The EU is “concerned” about the Bureau of Industry and Security's new export controls on advanced AI chips (see 2501130026), which will impose new restrictions on certain EU member states and their companies, the bloc’s top two technology and trade officials said in a joint statement this week.
The European Commission on Jan. 10 imposed antidumping duties on polyvinyl chloride from Egypt and the U.S., the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The duties range from 74.2% to 100.1% for imports from Egypt and 58% to 77% for imports from the U.S. Polyvinyl chloride is a "thermoplastic polymer used in the manufacturing of various products including pipes and fittings, films and foils, injection moulding and blow moulding, for example in the construction industry," the commission said.
The European Commission imposed antidumping duties on titanium dioxide and mobile access equipment from China on Jan. 9.
As the EU looks to revamp its customs system, it should take steps to ensure the changes don't impede international trade, a coalition of trade groups said in a joint statement released Dec. 12.
Covington lawyers expect the upcoming Polish presidency of the Council of the EU, running from January to June, to make “significant strides” around technology and trade issues, the firm said in a December client alert.
The Netherlands said it’s seeing an uptick in exports of sanctioned goods to countries with a history of helping Russia evade sanctions, with many of those exports being sent by smaller firms that entered the market within the last couple of years.
The EU this month issued new guidance on its sanctions for importing Russian diamonds, describing the types of diamonds subject to trade restrictions, explaining how the restrictions apply to jewelry that incorporates Russian diamonds, outlining a new mandatory diamond traceability mechanism, and more.
Members of the European Parliament passed three sanctions-related resolutions last week calling on the bloc and other countries to increase restrictions on human rights violators and countries aiding Russia.
The European Commission on Dec. 19 opened a safeguard investigation on alloy imports to look into whether global overcapacity and trade-restrictive measures in other major markets have injured the EU alloy industry, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. If the investigation finds injury to the EU industry, the commission can propose safeguards, which would need approval from a majority of EU member states, the commission said. The investigation shall run a maximum of nine months. The EU can impose provisional duties for up to 200 days if the preliminary determination in the investigation lays out "clear evidence that increased imports have caused or are threatening to cause serious injury," the commission said.
The European Commission on Dec. 17 opened a review of the EU safeguard measure on steel, the Direcotrate-General for Trade announced. The investigation will run until March 31, 2025, and any decision resulting from the proceeding will take effect on April 1, 2025, the commission said. The measure was imposed on certain steel products in 2018 and has been extended twice. It's currently set to expire June 30, 2026, at which time it will have reached the "maximum eight years allowed under EU law and WTO rules," the commission said. "This new review investigation will not impact the duration of the measure."