The European Council dropped two names from its Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions regime following a ruling from the EU General Court. The individuals, Kalev Mutondo and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, were originally listed for obstructing the 2018 elections in the Congo, the council said June 19. In March, the General Court ruled that the council failed to adequately link Shadary and Mutondo and the security situation in the Congo.
The U.K. added two entries to its Syria sanctions list in a June 19 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Ali Mahmoud Abbas, the Syrian defense minister, and Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim, chief of the general staff of the Syrian army and armed forces. In a separate notice, OFSI added two entries to its Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions list. Desire Londroma Ndjukpa, commander of CODECO URDPC, and William Yakutumba, leader of the Mai-Mai Yakutumba, were also hit with travel bans and asset freezes.
Even as Europe comes to see China as a systemic rival, the entanglement of the German and Chinese economies continues unabated, and what "de-risking" should look like is hotly contested, witnesses told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission at a hearing late last week.
The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation this week issued a new license, which took effect June 14 and has no expiration date, that authorizes certain trades in derivatives and futures “in connection with activities” that would otherwise violate the price cap on Russian oil. The license also authorizes certain financial institutions to “process payments in relation” to those trades.
Germany released its first national security strategy this week, emphasizing the importance of export controls and sanctions to protect against human rights abuses. The 76-page document, which dives into a range of security issues, mentions that Germany wants Europe to achieve better “harmonization of arms export controls” and that it supports the “flexible use of EU sanctions.”
The European Parliament this week voted 499-28 to approve a proposed law governing artificial intelligence, bringing the EU closer to implementing first-of-its-kind AI regulations, including new import and export requirements on a range of products (see 2305160001). A June 14 Parliament news release said members would begin negotiations with the European Council “on the final form of the law” later that day.
The U.K. Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee launched an inquiry into the country’s freeports and investment zones to study their impact on trade so far (see 2103250025). The committee is accepting “evidence submissions” on the topic until Sept. 8, asking for feedback on the “current status” of England’s freeports and investment zones, whether the “current governance structures for freeports” are “adequate,” whether the government is “providing the support required for freeports to become a success” and more.
The EU’s new General Product Safety Regulation took effect this week, placing new restrictions on imported goods to ensure “only safe products” are sold in the EU market. The law places “specific product safety requirements” for online marketplaces and requires “all non-harmonised products imported to the EU” to have an EU-based economic operator “responsible for the product safety issues,” the European Commission said June 12. The law also provides member states with “necessary tools” to help with enforcement.
The U.K. announced a new sanctions package against Belarus last week, including export restrictions on chemical and biological weapons-related products, certain machinery and bank notes, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced. The new restrictions also set import bans on cement, rubber, wood and gold from Belarus and prohibit "ancillary services" for all banned goods, including technical and financial assistance.