The Food and Drug Administration on June 22 launched a new online system for U.S. exporters of animal food, drugs and devices to track and receive export certificates. The Center for Veterinary Medicine’s new Export Certification Application and Tracking System (eCATS) “will help facilitate exports by assisting industry in fulfilling importing country requirements for certification by CVM of CVM-regulated animal products,” FDA said. It also “provides a tool for foreign governments to verify the authenticity of export certificates provided to them by industry,” FDA said.
The United Kingdom on June 17 posted cyber sanctions regulations to take effect after Brexit. The regulations outline U.K. powers to designate people and entities, criteria for sanctions and various definitions to aid in sanctions implementation. The regulations also detail information on exceptions and licenses for the sanctions, reporting obligations and penalties for violations.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended 10 entries on its Iran sanctions list, a June 22 notice said. The entries include updated identifying information and are still subject to asset freezes. They include eight individuals and two entities.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a technical notice June 22 informing industry of the agency’s upcoming annual renewal of the public certificate that secures its website. That renewal may impact OFAC sanctions list downloads “if your application pins or otherwise trusts the serial number of the existing certificate as part your application functionality.” OFAC said users “may need to update your configuration to trust the renewed certificate.” The certificate will be replaced at 9 p.m. on June 25 and will take about three to six hours for worldwide distribution, OFAC said. The notice contains a link to download the renewed public certificate. OFAC is advising users to make sure their applications trust the new certificate by the replacement date “to prevent loss in functionality.”
Less than a week after signing a bill that will sanction Chinese officials for human rights abuses, President Donald Trump said he had held off on the sanctions so as not to interfere with the U.S.-China trade deal, a June 21 Axios report said. The report comes amid a series of U.S. and China steps that have further deteriorated the trade relationship, including threats of U.S. sanctions and moves by China to reduce agricultural purchases.
The European Union called U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court “unacceptable” and said it will defend the court from the U.S. measures (see 2006110028). “The European Union remains committed to defending the Court from any outside interference aimed at obstructing the course of justice and undermining the international system of criminal justice,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said in a June 16 statement, adding that the sanctions are “unprecedented in scope and content.” He urged the U.S. “to reverse its position.”
An Italian national was sentenced to prison after trying to procure a U.S. power turbine without an export license, the Justice Department said June 18. Gabriele Villone, who was sentenced to 28 months in prison for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Control Reform Act, tried to procure the $17.3 million turbine for Russian companies, the agency said.
The U.S. renewed sanctions against North Korea for one year, according to a June 17 White House notice. The U.S. said North Korea’s weapons proliferation activities still pose a threat to U.S. national security. The national emergency executive order that was to expire June 26, 2020, will extend to June 26, 2021.
The European Union has not yet decided whether to reciprocate the United Kingdom’s six-month grace period on import entry requirements after Brexit (see 2006120031), said João Vale de Almeida, the EU’s ambassador to the U.K. While de Almeida said the EU wants to be “forceful and systematic” in protecting its market, it is first focused on reaching a withdrawal agreement and will decide on customs issues later.
U.S. universities may be forced to turn down research activities -- including COVID-19 research -- due to the Bureau of Industry and Security's increased restrictions on shipments to military end-users (see 2004270027), the Association of University Export Control Officers said in comments to the agency. The restrictions are so broad that they could severely restrict academic activities that benefit the U.S. despite those activities having “no military or defense application,” the AUECO said.