The United Kingdom has been “far too slow” in imposing unilateral sanctions against human rights abusers and should appoint a senior official responsible for implementing sanctions policy, Britain's House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said in a Nov. 4 report. The report, which was the committee’s second of 2019, makes several sanctions-related recommendations to Britain's Foreign Commonwealth Office and is critical of the country’s approach to sanctions. The committee asked for updates to its suggestions by May 2020.
In the Nov. 4-6 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Switzerland adopted adjustments to its sanctions against North Korea that align with the exceptions of the export ban agreed to by the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee, Baker McKenzie said in a Nov. 6 post. The exceptions allow for exports of humanitarian aid to North Korea and will “increase legal certainty for those companies involved,” the post said. Switzerland’s amendment will take effect Dec. 1.
The State Department plans to publish its guidance for exports of surveillance technology by early January and will make several changes based on industry comments, officials said. Changes include the elimination of a “kill switch” suggestion and an effort to revise the definition for “surveillance,” which some companies complained was too broad.
Britain's Department for International Trade updated its export control training bulletin for November through April, the DIT said Nov. 5. The bulletin provides details of courses, seminars and workshops from the country’s Export Control Joint Unit aimed at giving industry more guidance and training.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson was critical of the U.S.’s Nov. 4 decision to impose sanctions on Iranian military and government officials (see 1911040028), saying the U.S. should instead turn to negotiations. “China opposes unilateral sanctions and so-called ‘long-arm jurisdiction,’” the spokesperson said during a Nov. 5 press conference. “Arbitrary sanctions or threat of sanctions cannot solve problems.” The spokesperson urged the U.S. to begin a “dialogue” to “resolve disputes.” The spokesperson also said that U.S. and Chinese negotiations are progressing well and the two sides “keep in contact,” but declined to say when the next meeting will take place. “The trade talks have achieved progress and are now moving forward as planned,” he said.
One panelist said it will take 20 years to know who are the winners and losers of today's tariffs and export restrictions. Another panelist said U.S. factory workers making washing machines and solar panels are clearly winning from the safeguards launched nearly two years ago, as are Vietnam and Mexico. Another panelist said Vietnam and Thailand, and Mexico to a much lesser degree. As moderator Lucas Queiroz Piers said, “It is a confusing moment." The Alston & Bird legal consultant was coordinating a panel called "U.S. Sanctions and Trade War: Winners and Losers," at an American University Washington School of Law International Trade Symposium on Nov. 5.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five Venezuelan government officials associated with corruption and “rampant violence,” Treasury said in a Nov. 5 press release. The agency said the sanctions “reflect a unified effort” against the Nicolas Maduro regime because the designated officials were previously sanctioned by the European Union or Canada. “This action harmonizes our efforts with those of our international partners,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released quarterly reports of licensing activities for certain authorizations to Iran and Sudan from January through September 2018, OFAC said in a Nov. 5 notice. The report provides information on license applications for exports of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices to Iran and Sudan under the licensing regime in the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enforcement Act of 2000, OFAC said. The reports contain statistics on the number of license applications and licenses issued for each product, the number of applications and licenses issued for each country and more.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 in case they were missed.