The UK and India have concluded talks on a free trade agreement. Although the text of the free trade agreement has not been released, the UK Government’s “summary of conclusions“ provides insights regarding the wide range of...more
On 12 March 2025, the EU announced that it will impose countermeasures in response to new tariffs imposed by the US on steel and aluminium imports. The EU countermeasures are twofold: First, the European Commission will...more
In early March the European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a new EU regulation concerning forced labour in supply chains. The European Parliament has approved the English-language text of a proposed...more
On 11 March 2024, the UK government issued new amending regulations, the Export Control (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (the “Amending Regulations”), which update the Export Control Order 2008 and the retained EU Dual-Use...more
As of 1 March 2024, a licence will be required to export technologies relating to quantum computers, and advanced electronic components such as semiconductors, from France to non-EU countries....more
The French Minister of Economy formally notified, under Article L151-3 of the Monetary and Financial Code, its decision not to authorise a foreign investment by a U.S. company on 6 October 2023. Notably the target was not a...more
The UK has now signed its accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This is almost the final stage in the UK’s accession to the CPTPP, with only UK and...more
On 14 September 2022, the European Commission released a proposal for a Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the EU market. The European Commission has taken a comprehensive approach, with the ban...more
9/20/2022
/ China ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exports ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
From 15 June 2022 the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 will introduce changes to the enforcement of UK sanctions laws that parallel enforcement powers held by the Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
This week has seen the constant expansion of the UK sanctions regime to a wider set of Russian targets as crisis in Ukraine continues. The newly-announced financial sanctions and economic restrictions cover a wide range of...more
Today the UK government has adopted the “first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia” as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “bent on a full scale invasion of Ukraine”. UK...more
2/23/2022
/ Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Financial Institutions ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
UK ,
Ukraine
Between March and November 2021 HMRC issued compound penalties in respect of unlicensed exports of dual use goods, military goods and related activity controlled by the Export Control Order 2008 with settlements totalling...more
The EU has expanded the listing criteria for specific designations under the Belarus sanctions regime that targets those that facilitate illegal crossing of the EU’s external borders. In addition, the EU has adopted an...more
The European Union and the United Kingdom have each significantly expanded the scope of their sanctions against Belarus in response to the forced Ryanair aircraft landing in May. The new measures adopted target a significant...more
8/17/2021
/ Belarus ,
Belarus Sanctions ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
European Investment Bank (EIB) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Military Goods ,
Popular ,
UK
On 22 March 2021, the UK Government published new official guidance on exporting military or dual-use technology.The guidance provides that controlled software and technology is generally subject to an export licence...more
3/26/2021
/ Cloud Storage ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Electronic Devices ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Information Technology ,
International Trade ,
Software ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
On 28 April the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry and Security published two final rules and a proposed rule amending the Export Administration Regulations that will further restrict and regulate transactions...more
In response to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the EU and various member states have taken measures to ensure continuity of supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and address shortages of healthcare...more
As of 16 March 2020 Iran Air and a number of other entities were placed on the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) Entity List.
Summary -
Companies that use Iran Air as transport, particularly companies engaging in...more
3/17/2020
/ Airlines ,
Aviation Industry ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Prohibited Transactions
The UK’s consumer sector has shown resilience against the backdrop of challenging political and economic conditions. Consumers in the UK remain willing to spend; however, the way in which they do so is changing, with...more
2/19/2020
/ Arbitration ,
B2B Transactions ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Customs ,
Data Privacy ,
Doing Business ,
E-Commerce ,
Exports ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Ownership of Works ,
Payment Systems ,
Real Estate Market ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Strict Product Liability ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
UK
What lies ahead for the UK's future trading relationship with the EU and the US?
Following the Conservative Party's landslide victory in the UK general election, which Boris Johnson won on a promise to "get Brexit done",...more
12/17/2019
/ Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Foreign Relations ,
Imports ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
US Trade Policies
The EU regime for controlling the exports from the EU of products and/or technology that can be used for both civil and military purposes (dual-use items) is now 10 years old. As a result of the changes in technology and...more
The EU-UK agreement reached on 17 October 2019 ("Agreement") revises the Irish backstop with a new protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland ("NI protocol")....more
10/21/2019
/ Customs ,
Customs Unions ,
Duties ,
EU ,
EU Single Market ,
Exports ,
Foreign Relations ,
Imports ,
Ireland ,
Member State ,
Northern Ireland ,
Territorial Disputes ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
Compliance with export control laws is one of the main challenges of a compliance department. Yet significant personal risks for management have put the topic high on the agenda of legal/compliance departments.
...more
8/9/2019
/ Covered Transactions ,
Dual Use Goods ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exports ,
Internal Controls ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Software ,
Strict Compliance ,
Technology ,
Trade Policy
The legislative scrutiny over the export of arms to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("Saudi Arabia") is continuing to increase in Europe, with several member states taking legal steps to restrict their export control licensing...more