Hogan Lovells hired Kelly Ann Shaw, previously deputy assistant for International Economic Affairs and deputy director of the National Economic Council at the White House, the firm said in a news release. Shaw will be a partner in the firm's International Trade and Investment practice, it said.

The European Union will begin patrols of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to enforce the United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Libya, according to a March 27 press release from the EU Council and a post from the EU Sanctions blog. The measure was taken because the “fighting has increased” in Libya despite international calls for a truce and the UN arms embargo, the council said.

The European Commission issued guidance on restrictions on non-essential travel to the European Union to address “companies' practical concerns about the measures taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus,” according to a March 30 press release. The guidance provides “advice” on border restrictions, “facilitating transit arrangements” for EU citizens and other measures.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of March 30 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

India imposed new restrictions on exports of certain “animal by-products” to the European Union, India’s Department of Commerce said in a March 30 notice. The conditions, which apply to bone and bone products for human consumption and “gelatine,” require a certain “shipment clearance certificate” with the name and address of the exporter, address of the “registered plant,” the “nature of the export product,” the port of loading and more, the notice said. The conditions also require the exporter to provide a “health certificate” to the buyer with the harmonized system code, origin, destination, vessel name and more.

As China begins to rebound from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak (see 2003170043), it is preparing for sustained negative impacts on its supply chains due to the pandemic’s spread across the rest of the world, officials said during a March 30 press conference held by the State Council Information Office. China said its imports and exports fell by nearly 10 percent in January and February compared with the same period last year, and expects that trend to continue due to the fact that its supply chains are “deeply integrated” in regions being hit hard by the pandemic, such as Europe and the U.S.

Indian agencies responsible for issuing certificates of origin under India’s free trade agreements are temporarily closed and unable to issue the certificates, due to a “lockdown” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a March 28 notice. Certificates will be issued “retrospectively” after the agencies reopen, India said. In the interim, the country is urging its trading partners to “kindly allow the eligible imports under preferences on a retrospective basis subject to the subsequent production of the certificates of origin by the Indian exporters.” India said it will “stand ready to honour its preferential trade agreement imports” if it receives a similar request from trading partners.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued a new frequently asked question designed to help users of the recently released encryption rule (see 2003260005) better understand the “provision of access information to foreign persons,” the agency said in a March 27 notice. The DDTC said violations can occur under this provision if a “regulated person” provides access information to a foreign person who is able to access the encrypted technical data in an “unencrypted form” but is “not authorized to have the technical data.”

Fifteen former and current Venezuela government officials were charged by the U.S. Justice Department for corruption and drug trafficking, including several charges for sanctions and export control violations, the agency said in a March 26 news release. In addition to narco-terrorism charges against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, separate indictments charge Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, Venezuela’s vice president for the economy; Joselit Ramirez Camacho, superintendent of crypto currency; and Samark Lopez Bello, a Venezuelan businessman, with evasion of U.S. sanctions. Maddah and Camacho worked with U.S. people and companies to provide flight services to benefit Maduro’s 2018 presidential campaign, which violated U.S. sanctions against Maduro’s election efforts.

Export restrictions on food, medicine or medical supplies “must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary,” the G-20 countries said in a statement on trade and COVID-19 released March 30. They agreed they would notify the World Trade Organization if any restrictions are implemented, and they will consider the needs of other countries for emergency supplies and humanitarian assistance. “We are actively working to ensure the continued flow of vital medical supplies and equipment, critical agricultural products, and other essential goods and services across borders, for supporting the health of our citizens. Consistent with national requirements, we will take immediate necessary measures to facilitate trade in those essential goods,” the ministers wrote. They want global supply chains to continue to function.