The Treasury released its 2020 National Illicit Finance Strategy on Feb. 6, detailing a “roadmap to modernize” its regimes for anti-money laundering regimes countering terrorism financing, the agency said. In the report, Treasury said money launderers and terrorist financers often try to evade U.S. sanctions and export controls on dual-use items, frequently trying to procure controlled U.S.-origin goods and technology.

The United Kingdom's Secretary of State of International Trade, Elizabeth Truss, told Parliament that the price the National Health Service pays for prescription drugs is not up for negotiation in free trade deals, and “we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.” She also added, according to her written statement, that “The UK will maintain its own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime to protect public, animal and plant life and health and the environment, reflecting its existing high standards.”

U.S. and global companies should not be concerned about other European Union member states withdrawing from the EU in the near future, trade experts said. A lengthy and complicated Brexit became a source of division within the United Kingdom, the experts said, which should serve as a deterrent for other EU member states that may have considered leaving the EU.

In the Feb. 5-6 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade released a guidance Feb. 6 on its trade remedies investigations process after the U.K. leaves the European Union. The U.K. clarified that its Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) will investigate new cases of dumped and subsidized imports once the U.K. leaves the EU Customs Union, which will allow the U.K. to issue trade remedies to “protect UK industries.” During the Brexit transition period, TRID will perform “transition reviews into current EU trade remedy measures which are relevant to UK industries,” the guidance says. The guidance provides more details on that process, how the UK will assess injuries to UK industries and how it will consider “possible causes of injury.”

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade launched a public consultation to inform the U.K.’s new independent “global tariff policy” after Brexit, the DIT said in a Feb. 6 notice. The U.K. said it is developing a new Most Favored Nation tariff schedule to take effect Jan. 2, 2021, to ensure U.K. companies “compete on fair terms with the rest of the world.” The consultation will open online for four weeks until March 5, the U.K. said, adding that it is seeking views on “simplifying and tailoring” tariffs to benefit UK companies, removing tariffs on “key inputs to production” to reduce costs for manufacturers, and removing tariffs where the U.K. has “zero or limited domestic production.”

The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit amended its inspection process for the use of open licenses and electronic standard individual export licenses, the ECJU said in a Feb. 6 notice. As part of the change, companies will be informed of the ”exact date” that their records will be inspected, the ECJU said, adding that it will no longer offer “alternative dates.” The U.K. said it will still give companies between four and six weeks' notice before the inspection date.

The Commerce Department is accepting nominations for its Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, Commerce said. The agency is particularly encouraging nominations of representatives from the trucking, air transport, energy, logistics, supply chain financing, warehousing, terminal operators, retailers, and supply chain compliance sectors, it said. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 28. Commerce is seeking members for the current term, which ends in November 2021.

U.S. and Ukraine recently held discussions on “strategic trade control issues,” including best practices to restrict trade of dual-use goods and technology related to weapons proliferation, the State Department said Feb. 5. Both sides committed to “nonproliferation goals” and agreed to cooperate on trade controls, the agency said. Ukraine said it is reforming its trade controls to align them with “international best practices.” The discussions, held in Kyiv earlier this week, included officials from the State, Energy, Commerce, Justice and Defense departments, along with top Ukrainian trade officials.

The U.S. and Kenya amended the U.S.-Kenya Air Transport Agreement to expand the commercial partnership between the two countries and create “new opportunities” for all-cargo airlines and exporters, the State Department said Feb. 5. The amendment will allow U.S. all-cargo airlines to fly between Kenya and a third nation without needing to stop in the U.S., and will give Kenya all-cargo carriers “reciprocal rights to serve” the U.S., the agency said. The changes will “fully open the Kenyan air cargo services market to U.S. carriers,” the State Department said.