The EU extended its restrictive measures against those responsible for threatening the sovereignty of Moldova and those related to the situation in Myanmar, the Council of the EU announced. The Moldova sanctions currently apply to 11 individuals and one entity and were extended until April 29, 2025. The Myanmar sanctions apply to 103 individuals and 21 entities and were extended until April 30, 2025.
The European Commission and Canada on April 26 proposed new rules to help small and medium-sized enterprises take advantage of the investment dispute resolution mechanism under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the commission's Directorate-General for Trade announced.
Under an April 22 draft order, the U.K. would be the first country to "proscribe" the Terrorgram collective, an "online network of neo-fascist terrorists who produce and disseminate violent propaganda" to encourage terrorist activity, the U.K. Home Office announced. If adopted by the Parliament, the order would take effect April 26, making it a "criminal offense to belong to, invite support for, or in certain circumstances, display articles" linked with Terrorgram. Violations could be met with up to 14 years in prison or an "unlimited fine."
The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly called for the "establishment of an international compensation mechanism" to use confiscated Russian assets to "address the damages incurred by natural and legal persons affected, including the State of Ukraine," due to Russia's invasion. The assembly urged EU member states holding Russian assets to "actively co-operate in the prompt transfer of these assets" to the compensation mechanism, adding that states shouldn't wait until the end of the war in Ukraine. In addition, the assembly called for the "establishment of an impartial and effective international claims commission" to sort through Ukrainian claims and affected parties seeking reparation from Russia.
Luxembourg authorities on April 23 assessed an over $841,000 administrative fine against wealth management firm Fuchs & Associés Finance S.A. for anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance violations.
The Dutch Supreme Court on April 24 said it will refer two preliminary questions to the European Court of Justice concerning the effect of EU Russia sanctions on sanctioned parties' shareholder voting rights, according to an unofficial translation.
European countries not in the EU aligned with two recent EU sanctions moves concerning Iran and human rights abuses, the Council of the EU announced.
The European Parliament on April 23 issued the final approval to new regulations banning the "sale, import, and export of goods made" with forced labor (see 2403050035), the Parliament announced. The European Commission, along with member state authorities, will be able investigate "suspicious goods, supply chains, and manufactures" to find if forced labor exists in a good's supply chain.
The Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously adopted a resolution last week recommending that $300 billion in frozen Russian state assets be used to support Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The EU General Court last week rejected a challenge from Belgium and Czech Republic-based company Cogebi to EU import restrictions on Russian-made mica products. The court said that the European Council had laid out sufficient reasons for barring the import of mica products in that the council appropriately found the sale of mica products to "generate significant revenues for the Russian Federation."