The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls officially launched the registration and licensing applications for its Defense Export Control and Compliance System (see 2002040060) on Feb. 18. Users can register at the DECCS industry portal enrollment page, which also includes an enrollment guide.
United Kingdom companies are facing challenges navigating sanctions conflicts between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, which is leading to confusion over which items they can legally export, according to Roger Arthey, chair of the Institute of Export & International Trade’s Export Control Profession and the former head of export control compliance for Rolls-Royce. Those challenges were complicated by the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018 and the introduction of the European Union Blocking Regulation, which blocks EU businesses from complying with certain U.S. sanctions (see 1906240014).
In the Feb. 13-18 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Venezuela asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the U.S. for “crimes against humanity” due to sanctions against Venezuela, the ICC said in a Feb. 17 statement. The request was received by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who said the ICC will determine if the “situation referred warrants an investigation.” The U.S. is not a member of the ICC, so it is unclear if the ICC will begin an investigation because the court does not usually rule on inter-state disputes, according to a Feb. 17 report from Venezuelanalysis.com.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company and designated its president for supporting the Nicolas Maduro-led regime in Venezuela, Treasury said Feb. 18. OFAC also issued a new general license and two new frequently asked questions that address the “significance” of the designations and clarifies the wind-down period.
The European Union renewed its arms embargo and asset freezes agent Zimbabwe Defence Industries, the European Council said in a Feb. 17 press release. The EU renewed the embargo and the asset freeze until Feb. 20, 2021.
The European Union renewed sanctions against Belarus for one year until Feb. 28, 2021, the European Council said in a Feb. 17 press release. The sanctions include an embargo on arms and goods that could be used for “internal repression” and an asset freeze against four people. The council also extended an exemption to allow exports of “biathlon equipment” and certain sporting rifles and pistols to Belarus, the council said. Those exports remain subject to a case-by-case review.
The European Council added eight people and two entities to the European Union's Syrian sanctions list, according to a Feb. 17 notice. The sanctions target eight businessmen and two companies that contribute to Syria’s Assad regime, the council said.
Australia’s parliament recently published the submissions it has received from its inquiry into the use of a sanctions regime to target human rights abuses. Australia announced the inquiry Dec. 4 (see 1912050026). The country extended its submission deadlines and is now accepting submissions from Australia until March 2 and international submissions until March 23.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 10-14 in case you missed them.