John Demers, the President Donald Trump-appointed official at the head of the Department of Justice's national security division, is leaving by his post at the end of June, a DOJ spokesperson said. The Biden administration has nominated former Uber executive Matt Olsen to replace him. Olsen is awaiting Senate confirmation. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed that Demers' departure had been pre-planned for months with June being the ultimate cutoff time for him to leave the division. Demers was originally slated to leave his role on inauguration day but was asked to stay on to aid with the transition. The national security division handles many security-related issues, from counterterrorism to export controls.
The European General Court annulled the sanctions designations of two individuals -- former Ukrainian President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych and his son, Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych, according to two court decisions last week. The listings were dropped because the European Council had not “satisfied itself” that the Ukrainian authorities afforded the listed individuals proper rights of defense and judicial protection in the criminal proceedings on which the council relied in making its sanctions determination. Both were originally included on the EU's sanctions regime in 2014 as individuals “subject to criminal proceedings in Ukraine to investigate crimes in connection with the embezzlement of Ukrainian State funds and their illegal transfer outside Ukraine.”
The European Commission implemented provisional antidumping duties on imports of mono ethylene glycol from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, according to a June 11 notification. The duties range from 8.5% to 52%, with the U.S. companies receiving the higher antidumping rates. The following is a list of the companies, their provisional dumping duties, country of origin and TARIC code.
The European Union General Court annulled the sanctions listing of Sayed Shamsuddin Borborudi, the former deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, in a June 9 judgment. Borborudi was originally listed under the EU's Iranian nuclear sanctions regime for his position with AEOI and his work with Iran's nuclear program since 2002. The general court said he stopped working for AEOI in 2013, and the European Council failed to show evidence of his continued involvement in Iran's nuclear program. His prior work did not justify a continued listing, the court said.
The Commerce Department is working with a police agency in rural Texas to help investigate illegally exported goods, an unorthodox relationship that has sparked concern among industry lawyers and led to disputed seizures.
As President Joe Biden searches for a leader for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the agency should prioritize candidates who are familiar with export control regulations and who can effectively manage the agency’s licensing process, two technology experts said. But others said Biden should choose a candidate with strong knowledge of the challenges imposed by China to help lead U.S. technology policy through an era of intense competition.
The World Trade Organization received an updated petition from online activist group Avaaz, signed by more than 2.7 million people, calling for universal access to COVID-19 vaccines, according to June 7 press release. Forty different organizations globally were involved in the petition, including Public Citizen, the People's Vaccine Alliance and Amnesty International. The petition was delivered the day before a meeting of the Council for Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, where discussions are ongoing on a proposal to waive TRIPS Agreement obligations for the vaccine. "The WTO is very appreciative of the time and dedication that Avaaz and others continue to give to this important issue," said Bernard Kuiten, the WTO's head of external relations. "The WTO needs to be aware of citizens' views and concerns with trade matters that could directly affect them. Avaaz and others are helping to raise awareness about access to vaccines and their vital role in ensuring a global solution to the COVID-19 crisis." An original version of the petition had more than 900,000 signatures and was dropped off at the WTO on Dec. 9, 2020.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule to reflect the United Arab Emirates formally ending its participation in the Arab League Boycott of Israel. Under the rule, effective June 8, certain “requests for information, action or agreement from the UAE” will not be “presumed to be boycott-related” -- and therefore not restricted or reportable under the Export Administration Regulations -- if they were made before Aug. 16, 2020, BIS said.
Current geopolitical issues, deteriorating relations and COVID-19 are making it “impossible” to continue relying on China, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, a new report from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry detailed. The group surveyed 189 Australian exporters and businesses, finding the difficulties with Chinese trade especially pronounced for small wine exporters. The problems stemming from the raising of tariff and non-tariff barriers by the Chinese government has made customer relationships incredibly difficult and “resulted in a complete cessation of trade.”
The European Union ambassadors to the European Council agreed to the terms of a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament to create an International Procurement Instrument, the council announced in a June 2 news release. The IPI will work to open third countries' procurement markets and “ensure access and a level playing field to EU businesses in those markets.” The IPI would allow the EU to block access to its public procurement markets case by case without affecting existing EU commitments via the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and free trade agreements.