In the May 15 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Union is ending its antidumping duties imposed on imports of bioethanol from the U.S., it said in a notice. Ending the AD duty order likely wouldn’t cause a recurrence of dumping by U.S. exporters, the EU said. The repeal takes effect May 16. The duties had originally been imposed in 2013 at a rate of €62.30 ($69.80) per metric ton.

The "annual interest rate for the third quarter of 2019 (July 1st 2019 to 30 September 2019) will be 1.6661," the Canada Border Services Agency said in a May 15 email. That rate affects "all importers and brokers who submit their B3s and AO notification of release queries using the CCS/CADEX system," the agency said.

During a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing on U.S. sanctions, several panelists painted a grave picture of the state of U.S.-imposed sanctions on Russia, calling for additional, stronger measures and criticizing the Trump administration's removal of sanctions from several Russian companies in January. “You’ve asked whether the current sanctions policy is effective, especially as it relates to Russia,” Daleep Singh, a senior fellow for the Center for a New American Security, told the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy on May 15. “Forgive me for being blunt, but my answer right now is 'no.'”

The Trump administration extended for one year beyond May 16 the existing national emergency with respect to threats to U.S. national security posed by Yemen, the White House said in a May 13 press release, continuing a 2012 executive order that sanctioned Yemen political and military leaders that “threaten the peace, security, or stability” of that country. In the press release, the White House said certain former government of Yemen officials “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. foreign policy and national security.

Ukraine announced a series of economic sanctions against Russia that increased duty rates on a variety of imported goods and implemented an embargo on Russian cement and plywood, according to an unofficial translation of May 15 press releases from the Ukraine government.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is looking for new members for its seven Technical Advisory Committees, the agency said in a notice. The TACs "advise the Department of Commerce on the technical parameters for export controls applicable to dual-use items (commodities, software, and technology) and on the administration of those controls." Six of the TACs are focused on the technical parameters of export controls, and the seventh is focused on the regulations and procedures, BIS said. The members are chosen by the Commerce secretary and must obtain secret-level clearances, it said. Nominations are due by June 15 and should go to Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov.

Speaking at a cryptocurrency conference in New York, Sigal Mandelker, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said more countries are turning to digital currencies to evade U.S. sanctions. She also stressed the importance of complying with the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions programs, rejected the notion of a “one-size-fits-all” compliance program and warned that Treasury is looking into small actors -- not just large companies -- who commit violations.

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued its notice adding Huawei and 68 of the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer’s affiliates to the Entity List. Effective May 16, the notice imposes a license requirement on Huawei and its listed affiliates for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, with a license review policy of presumption of denial. No license exceptions will be allowed for the listed entities. Shipments aboard a carrier to the port of export or re-export as of May 16 may proceed to their destination under their previous eligibility for a license exception or no license required. The notice is scheduled for publication May 21.

China plans to hit a wide range of goods from the U.S. with 10 percent tariffs in response to the Trump administration's increase in tariffs on Chinese goods (see 1905130002). Among the major items by value targeted by China on its 10 percent tariff list are food preparations in 2106.90.90, lasers other than laser diodes in 9013.20.00, and cast glass sheets in 7003.19.00. The tariffs are scheduled to take effect June 1.