The European Commission on Oct. 26 took up a legislative proposal to make instant payment in euros available to all individuals and entities with a bank account in the EU and European Economic Area countries. The move would harmonize the sanctions screening procedure for all instant payment providers. These providers would not carry out transaction-based sanctions screening and instead revert to verification of whether their clients are sanctioned individuals or entities on a daily basis and when the sanctions lists are amended. If a provider fails to conduct the verifications on a timely basis and causes another provider involved in the same transfer to violate the screening regulations, the affected provider will be compensated by the offending provider for non-compliance penalties.
China imposed export controls on high-pressure water cannon products, the General Administration of Customs announced Nov. 1, according to an unofficial translation. Restrictions will take effect Dec. 1 on the export of high-pressure cannons whose maximum range is greater than or equal to 100 meters, rated flow is greater than or equal to 540 cubic meters per hour and rated pressure is greater than or equal to 174 pounds per square inch. Operators of high-pressure water cannons must be registered with China's Ministry of Commerce, and no unit may be exported without registration.
The Biden administration should “make full use” of its sanctions and export control authorities against Iran for transferring weapons and other military items to Russia, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said in a Nov. 1 letter to the White House. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said Iran has sent hundreds of “lethal Mohajer-6 and Shahed-136 drones, as well as related technology and military advisors” to Russia since it invaded Ukraine, and is reportedly preparing to provide “Fateh-100 and Zolfaghar” ballistic missiles.
The U.S. shouldn’t remove any sanctions against Venezuela in negotiations with the Nicolas Maduro government, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a letter to the White House released this week. The two lawmakers urged the Biden administration against granting Chevron a license to resume certain oil activities in Venezuela and said it shouldn’t remove any sanctions on Venezuelan nationals, the Venezuelan Central Bank, the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank, and state-owned mining company CVG Compania General de Mineria de Venezuela.
President Joe Biden this week extended for one year beyond Nov. 3 a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions related to Sudan. The White House said Sudan made "strides in its transition toward democracy between 2019 and 2021, but the October 2021 military takeover of the government reversed those modest gains."
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is asking the Commerce Department to provide its licensing data and communications with chip companies, along with a broad swathe of related information, to make sure the agency is implementing its new China controls “fairly across all market players.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security will likely add more entities involved in China’s supercomputing and semiconductor manufacturing industry to the Entity List, said Thea Kendler, BIS’s assistant secretary for export administration. “We view advanced chip manufacturing and supercomputer activities in China as a national security concern,” Kendler said during a Nov. 2 Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee meeting. “So I expect that there will be Entity List additions.”
Akerman LLP added two partners to its ranks, with Matthew Goldstein joining the Washington, D.C.-based Government Affairs and Public Policy practice, and Andrew Dominguez joining the International Litigation and Arbitration practice in Miami, the firm announced.
Germany released the draft Sanctions Enforcement Act II, which looks to make structural improvements to its sanctions and anti-money laundering enforcement efforts, according to an unofficial translation. The first installment of the legislation passed in May. The new bill would create a Central Office for the Enforcement of Sanctions to enforce EU sanctions in Germany, provide administrative procedures to identify funds or economic resources owned or controlled by sanctioned individuals or entities, and let the Central Office appoint a special representative to monitor entities' sanctions compliance.