The European Union Council is considering upholding sanctions placed on 17 Russians for “undermining or threatening” the sovereignty of Ukraine, the council said in a June 7 notice. The sanctions stem from a 2014 decision by the council. The notice contains a new statement of reasons for upholding the sanctions, which may be obtained by the sanctioned individuals before June 14, the notice said.

The United Kingdom’s House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published a June 12 report rebuking the UK’s current sanctions policy, calling it “fragmented and incoherent.” The report called on the U.K.’s National Security Council “to begin an urgent review” of the country’s sanctions strategy and to report findings to Parliament by the end of 2019.

Instex, the European payment system designed to allow countries to trade with Iran despite U.S. sanctions, will be ready soon, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in Iran, according to multiple reports and a June 10 German Foreign Office press release. Maas recently met with Iran officials, the foreign office said, and underscored Europe’s support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Meeting with reporters in Tehran, Maas said that “all the formal requirements are in place now,” to use Instex, according to reports, “and so I’m assuming we’ll be ready to use it in the foreseeable future.” The announcement comes about a week after the Trump administration sent a warning to Europe that sanctions will be imposed on anyone associated with Instex (see 1905300035). The German Foreign Office was critical of the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran deal and its decision “not to extend exemptions for oil exports and non proliferation projects,” the press release said. “Germany and the other parties support the preservation of the JCPoA as a safeguard for greater stability and security in the region,” it said.

The United Kingdom will sign a trade continuity agreement with South Korea, the U.K. Department for International Trade said in a June 10 press release. The U.K. and South Korea have completed negotiations and signed a joint statement on the agreement, which takes effect in the event the U.K. leaves the European Union with no transition deal in place. "This marks the end of formal trade discussions and the UK-Korea Free Trade Agreement will be subject to final checks before it is formally signed," the press release said. The deal would allow for trade between the U.K. and South Korea to continue under the terms of the European Union-South Korea free trade agreement.

German Customs seized half a ton of firearms accessories shipped from the U.S. to Austria after authorities discovered some of the items in the shipment were banned under German law, according to a June 7 report from the Deutsche Welle website. The shipment, which was seized in late May and which was also missing certain permits, was meant for an arms dealer in Austria, the report said. The shipment included a range of items banned under German law, including “laser systems and tactical lights,” which the report said are banned because they are used to improve a weapon’s aim. Other items in the shipment included “rangefinders, telescopes” and other “minor components,” the report said. While only some of the products are banned in Germany, customs seized the entire shipment because it was “not accompanied by correct documentation,” the report said.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China signed a customs agreement to exchange information about goods and “transport vehicles,” according to a June 6 report from Tass, a Russian state-run news site. The agreement will speed up customs operations, improve efficiency “in the field of risk management,” improve customs control forms and mitigate risks “of transporting potentially dangerous, banned and restricted goods” between the EAEU and China, the report said. Along with China, the agreement was signed by the chairman of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, and officials representing Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, according to the report.

In the June 7 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

In the June 6 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

In the June 5 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Union Council issued a mandate on June 5 for modernizing the EU’s current regime of export controls of dual-use items. The 115-page mandate includes new provisions for “harmonising licensing processes” through new general export authorizations and new controls for “supplying technical assistance related to sensitive items.” It also includes "a new mention of cyber surveillance items highlighting that the competent authorities have the possibility to control such items using the current regulation as for all non-listed dual-use items that could be used for directing or committing serious violation of human rights," the Council said in a May 6 press release. “The new rules will introduce a number of changes to the EU export control system of dual-use items to adapt it to the changing technological, economic and political circumstances,” the notice said. “They will also simplify and improve the current rules and optimise the EU licensing architecture.”