The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for eight chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due July 11.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published a guidance on restrictions in the Russia sanctions regime in the case of a no-deal Brexit, the OFSI said in a June 6 press release. The four-page guidance would only apply if the U.K. leaves the European Union without a deal. The guidance “expands specifically on financial and investment restrictions,” OFSI said, including assets freezes, preventing access to payment processing and requiring license exceptions for continuing to operate under certain restrictions related to Crimea. The guidance also contains a list of Russian banks and entities in which loans, “credit arrangements,” investments and other financial services would be prohibited.

China recently updated its customs regulations and policies related to imports of art and auto parts, according to KPMG’s monthly China customs update for the month of May. China has also announced that it is fully implementing the TIR Carnet system, and announced new AD duties on phenol from the U.S., KPMG said. Highlights are as follows:

China is looking into additional measures to protect its technology firms and strengthen controls on exports through a “national technological security management list system,” according to state news agencies.

Steve Francis is the new assistant director of the interagency Global Trade Investigations Division (GTID) and director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, ICE Homeland Security Investigations said in a news release. The Counter-Proliferation Investigations (CPI) Unit and the Export Enforcement Coordination Center (E2C2) are both now part of GTID, a "newly-formed division that was created as part of a headquarters reorganization," ICE said. “With this realignment, the IPR Center is better positioned to maximize the effectiveness of its 25-agency partnerships in the fight against intellectual property theft and trade law violations,” Francis said. “We value these partnerships and the collaboration that further strengthens them.” Francis previously served as the special agent in charge of HSI operations in Michigan and Ohio and was involved in creating the Global Trade Task Force, another interagency effort (see 1903200033).

The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​​

In the June 7 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

German Customs seized half a ton of firearms accessories shipped from the U.S. to Austria after authorities discovered some of the items in the shipment were banned under German law, according to a June 7 report from the Deutsche Welle website. The shipment, which was seized in late May and which was also missing certain permits, was meant for an arms dealer in Austria, the report said. The shipment included a range of items banned under German law, including “laser systems and tactical lights,” which the report said are banned because they are used to improve a weapon’s aim. Other items in the shipment included “rangefinders, telescopes” and other “minor components,” the report said. While only some of the products are banned in Germany, customs seized the entire shipment because it was “not accompanied by correct documentation,” the report said.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China signed a customs agreement to exchange information about goods and “transport vehicles,” according to a June 6 report from Tass, a Russian state-run news site. The agreement will speed up customs operations, improve efficiency “in the field of risk management,” improve customs control forms and mitigate risks “of transporting potentially dangerous, banned and restricted goods” between the EAEU and China, the report said. Along with China, the agreement was signed by the chairman of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, and officials representing Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, according to the report.

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows: