Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs on Aug. 3 added six people and one entity to its Myanmar sanctions regime following the EU's designation of the parties. The designations target Myanmar's Health and Sport Minister Thet Khaing Win; Quartermaster General Kyaw Swar Lin; Union Minister for Immigration and Population Myint Kyaing; and members of the State Administration Council. The listed entity is No 2 Mining Enterprise.
The European Council on Aug. 4 announced a humanitarian exemption for its Guinea-Bissau sanctions regime, which exempts certain restrictions from applying to the provision of funds where the "timely delivery" of humanitarian services is needed. The exemption can be used by various international organizations, including the U.N. or humanitarian organizations that have "observer status" with the U.N. General Assembly.
The European Council on Aug. 3 added another 38 individuals and three entities to its Belarus sanctions regime, further extending export bans to cover goods for the firearms, aviation and space industry. The listings include "penitentiary officials responsible for the torture and ill-treatment of detainees," members of the judiciary, cogs of civil society and journalists, the council said.
The Georgian Ministry of Finance on Aug. 3 imposed an export/reexport ban on vehicles that were imported from the U.S. to Georgia to Russia and Belarus, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry also barred, effective Sept. 26, the export of vehicles to Russia with engines larger than 1,900 cubic centimeters and all electric and hybrid vehicles shipped from the EU.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with recent sanctions decisions from the European Council under the lists of parties subject to restrictions to combat terrorism and threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine, along with the Syria sanctions regime.
The EU on Aug. 2 updated two of its Russia sanctions FAQs. The FAQs on the oil price cap now include a question on what oil is covered by the price cap and whether the measures apply to non-Russian oil cargo mixed with Russian oil. The bloc said that the measures do apply to Russian crude falling under CN code 2709.00 and Russian petroleum goods under CN code 2710.
Amendments to the Ukrainian government's sanctions legislation came into effect July 29, according to an unofficial translation. Under the alterations, the government will establish a register of sanctioned individuals and entities that includes a list of the reasons for their addition and the type of sanctions to which they are subject. The amendments also extend the deadlines for the High Anti-Corruption Court to consider appeals of asset freezes, giving the court up to 30 days after receiving the claim to consider the appeals.
The U.K.'s Department for International Trade in an Aug. 2 notice suspended the antidumping duties on hot-rolled flat iron, non-alloy or other alloy steel goods from Iran or Russia, where those products are subject to the tariff-rate quota on steel goods. The effect is that antidumping duties will be charged on items until the import quota is exceeded. After that, only a portion of the AD exceeding the safeguard duty is charged, the notice said. The duties range from 5.3% to 33% for Russian companies, and are 17.9% for Iranian companies.
An EU proposal to reform its customs system could make European trade “more efficient and less burdensome,” and would be “a key tool in risk analysis and risk management as a centralized data repository at the Union level,” Crowell & Moring said in an Aug. 2 client alert.
The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit updated six open general export licenses this week to reflect updates to the list of controlled dual-use items. The six licenses involve dual-use exports for repair under warranty, dual-use exports after repair under warranty, dual-use exports after exhibition, low-value shipments, technology for dual-use items, and dual-use items for export to India.