A Canadian practice of reserving at least 85% of dairy quotas for Canadian processors is counter to the USMCA, a panel ruled. The panel's decision was made public Jan. 4. Canada has until Feb. 3 to reform its tariff rate quota allocations. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative noted that from January through October last year, the U.S. exported $478 million worth of dairy products to Canada.
Daniel Solomon, former anti-corruption and trade compliance attorney at Smith Pachter, joined Miller & Chevalier as a member its International Department, the firm announced. Solomon brings to his new practice experience with economic sanctions, export controls and U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement and investigations, the firm said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top 20 stories published in 2021 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference numbers.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined Airbnb just over $91,000 for violating U.S. sanctions against Cuba, the agency said Jan. 3. OFAC said the company’s subsidiary, Airbnb Payments, illegally processed payments for guests traveling in Cuba and failed to keep certain records related to those payments.
China’s foreign ministry criticized the U.S. decision last month to identify five additional Chinese officials under its Hong Kong Autonomy Act (see 2112200054), saying it “strongly condemns the U.S. act of sanctioning Chinese personnel.” As a result of the sanctions, the U.S. is looking into whether any foreign bank knowingly conducts “significant” transactions with the five officials and could impose further sanctions. “Once again we urge the U.S. to remove the so-called sanctions on Chinese personnel and stop meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs, which are China’s domestic affairs,” the spokesperson said Dec. 30, according to a transcript of a regular press conference. “The Chinese side will continue to take all necessary measures to defend its national interests and dignity."
Israel’s Justice Ministry charged Israeli drone maker Aeronautics and three senior employees with violating the country’s defense export control laws, according to a Dec. 30 report from Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper. An Israeli court placed a gag order on all details relating to the case, “presumably because the buyer is a country with whom Israel has sensitive relations or that exposure of details could harm Israeli drone sales,” The Jerusalem Post said in a Dec. 29 report. Haaretz said Aeronautics has been under investigation for several years for violating export laws.
The U.N. Security Council on Dec. 29 amended 62 entries on its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list. The changes include “technical amendments” to identifying information for each of the entries.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 30 deleted a range of entries designated under its counter-narcotics, Cuba and Kingpin Act sanctions. The now-deleted entries are for people and entities located in Colombia, Panama and Mexico. OFAC didn’t immediately provide more information.
The State Department published its fall 2021 regulatory agenda, including a new mention of a final rule that will add and remove certain export controls from the U.S. Munitions List, including some emerging technologies. The rule would revise and exclude some entries on the USML that don’t “warrant inclusion,” the agency said, and also add other entries for certain critical and emerging technologies. The changes include revisions to specific paragraphs in the USML and their corresponding parts in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The rule will also look to “limit the items categorized in USML Category XXI by updating the appropriate USML paragraph,” the agency said. The State Department plans to issue the rule in July.
Switzerland dropped former Congo official Jean-Claude Kazembe Musonda from its sanctions regime, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said. Musonda was the former governor of Haut-Katanga and leader of CONAKAT, the Confederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga. He died in July, resulting in his delisting by the EU Dec. 10 (see 2112130012).