The Commerce Department is amending the Export Administration Regulations to control exports of software designed to “automate the analysis of geospatial imagery,” Commerce said in an interim final rule. The software will be controlled under the Export Control Classification Number 0Y521 series -- a temporary holding classification that lasts for one year from the day the final rule is published. Although the agency believes it is in the U.S.’s national security interest to “immediately” control this software, Commerce is seeking comments on the interim final rule. Comments are due March 6.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for 2019 in case they were missed.
Multilateral Export Regimes Need Better Coordination to Implement Emerging Tech Controls, Study Says
Although multilateral export regimes share many of the same concerns over emerging technologies, coming to an agreement on the controls is proving increasingly difficult, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Regimes are facing issues reaching consensus due to the large number of “membership combinations” across multiple regimes, which have to take into account the needs of every state, and an inability to coordinate, the report said.
The United Kingdom will soon update its list of dual-use items that are controlled for export, the Department for International Trade said in a Dec. 31 notice. The changes will reflect decisions recently made by “international export control regimes” and which will be adopted by the European Union, the notice said. The DIT said it will publish another notice when the regulations have been updated along with “associated changes to open general export licenses.” The European Commission recently published details of the upcoming changes agreed to at the Wassenaar Arrangement (see 1912120011), which include changes to export controls for discrete microwave transistors, certain software, lasers, diffusion bonding technology and more.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Dec. 23-27 in case you missed them.
In the Dec. 30 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The Commerce Department is seeking new members for its seven technical advisory committees to advise the agency on export controls and exporting issues within U.S. industries, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. This includes Commerce’s upcoming Emerging Technology TAC, which is expected to hold its first meeting in early 2020 (see 1911200045). For each of its TACs, Commerce is looking for industry representatives from firms producing items that are currently controlled or proposed for control for national security, non-proliferation, foreign policy or short supply reasons. The agency said it is looking for members from both small and large companies, but no member may represent a company that is majority owned by a “foreign government entity.” Members must also obtain “secret-level clearances” before being appointed and serve terms “of not more than four consecutive years.” Applicants should send a resume to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov. The notice of recruitment will be open until Dec. 31, 2020.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls’ interim final rule (see 1912230052) to define activities that are not exports, re-exports or retransfers will significantly reduce regulatory and compliance burdens surrounding encrypted data, a law firm and export consulting firm said. In a long-awaited move, the rule will better facilitate international data storage subject to both the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations.
Japan’s foreign minister touted the U.S.-Japan trade deal (see 1912040008) as one of the main successes of 2019 in his year-end remarks, saying the negotiations were “extremely difficult” and the deal’s implications were “deep,” according to an unofficial translation of a transcript. “This significance is so great,” the minister said during a Dec. 27 press conference. The minister said Japan plans to “build” on the agreement in 2020 and “stably develop Japan-U.S. economic relations, one of the important pillars of the Japan-U.S. alliance.” Trade groups have urged both countries to continue negotiating toward a more comprehensive deal (see 1912050058).
Along with sanctions related to Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline (see 1912190075), the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act includes a prohibition on Venezuela-related procurement actions and additional measures against Turkey, North Korea and Syria, according to a Dec. 27 post from Crowell & Moring.