On January 19, 2017, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. 161230999–7013–01] that requires persons intending to export or reexport to Hong Kong any item subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and controlled on the Commerce Control List (CCL) for national security (NS), missile technology (MT), nuclear nonproliferation (NP column 1), or chemical and biological weapons (CB) reasons to obtain, prior to such export…
On September 7, 2016, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. 160617543-6543-01] that amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding eighty-one entities under eighty-six entries to the Entity List. The eighty-one entities who are added to the Entity List have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. BIS is…
The European Commission has announced that on 15 July 2016, the General Administration of China Customs and Hong Kong Customs joined the customs authorities of eight EU Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom) and the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union of the European Commission, DG TAXUD in Phase 3 of the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) pilot project. Seven additional Member States (Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia) as well as the WCO take part as observers.
On June 21, 2016, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding thirty-six (36) persons to the Unverified List (the ‘‘Unverified List’’ or UVL), and adding an additional address for one (1) person currently listed on the UVL. The 36 persons are being added to the UVL on the basis that BIS could not verify their bona fides because an…
On May 26, 2016, the Department of State published in the Federal Register a document [Public Notice: 9584] announcing that on May 3, 2016, it certified that 14 shrimp-harvesting nations (Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, and Suriname) have a regulatory program comparable to that of the United States governing the incidental taking of the relevant species of sea turtles in the course of commercial shrimp…
On December 23, 2014, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. 141107937-4937-01] This rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to expand controls for national security reasons and responds to public comments solicited by a BIS notice of inquiry regarding the proper export control classification of certain electronic commodities and a type of radar. Specifically, in this rule, BIS amends the EAR to expand national…
The European Commission’s EU Trade Newsletter of 2 October 2014, reported that on 22-26 September, the EU and 13 other members of the World Trade Organization participated in the second round of the green goods negotiations (liberalising trade in environmental goods and services) in Geneva. The objective of this initiative was to make it easier to trade green goods internationally.The following countries are taking part: Australia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Chinese Taipei, the European Union,…
On August 1, 2014, the Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. 140627545–4617–01] that amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding sixteen persons under nineteen entries to the Entity List. The persons who are added to the Entity List have been determined by the US Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These persons…
On June 26, 2014, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. 140522446-4446-01] which amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding four persons under five entries to the Entity List. The persons who are added to the Entity List have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These persons will…
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) recently posted information of foreign import/export license requirements (Hong Kong and Singapore) which advises exporters that they should be aware that their foreign customers may be required to obtain import and reexport licenses from their own government whether or not an individually validated US export license is required. BIS strongly encourages US exporters to know whether foreign customers are obligated to obtain licenses. As a best practice, prior…