In the Feb. 7-12 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom has “confirmed plans” to put in place customs controls on Dec. 31 for goods traded between the U.K. and the European Union, according to a Feb. 10 press release from U.K. Cabinet Office member Michael Gove. “The UK will be outside the single market and outside the customs union, so we will have to be ready for the customs procedures and regulatory checks that will inevitably follow,” Gove said.

The European Commission revoked some tariff preferences granted to Cambodia due to objections over human rights violations “enshrined” in Cambodia’s laws, the commission said in a Feb. 12 press release. The preferential tariffs will be replaced by EU standard tariffs and will affect certain garments, footwear, travel goods and sugar. The change will impact about one-fifth of Cambodia’s yearly exports to the EU, the press release said. The change will take effect Aug. 20 unless the European Parliament or Council objects. In a statement, Commission Vice President Josep Borrell said the preferential tariffs will be reinstated if Cambodian authorities “take the necessary measures.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a new “Food Security Doctrine” that aims to prevent imports of genetically engineered seeds for planting, according to a Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The doctrine also expands the list of Russia’s “self-sufficiency indicators” -- part of the country's effort to become more reliant on domestically produced goods -- to include vegetables, melons and gourds, fruits and berries, and seeds, the report said.

The European Commission released a Feb. 10 report on the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences during 2018-2019, detailing how developing countries took advantage of trade benefits under the scheme, which countries the scheme helped the most and how the scheme impacted trade. Developing countries’ exports to the EU under the special tariff treatments provided by the scheme reached a new high of about $73 billion in 2018, the commission said in a news release.

The United Kingdom on Feb. 10 updated its guidance on Iranian trade sanctions and its requirements for exporting certain controlled nuclear items on the U.K.'s “Trigger List.” The notices now include links to further information on exporting nuclear and dual-use goods and services through the Iran procurement channel.

The United Kingdom plans to announce the locations of its 10 “freeports” before the end of the year and launch them in 2021, the UK said Feb. 10. The ports, which will reduce certain customs and tariff-related costs in a bid to boost trade, will open “across the UK” and help Britain's “post-Brexit growth,” the U.K. said. The U.K. previously named several candidates for the ports, including Teesport, the Port of Tyne, Milford Haven and London Gateway (see 1908020025). The UK also opened a consultation to “inform the government’s freeports policy,” which outlines benefits offered by the ports, including “tariff flexibility, customs facilitations and tax measures.”

In the Feb. 5-6 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade launched a public consultation to inform the U.K.’s new independent “global tariff policy” after Brexit, the DIT said in a Feb. 6 notice. The U.K. said it is developing a new Most Favored Nation tariff schedule to take effect Jan. 2, 2021, to ensure U.K. companies “compete on fair terms with the rest of the world.” The consultation will open online for four weeks until March 5, the U.K. said, adding that it is seeking views on “simplifying and tailoring” tariffs to benefit UK companies, removing tariffs on “key inputs to production” to reduce costs for manufacturers, and removing tariffs where the U.K. has “zero or limited domestic production.”

The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit amended its inspection process for the use of open licenses and electronic standard individual export licenses, the ECJU said in a Feb. 6 notice. As part of the change, companies will be informed of the ”exact date” that their records will be inspected, the ECJU said, adding that it will no longer offer “alternative dates.” The U.K. said it will still give companies between four and six weeks' notice before the inspection date.