The EU is aiming to expand the scope of its upcoming carbon border tariff to apply to 180 steel and "aluminium-intensive" products produced downstream.

The U.K.'s Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation published guidance this week on reporting suspected sanctions violations, including what kind of information such reports should include and who should submit them.

The Council of the European Union on Dec. 12 agreed to impose a fixed customs duty of around $3.52 on "small parcels" valued at less than $176 entering the EU, "largely via e-commerce," starting on July 1, 2026. The measure comes as the bloc moves to eliminate a provision that exempts low-value imports from tariffs (see 2511130008).

Rome's legislative body is reviewing two initiatives that should "reshape the compliance landscape" for companies operating in Italy, including one that would make sanctions violations a criminal offense and another that would change how companies are held liable for trade violations committed by employees, law firm McDermott Will said in a client alert this month.

The European Commission on Dec. 10 opened an investigation on Chinese threat-detection system maker Nuctech for allegedly receiving foreign subsidies "that could distort the EU internal market." A commission "ex officio" inquiry opened in April 2024 with authorities conducting inspections of Nuctech facilities in Poland and the Netherlands, finding a "number of measures granted by the" Chinese government to Nuctech that "may constitute foreign subsidies distorting the internal market," the commission said.

The Council of the European Union presidency and European Parliament negotiators agreed this week on a set of updated foreign direct investment screening rules (see 2506170024), including a minimum scope of industries that should be subject to investment screening.

The U.K. has formally acceded to the Agreement on Defense Export Controls, a partnership with France, Germany and Spain aimed at removing obstacles to license application approvals.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation this week added two entries to its cyber sanctions list and seven entries to its Russia sanctions list.

The European Commission on Dec. 2 added Russia to its list of high-risk jurisdictions with deficiencies in their anti-money-laundering and counterterrorist financing regimes. EU entities covered by the anti-money-laundering framework are required to apply "enhanced vigilance in transactions involving" jurisdictions added to the list. The commission reviewed Russia for its potential inclusion as a country with "strategic deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing frameworks," since Russia isn't listed by the Financial Action Task Force but its membership is suspended.

EU ministers and the European Parliament agreed this week on a proposal that could end imports of Russian liquefied natural gas by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas in fall 2027.