The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published an Aug. 3 blog post about its new Transport Sanctions team, which will focus on maritime and air sanctions enforcement. The team will concentrate on enforcing restrictions on the “movement, registration, ownership and use” of ships and aircraft, including transporters who falsify documents or obscure ship ownership. The U.K. recently issued a sanctions guidance for the maritime industry, detailing sanctions evasion practices by North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria (see 2007290019).

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation corrected 26 entries under its Venezuela sanctions regime, an Aug. 4 notice said. The corrections add and remove identifying information for the entries, which remain subject to an asset freeze.

The United Nations Security Council Committee on resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia issued an Aug. 3 guidance on export controls for components of improvised explosive devices shipped to Somalia. The guidance contains a list of items subject to the controls and mandatory notification requirements for exporters. The committee report also called on member states to conduct due diligence on exports to Somalia, keep records of transactions and share information with the committee on “suspicious purchases.”

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade officially removed Hong Kong as an eligible destination under 20 open general export licenses, one open general transhipment license and one open general trade control license, an Aug. 4 notice said. The U.K. also revoked two open general licenses in which Hong Kong was the only destination: a license for exports of certain dual-use goods for nonmilitary use and a license for exports of dual-use goods to any destination in Hong Kong. The moves come about a week after the U.K. imposed an arms embargo against Hong Kong due to interference from Beijing (see 2007230018).

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began an interagency review of a Bureau of Industry and Security pre-rule to pinpoint potential controls for foundational technologies. OIRA received the rule Aug. 3. A BIS official said in May the agency was finalizing an internal review of the rule (see 2005190052), which has been expected since Congress passed the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 mandating BIS reviews of controls for both emerging and foundational technologies.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 27-31 in case you missed them.

Democratic and Republican senators called on the State Department to do more to pressure the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela, saying the U.S.’s approach, which they called ineffective, should include more multilateral support and stronger sanctions against Maduro’s allies. Several senators said they would back legislation to grant the administration more sanctions powers.

Joanne Osendarp, a former senior counsel on trade for Canada, will become the co-head of McDermott Will's International Trade Group. Eric Parnes, who worked on Osendarp's team at Hughes Hubbard, is also being named a partner at McDermott Will. The other five members of Osendarp's team from her old law firm also were hired: Dean Pinkert, former commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission; Tim Hruby, Lynn Kamarck, Alan Kashdan and Conor Gilligan.

The European Union on July 31 proposed a measure to continue to apply EU value-added tax rules to Northern Ireland after Brexit. Under the proposal, goods traded between Northern Ireland and the EU would be treated as “cross-border supplies of goods within the EU” and would be eligible for VAT exemptions and deductions. The measure would not apply to supplies of services in Northern Ireland, which will be subject to United Kingdom VAT rules. The European Commission said member states should “rapidly agree to the proposal” to help with implementation before the Jan. 1, 2021, end of the Brexit transition period.

The European Union on July 31 issued guidance for its free trade agreement with Vietnam, which took effect Aug. 1. The guidance includes information on proof of origin requirements and how to claim preferential treatment. It said the deal includes a process to simplify customs controls and speed up “physical controls of the goods” and a “commitment to a reciprocal duty relief on repaired goods.”