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Further updates to EU and UK sanctions against Belarus

by 1 Min Read

The European Council has designated 40 individuals under its Belarus sanctions regime, amending Council Regulation (EC) 765/2006. In the UK, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has accordingly updated the consolidated list. 5 of these individuals were already sanctioned under the UK’s Global Human Rights regime and are now subject to an asset freeze under both the UK and EU regimes. OFSI has also updated information for a further 4 individuals under the UK regime, bringing the…

UK – OFSI publishes Annual Review 2019-2020 and issues reminder to report frozen assets

by 2 Mins Read

On 9 October 2020, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) published its Annual Review, providing an overview of OFSI’s activities in the financial year April 2019 to March 2020. A copy of the Annual Review is available here. In addition, OFSI has reminded UK businesses that they must report any frozen assets they hold by 16 October 2020. Statistics In 2019-2020, OFSI received 140 reports of potential financial sanctions breaches, an increase from 99 previously. The…

UK to join WTO government procurement pact in its own right in the new year

by 1 Min Read

The WTO announced that at a meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement on 7 October, parties to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) invited the United Kingdom to complete the remaining steps to join the Agreement in its own right following its departure from the European Union. They also applauded Brazil for submitting the first documentation required to start negotiations to join the Agreement. At the meeting, GPA parties adopted a decision granting the UK…

UK updates unilateral sanctions targeting Belarus officials

by 2 Mins Read

On 29 September 2020, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced that 8 Belarusian officials, including Alexander Lukashenko, his son Victor, and other senior Belarusian government officials, have been subjected to sanctions (asset freezes and travel bans) under the UK’s autonomous Global Human Rights sanctions regime. This regime was introduced earlier in 2020 as a “Magnitsky-style” regime, and is the first autonomous sanctions regime adopted by the UK following its departure from the EU. For…

US – Homeland Security ends arrival restrictions for flights carrying persons arriving from or present in certain countries

by 1 Min Read

On September 15, 2020, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published in the Federal Register a document that announces the decision of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate arrival restrictions applicable to certain flights. Specifically, the document terminates arrival restrictions that are applicable to flights carrying persons who had recently traveled from, or were otherwise present within, the People’s Republic of China (excluding the…

UK takes major step towards membership of Trans-Pacific free trade area

by 2 Mins Read

On 9 September 2020, the Department for International Trade (DIT) announced that the UK has taken a major step in the process of joining CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), one of the world’s largest and most dynamic free trade areas. The press release stated in part: International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, alongside the current chair of the CPTPP Commission, Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Márquez, opened discussions between senior UK trade officials and…

US – CBP issues updated guidance on Sec. 301 Large Civil Aircraft Dispute

by 1 Min Read

On August 27, 2020, CBP issued CSMS #43784137 – UPDATED GUIDANCE: Modification of Section 301 Action: Enforcement of U.S. World Trade Organization (WTO) Rights in Large Civil Aircraft Dispute. The text is identical to CSMS #43762405 – GUIDANCE: Modification of Section 301 Action: Enforcement of U.S. World Trade Organization (WTO) Rights in Large Civil Aircraft Dispute except that it includes a revised list of affected products (LCA 2020 Table chart 20200825.pdf). Subheadings 0406.90.99 (added) and…

US – USTR modifies $7.5 Billion WTO award implementation relating to illegal Airbus subsidies [updated]

by 5 Mins Read

On August 12, 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release stating that, as required by U.S. law, the USTR is issuing a modification to the list of products subject to WTO-authorized additional duties in the United States’ successful WTO challenge to subsidies for large civil aircraft provided by the European Union, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. USTR is removing from the tariff list certain products from Greece and the United…

US – USTR modifies $7.5 Billion WTO award implementation relating to illegal Airbus subsidies

by 4 Mins Read

On August 12, 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) issued a press release stating that, as required by U.S. law, the USTR is issuing a modification to the list of products subject to WTO-authorized additional duties in the United States’ successful WTO challenge to subsidies for large civil aircraft provided by the European Union, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. USTR is removing from the tariff list certain products from Greece and the United…

UK extends China arms embargo to Hong Kong

by 2 Mins Read

UK extends China arms embargo to Hong Kong In Notice to Exporters 2020/12 (22 July 2020), the Export Control Joint Unit said: On 20 July 2020 the Foreign Secretary informed Parliament in an oral statement that the UK has taken measures, given the new National Security Law which China has imposed on the people of Hong Kong So we will extend to Hong Kong the arms embargo that we have applied to mainland China since 1989 and…

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