The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency review for two export-control-related notices that could outline general authorizations for certain controlled exports. One notice is titled “GENERAL AUTHORIZATION NO. 1 Limited Use Cases,” and the other is “GENERAL AUTHORIZATION NO. 2 Temporary Importation.” BIS sent both notices to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on May 19, and the reviews were completed June 5. A BIS spokesperson didn't respond to a request for more information.
The Bureau of Industry and Security's recently issued advanced chip guidance appears to raise compliance expectations for industry, especially for banks and forwarders that may be indirectly or inadvertently violating export controls on China, lawyers said.
Gas and oil pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners said last week that it has received notice that the Bureau of Industry and Security plans to deny its request to ship ethane to China.
Shippers are continuing to press the Federal Maritime Commission for clarity around which agency should regulate certain rail storage fees imposed by ocean carriers on through bills of lading, saying little progress has been made in recent months, despite urging from the National Shipping Advisory Committee.
The European Commission on June 4 set up a new surveillance tool to shield the EU against "sudden and potentially disruptive surges in imports." The tool provides the commission with "fact-based information building on customs data," enabling it to take action against import surges that occur when a "significant amount of goods that cannot enter other markets due to high tariffs and other restrictions are redirected into the EU."
The Council of the European Union on June 5 extended the suspension of EU safeguard measures on Ukrainian iron and steel to further support Ukraine's economy during its war with Russia. The extension takes effect June 6 and runs for three years.
The EU is aiming to build on its export controls, investment screening measures and other economic security tools over advanced technologies, Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said this week.
China defended itself again this week against accusations from the EU, the U.S. and others that Beijing is withholding exports of critical minerals and other rare earths (see 2505300002), saying it has a right to impose export controls on those items.
The Supreme Court on June 5 said the Mexican government failed to "plausibly allege" that seven U.S. gun manufacturers "aided and abetted gun dealers' unlawful sales of firearms to Mexican traffickers." As a result, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) bars the lawsuit, a unanimous court held.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s foreign arms sales task force met with representatives of defense contractors Boeing, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and RTX June 4 to get their ideas on improving the U.S. foreign arms sales process, the committee said June 5. The closed-door session was the task force’s third in a series of roundtables to receive defense industry input (see 2504300020).