The EU added another four people and six entities to its Iran sanctions regime for "serious human rights violations in Iran," the European Council announced. The sanctions package was issued to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini -- who was arrested for not wearing a hijab -- in the custody of the country’s Morality Police last year. The sanctions were coordinated with the U.S. (see 2309150023).
The European Commission on Sept. 15 updated the EU's dual-use export control list to align it with the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement, Missile Technology Control Regime and Nuclear Supplier Group, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The changes update controls for manufacturing equipment, high-performance computers and lasers, propulsion motors for submersible vehicles, technology for aircraft gas turbine engine development and more, the EC said. The changes also update technical definitions, notes and descriptions and make "editorial" revisions, the commission said. If the EC and European Parliament don't object, the regulation will enter into force in two months on the day after it's published.
The European Council extended its restrictive measures imposed on the parties responsible for undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine for another six months, setting up the restrictions to expire now on March 15, 2024. The measures are made up of travel restrictions, asset freezes and a bar on making funds available for listed parties. Nearly 1,800 individuals and entities are sanctioned under the regime.
Jane Hartley, U.S. ambassador to the U.K., this week said the U.S. could do more "smaller" things to develop the trade relationship with the U.K. rather than tackle a broader free trade agreement. The "time frame of the political calendar," more so in the U.S. than across the pond, and broader challenges, both policy-wise and temporally, may restrict the development of a larger deal, she said during an interview with Bloomberg TV.
The European Parliament approved draft legislation to support the supply of strategic raw materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act would "cut red tape, promote innovation along the entire value chain, support [small and medium-sized enterprises] and boost research and the development alternative materials and more environmentally-friendly mining and production methods." The act was adopted Sept. 14 by vote of 515-34, with 28 abstentions. Negotiations will now begin between the parliament and Spanish presidency of the European Council.
The EU will open a countervailing duty investigation on electric vehicles from China, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her 2023 state of the union address to the European Parliament. The bloc "must defend" itself "against unfair practices," including Chinese state subsidies that keep its electric vehicles at artificially low prices, von der Leyen said. She also clarified that the EU's policy is one of "de-risk" and not decoupling, insisting that open lines of communication will remain open with Chinese leadership.
A newly released Europol report, "The Other Side of the Coin: An Analysis of Financial and Economic Crime," looks into the threats posed by financial crimes and sanctions evasion linked to organized crime. The report reviews "drivers of today's financial and economic crimes"; money laundering, criminal finances and corruption; the "world of frauds"; intellectual property crime; and more.
The EU and South Korea this week agreed to exchange and harmonize electronic export certificates for agricultural products, which is expected to reduce burdens on EU exporters, the European Commission announced. The arrangement, which will be implemented before 2025, will specifically create a new “electronic certification exchange system” for EU meat, dairy and egg products destined to South Korea. The EU said it plans to first set up a pilot program for the certificates, adding that agricultural trade with South Korea “is about to become a lot easier.” The two sides will begin “technical preparations and [information technology] setup” for exchanging the certificates once the arrangement is finalized.
The EU updated a FAQ under its Russia sanctions regime covering whether Russian nationals may temporarily bring personal goods and vehicles, set out in Annex XXI, into the EU for touristic reasons. The FAQ was originally published last week, in which the bloc said no, noting that its regulations bar the purchase, import or transfer of goods in this annex if they originate in Russia or are exported from Russia (see 2309110018).
The U.K. and Italy signed an export and investment partnership during British Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch's visit to Rome, the Department for International Trade announced. The partnership will seek to boost U.K. and Italian "investment links" and "exports in high-performing and growth sectors," including life sciences and digital and tech, the department said. The deal also will look to promote inward investment, including "low-carbon industries such as Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture Storage," the department said. As part of the agreement, Badenoch will co-chair the first U.K. and Italy CEO Forum, which will bring executives together to spur interest in investment in the U.K.