In recent editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notice was posted (here):
Russia export controls and sanctions
The use of export controls and sanctions on Russia has surged since the country's invasion of Crimea in 2014, and especially its invasion of Ukraine in in February 2022. Similar export controls and sanctions have been imposed by U.S. allies, including the EU, U.K. and Japan. The following is a listing of recent articles in Export Compliance Daily on export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia:
Two House Republicans called on the executive branch to level sanctions greenlighted when President Barack Obama on Dec. 23 signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017, to respond to alleged ongoing Russian violations of arms control treaties, such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. House Foreign Affairs Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Ted Poe, R-Texas, and House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., authored NDAA Section 1290, which requires sanctions against companies involved in arms control violations and entities that conduct business with those firms. Poe criticized the Obama administration for not confronting Russia either economically or militarily regarding its purported violations of the INF Treaty and other arms control agreements (here). “This administration waited out the clock on Russia’s blatant violations of arms control agreements like the INF treaty,” Rogers said in a statement. “The next administration has to do better, and I’m pleased the Rogers-Poe sanctions will be available to them.” The INF Treaty prohibits the development and testing of all land-based missiles capable of hitting ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. The White House and Trump Transition Team didn’t comment.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Russia (A-821-809) (here). The agency assigned an AD rate of 184.56% for the only company under review, Severstal PAO and its affiliate Severstal Export. Any changes to Severstal's cash deposit rate would take effect on the publication date of the final results of this review, currently due in May. Once it issues its final results, Commerce will assess AD duties at importer-specific rates for entries of subject merchandise from Severstal entered between Dec. 19, 2014, and Nov. 30, 2015.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Dec. 27-30 in case they were missed.
President Barack Obama authorized sanctions against Russian individuals and entities “determined to be responsible for tampering, altering, or causing the misappropriation of information with the purpose or effect of interfering with or undermining election processes or institutions,” the Treasury Department said (here). Obama added four individuals and five entities to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under cyber-related designations, while Treasury in a parallel action added two individuals to the SDN list for their alleged misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers or financial information for private financial gain, Treasury said (here). “The integrity and stability of our electronic systems are of utmost importance to our national security and we will hold accountable those who seek to compromise or tamper with those systems,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a statement. “Treasury will use all of its financial tools as part of the U.S. Government’s effort to counter those who engage in malicious cyber activities against our financial system or our national institutions.”
The Commerce Department is ending antidumping duties on solid urea from Russia and Ukraine (A-821-801, A-823-801), it said (here). Domestic producers did not file a request to participate in sunset reviews of the two AD duty orders, which began in November. As a result, Commerce found that domestic producers didn't express an interest in keeping the duties in place. Effective for entries on or after Dec. 20, 2016, Commerce will direct CBP to end suspension of liquidation and CV duty cash deposit requirements for solid urea from Russia and Ukraine.
On Dec. 23-26 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports:
The interagency End-User Review Committee, as ordered through the Bureau of Industry and Security, is adding 23 entities to the Entity List under destinations of Russia and the Crimea region of Ukraine, BIS said (here). The action, which will take effect Dec. 27, follows the Office of Foreign Assets Control's addition of seven individuals, eight entities and two vessels to the Specially Designated Nationals list, under Russia/Ukraine designations, as well as OFAC's addition of 26 entities to its Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List under Russia/Ukraine designations (see 1612210019).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Dec. 22 released its 2016 Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of Russia’s World Trade Organization Commitments (here). Russia acted as a responsible WTO member “in some areas” in 2016, but departed from core WTO tenets “on the whole,” USTR said. Russia adopted “inward-looking, import-substitution” economic policies in 2016, and maintains opaque customs regulations for import valuation, tedious import licensing requirements, and troublesome rules for imports of alcoholic products. Moreover, several Russian domestic products could be subject to export restrictions or prohibitions, the report says. But positive actions taken by Russia in 2016 include decreasing its bound tariffs by deadline, notifying appropriate WTO committees of new and draft measures, eliminating a safeguard measure on schedule, working to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement, and participating in its first WTO trade policy review, according to USTR.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 11, which authorizes certain transactions with FAU Glavgosekspertiza Rossii ordinarily incident and necessary to requesting, contracting for, paying for, receiving or utilizing a project design review or permit from the company's office(s) in Russia, not including Crimea, OFAC said (here). The state-run entity is authorized to conduct official examinations of project documentation for significant construction in Russia. In other action, OFAC added seven individuals, eight entities and two vessels to the Specially Designated Nationals list, under Russia/Ukraine designations, the agency said. OFAC also added 26 entities to its Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List under Russia/Ukraine designations. A State Department spokesman on Dec. 20 said the sanctions reflect Russia's support for separatists in Ukraine, and violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty (here). The State spokesman said he hopes the next administration will continue the sanctions, highlighting recent events in Ukraine. Considering "the recent violence ... in eastern Ukraine just over the last couple of days, we would hope that they would see the wisdom in keeping these sanctions and this pressure on Russia, because we have seen it have an effect," he said. "But obviously, these are decisions they have to make and we also respect that process as well."