The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on Jan. 2 amended a Russia-related general license to reflect the name change of VTB Bank (Europe) SE to OWH SE. The license, issued in March 2022, authorizes certain transactions involving Russia-based VTB Capital and its subsidiaries (see 2203020019).
The European Council on Jan. 3 added Russian-owned diamond mining firm PJSC Alrosa and its CEO Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev to the Russia sanctions list, the council announced. The company is responsible for over 90% of all Russian diamond production, the council said, adding that the designations "complement" the import ban on Russian diamonds adopted Dec. 18 (see 2312180070).
The Commerce Department’s export enforcement actions in 2023 resulted in the “highest number ever” of convictions, temporary denial orders and post-conviction denial orders, the Bureau of Industry and Security wrote in a year-end review. It also said it worked with foreign governments to complete over 1,500 end-use checks, “our most ever in a single year,” and added more than 465 parties from China, Iran, Russia and elsewhere to the Entity List.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security published a new set of frequently asked questions for its recently updated semiconductor export controls (see 2310170055), offering guidance on the agency’s new export notification requirement, its controls on U.S. persons activities, the scope of its end-use controls, direction for electronic export information filers and more. The FAQs also give input on several export scenarios that may require a license and preview at least one export control revision that BIS plans to make.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top 20 stories published in 2023. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference numbers.
The Netherlands “partially revoked” an ASML export license that allowed the Dutch chip equipment maker to send certain advanced semiconductor equipment to China, ASML said Jan. 1. The company said it now faces new restrictions on exports of NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i lithography systems to China, which it said will affect a “small number” of customers in the country.
The U.K. on Dec. 28 updated its Haiti sanctions guidance to reflect the October renewal by the U.N. Security Council of an arms embargo against the country (see 2310240072). The U.K. said under certain cases it may grant certain export licenses for weapons shipments to Haiti, or licenses for a U.N. or U.N.-authorized mission to the country that is intended to “further the objectives of peace and stability in Haiti.”
South Korea sanctioned eight people from North Korea in response to its long-range ballistic missile launch Dec. 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to an unofficial translation. The people have generated revenue for the North Korean government or have aided the country's weapons programs, South Korea said, including by helping it buy and finance nuclear weapons and missiles, steal technology and trade in sanctioned materials, including weapons. South Korea said some also have been involved in "illegal cyber activities."