The European Commission launched an online portal to provide businesses guidance on verifying actors in their supply chains and to aid with sanctions compliance, the commission said in a Nov. 19 press release. The “Due Diligence Ready!” portal will help businesses “check the sources of the metals and minerals entering their supply chain” and improve due diligence, the commission said. Specifically, the portal will help businesses identify whether their supplies are originating from human rights abusers who may be subject to European sanctions by providing access to training materials, guidance information and due-diligence requirements.

China is eliminating antidumping duties on products from India, Japan and Taiwan, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Nov. 20. China said it is eliminating antidumping duties on “methyl ethyl ketone” imported from Japan and Taiwan and “pyridine” imported from India and Japan. The changes will take effect Nov. 21.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget finished an interagency review of proposed regulations resulting from the information and communications technology and services supply chain executive order, according to a Nov. 19 notice. The review was concluded “consistent with change.” The regulations were due in October and have caused concern within the U.S. technology industry (see 1910310053).

A U.S. manufacturer of defense technology products was fined $1 million by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and agreed to improve its compliance program after it violated the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, DDTC said in a Nov. 20 enforcement order. The company, AeroVironment, illegally exported goods and technical data to Canada, Australia, France, Thailand and Britain, according to a charging letter. The company also violated terms and conditions of licenses and did not keep records of ITAR-controlled sales.

The U.S. is continuing sanctions on Burundi, the White House said in a Nov. 19 notice. The situation in Burundi -- marked by “violence” and “political repression” -- continues to “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security, the White House said. The sanctions are being renewed for one year from Nov. 22. The national emergency with regard to Burundi was originally declared Nov. 22, 2015.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent penalty against a U.S. company’s sanctions and anti-corruption violations may be an indication of the SEC’s intent to begin penalizing sanctions violators, according to a Nov. 18 post by Squire Patton Boggs. The penalty marked a “rare foray” by the SEC into sanctions enforcement, the post said, and may signal its aim to explore new ways of policing companies.

The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security finalized some interagency reviews of Huawei license applications and will begin issuing approvals and denials on a “rolling basis,” according to Matt Borman, Commerce deputy assistant secretary for export administration. The announcement was first made by Secretary Wilbur Ross, who told Fox Business on Nov. 19 that Commerce has started “to send out the 20-day intent-to-deny letters and some approvals.” Ross also said Commerce has received about 290 “requests for specific licenses.”

If President Donald Trump signs the bill that passed the Senate unanimously Nov. 19 and passed the House 417-1 on Nov. 20, the secretary of state will have to certify within 180 days whether Hong Kong continues to warrant special treatment under U.S. law because of its special status under Chinese rule. It also requires a report by that date on whether items exported to Hong Kong that are on export controls lists are being transshipped.

More than three weeks after a top Commerce official said the agency’s first set of proposed controls on emerging technologies would be released within the ”next few weeks,” (see 1910290062) the proposal is still under review. Commerce now hopes to release the proposed controls “in the next couple weeks,” Matt Borman, Commerce deputy undersecretary for export administration, said during a Nov. 20 Materials and Equipment Technical Advisory Committee meeting.

The European Commission will allocate the equivalent of about $250 million to fund 2020 promotion activities for European agricultural goods, with more than half of the funding going toward campaigns promoting exports, the commission said in a Nov. 19 press release. The funding will raise the competitiveness of the European agricultural sector and help during “market disturbances,” the commission said. The commission will target several export markets with “high-growth potential,” including Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the U.S. The Commission said “eligible sectors” include dairy and cheese, olive oil and wine.