and to foster competitive EU-Canada supply chains, the leaders established an EU-Canada Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials,” the release said.

The European Parliament published its new tools to address trade risks in dual-use items in the June 11 Official Journal of the European Union. The regulation addresses trade risks for emerging technologies and goods that could be involved in cybersurveillance. The 460-plus-page regulation, approved May 20, includes stricter controls for cybersurveillance technology that may be used for human rights abuses, new general export licenses to authorize shipments of cryptographic items and certain “intra-group technology transfers,” and mechanisms for greater coordination between members and with trading partners (see 2105100013).

The Switzerland and Russia customs agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to better cooperate on customs procedures, Switzerland said in a June 9 news release. Switzerland said the memorandum will “promote technical cooperation,” allow both sides to share brest practices for certain customs procedures and provide opportunities to “optimise processes in the cross-border movement of goods.”

Some United Kingdom exporters are experiencing border delays for shipments of dual-use items because the shipments had incorrect license references on their documentation, the U.K. said in a June 11 guidance. After registering for a license on SPIRE, exporters will receive a unique license registration number that should accompany their commercial documentation, the guidance said. If the correct license registration number isn't included, goods that require strategic export authorizations may be stopped by customs, it said.

European and U.S. former government officials said they think the U.S. and European countries will find much common ground in efforts to make trade work for working people, but that getting on the same page with China will be a challenge.

The European Commission imposed a provisional antidumping duty on imports of birch plywood from Russia, according to a June 11 regulation notification. The duties range from 15% to 15.9%. The Sveza Group, made up of seven exporting manufacturers, received a rate of 15.9%; Syktyvkar Plywood Mill Ltd., 15%; and Zheshartsky LPK, 15.3%. The rate is 15.7% for other cooperating companies and 15.9% for all other companies.