A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with a recent sanction move under the bloc's Russia sanctions regime, the European Council announced Aug. 25. In early August, the council added two individuals to the sanctions list for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine and for advancing Russian interests over the annexation of Crimea. The countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway aligned with the decision, ensuring that their national policies conform to the decision, the council said.
Australia is conducting a review of 18 people and 14 entities designated under its North Korean sanctions regime to determine whether the sanctions should remain, the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Aug. 26. The Australian designations expire after three years unless “declared by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to continue in effect.” The agency is accepting submissions from the designated people or entities until 5 p.m. Sept. 23.
The recent surge in U.S. sanctions and export controls on Russia is causing resource strains for compliance teams, KPMG lawyers said during a webinar last week. Constantly expanding restricted party lists, as well as due diligence requirements under the Commerce Department’s military end-user rules, have become increasingly time-consuming and expensive to comply with, the lawyers said.
Beijing-based TianTai Law firm this week published an alert on China’s export control laws (see 2204270040 and 2105180023), outlining how the restrictions apply to certain technologies. The alert also covers China’s Unreliable Entity List regulations and includes examples of certain technologies to show how companies should go about applying for export licenses.
The U.K. added three entries to its Myanmar sanctions regime in an Aug. 24 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added International Gateways Group, Sky One Construction and Star Sapphire Group to the sanctions list, all for contributing funds to and brokering deals for military goods for the Myanmar security forces, which committed human rights atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, the U.K said.
Citigroup will officially wind down its consumer banking and local commercial banking activities in Russia this quarter, the bank said Aug. 25. Citi said the wind-down, spurred by U.S. and multilateral sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, will affect 15 branches and a range of deposits, investments, loans and cards. “The wind-down will be carried out in compliance with applicable regulations and Citi will honor its obligations to clients, employees and partners,” the bank said. “As previously noted, Citi continues to support its multinational institutional clients, particularly those which are undergoing the complex task of winding down their operations in Russia.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control again extended a general license that authorizes U.S. academic institutions to export certain “online educational services” and software to Iran, the agency said Aug. 25. General License M-2, which replaces General License M-1 (see 2108250008), was extended through 12:01 a.m. EDT Sept. 1, 2023. The previous license, which also was an extension, was scheduled to expire Sept. 1, 2022. OFAC updated FAQ 853 to reflect the updated license.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has prevented more than 100 illegal exports to Russia and Belarus and detained or seized $93 million worth of shipments since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the agency said in an Aug. 25 news release. It also said it has expedited license approvals for more than $1 billion in defense equipment and services for Ukraine and has added 335 parties to its Entity List for supporting Russia’s military during that same time period.
Japan recently proposed to revise its geographical indication regulations to increase exports of GI-protected processed foods, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this week. The proposal would reduce “administrative requirements” for new GI applications and no longer require the applications to “specify natural idiosyncrasies of the product,” the agency said. Japan expects the proposed changes will “encourage Japanese producers of well-known value-added food products to apply for GI protection and will enhance the recognition of Japan’s GI system in overseas markets,” USDA said. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is accepting public comments on the proposal submitted by Sept. 1.
The U.K. removed one entry from its Russia sanctions list, it said in an Aug. 23 notice. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation dropped Mikhail Vladimirovich Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, from the list. Also, OFSI amended 41 entries under the Russia restrictions and corrected another entry. The listing for Vladimir Olegovich Potanin, the owner of Rosbank and one of Russia's richest people, was corrected to add his middle name.