The United Kingdom, Germany and France said they are concerned about Iran’s latest decision to restart uranium enrichments in a breach of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying Europe’s efforts to reduce tensions and sanctions are “made increasingly difficult.” In a Nov. 11 statement, the countries urged Iran to “reverse all measures inconsistent” with the JCPOA.

The United Kingdom's Export Control Joint Unit fined nine British exporters for export violations of dual-use goods from May to October, according to a Nov. 12 notice. The fines included penalties of between $5,500 and about $100,000 for exporters who failed to acquire appropriate export licenses for military goods.

The European Commission on Nov. 12 sent its preliminary findings to Cambodia in an investigation on whether the country should keep its “Everything But Arms” trade preferences that was triggered by human rights concerns, the European Commission said in press release. Cambodia now has one month to react to the report, after which the EU will make a final decision in February 2020 on whether to temporarily end Cambodia’s tariff preferences.

A European Union effort aimed at harmonizing value-added tax measures across member nations will take effect in Hungary on Jan. 1, 2020, KPMG said in a Nov. 11 post. The European Commission recently issued a draft version of its “explanatory notes” on the new rules, which will include four changes, KPMG said: a “simplified treatment for call-off stock,” unified rules to simplify chain transactions, a “mandatory” VAT identification number to apply the zero VAT rate and “simplified proof of intra-Community supplies.” The explanatory notes will provide guidelines for “adjusting to the new rules as well as guidance for possible practical challenges,” the post said.

A free trade agreement between the European Union and Singapore will enter into effect on Nov. 21, the EU Council said in a press release. On that date, all of Singapore’s tariffs on EU goods will be eliminated. The EU will open its market to over 80% of all imports from Singapore duty-free and remove all other tariffs within a few years, the release said. Technical and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods will be removed in sectors including electronics, motor vehicles and vehicle parts, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, renewable energy, and raw and processed products of animal and plant origin, it said. That includes Singapore’s recognition of the EU's safety tests for cars and many electronic appliances, and acceptance of labels that EU companies use for textiles, according to another release from the European Commission.

The Council of the European Union reached an agreement on a new set of rules relating to exchanges of value-added tax payment data, which will help detect tax fraud in cross border transactions and simplify reporting obligations, the council said Nov. 8. The new rules will allow EU countries to collect electronic records of “payment service providers” and will create a new “central electronic system” for processing by anti-fraud officials. The measures are expected to increase compliance with EU VAT obligations, the council said.

In the Nov. 7-8 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

Kazakhstan implemented a value-added tax pilot program that aims to improve VAT administration procedures, including electronic VAT invoices, according to a Nov. 6 KPMG post. Under the program, the government may conduct “a desktop review” of participants before the tax reporting deadline and request “that taxpayers with a high degree of tax risk … provide documentation confirming the transaction or service performance,” KPMG said. Participants are required to resolve violations uncovered by the government within five business days and must submit copies of requested documents. If the taxpayer does not comply with the government, tax authorities can limit the taxpayer’s access “to the information system for electronic VAT invoices,” KPMG said. Taxpayers with a high degree of “tax risk” or that purchase goods from VAT-payers with a high degree of tax risk may participate in the program, the post said. The program was launched in October and will end July 1, 2021.

In the Nov. 4-6 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom has been “far too slow” in imposing unilateral sanctions against human rights abusers and should appoint a senior official responsible for implementing sanctions policy, Britain's House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said in a Nov. 4 report. The report, which was the committee’s second of 2019, makes several sanctions-related recommendations to Britain's Foreign Commonwealth Office and is critical of the country’s approach to sanctions. The committee asked for updates to its suggestions by May 2020.