Tarif Akhras, founder of the Akhras Group and chairman of Syria's Homs Chamber of Commerce, was removed from the United Kingdom's Syrian sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Notice said in a financial sanctions notice Aug. 12. The delisting notice provided no explanation for his removal.
Russia imposed sanctions on a “proportionate” number of British citizens in response to the United Kingdom's anti-corruption sanctions listings on Russian individuals (see 2104270017), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Aug. 9, according to an unofficial translation. The sanctions include a travel ban, but the Russian government did not specify how many or which individuals are sanctioned. “We consider these groundless attacks by London to be a clear demonstration of the true intentions of the country's leadership with regard to further building its course in the Russian direction, namely, the desire to conduct destructive activities on the bilateral track,” the foreign ministry said. “We state that after leaving the [European Union], Great Britain stepped up even more in building up sanctions tools, including for demonstrating leadership in the campaign of denigrating Russia.”
The International Dairy Foods Association lauded the delay in new health certificate requirements for dairy and infant formula, and said the extra months give U.S. and European officials more time to discuss how to implement the regulatory change. IDFA had said that the certificates could have disrupted supply chains for nutrition support drinks and infant formula even if European consumers were not the ultimate customers, as long as the exports went through Europe (see 2107260033).
The European Council removed Navy Cmdr. Bion Na Tchongo and Capt. Paulo Sunsai from its Guinea-Bissau sanctions regime in an Aug. 5 implementing regulation. Both listings were originally made in 2012 in response to their roles in “threatening the peace, security or stability of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
The United Kingdom removed the antidumping duty on welded tubes and pipes from Russia as part of changes made to the duties in two trade remedies notices published Aug. 9. The changes also varied the AD duties on the subject goods from Belarus and China, in line with the Trade Remedies Authority's recommendations on the duties. The new rates of the AD duties applicable to the net, free-at-the-frontier price before other import duties of welded tubes and pipes is 38.1% from Belarus and 90.6% from China. However, neither of these is the actual dumping rate, since the U.K. accompanied this change with a partial suspension of the AD duties on welded tubes and pipes from Belarus to avoid double trade barriers. The payable duty rate on the covered goods from Belarus is 13.1%. The suspension does not cover Chinese products that were already granted an exception to the tariff-rate quota on steel goods.
The European Commission in an Aug. 6 notice announced the impending expiration of antidumping duty measures on certain lightweight thermal paper from South Korea, unless a review of the duties is initiated. European Union manufacturers can submit a written request for a review up to three months before the duty's May 4, 2022, expiration date.
The European Council announced that certain third countries aligned themselves on Aug. 6 with the council's decision to extend the EU terrorist list for a further six months. Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Liechtenstein will also extend the list that established restrictive measures against 14 individuals and 21 entities (see 2107200023). The sanctions, reviewed at least every six months, are now set to expire in January 2022. The terrorist list is separate from the EU's al-Qaida and ISIL sanctions regime.
The European Commission will kick off a partial interim review of the antidumping duties on steel ropes and cables from China, extended to imports from South Korea, whether declared as from South Korea or not, the commission said Aug. 5. The EC initiated the review and the scope will be limited to the duty exceptions granted to Young Heung Iron & Steel. “There is sufficient evidence that the circumstances on the basis of which the exemption was granted to Young Heung have significantly changed and that these changes are of a lasting nature,” the commission said. Young Heung changed its name to Youngwire, and in so doing, also underwent “important reorganisation, including through the acquisition of the assets of another Korean exporter benefitting from the exception, Dae Heung Industrial Co. Ltd.” These changes could affect the exemption offered to Young Heung.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations welcomed the United Kingdom as a “Dialogue Partner” at a virtual ceremony Aug. 5, the U.K. announced Aug. 5. The partnership brings the U.K. closer to the 10-member trading bloc in the Indo-Pacific and marks the first partnership of this kind that ASEAN has established in 25 years, the U.K. said. The U.K. will attend foreign and economic ministers meetings, as well as other ministerial proceedings. ASEAN has a combined GDP of $3.2 trillion (in U.S. dollars), and total trade between the U.K. and ASEAN was about $45 billion in the four quarters ended with Q1 2021, the release said. The U.K. in June launched accession talks with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. “Along with CPTPP accession and deals with countries like Singapore and Vietnam, this will help unlock opportunities for British businesses in a high-growth region of more than 650 million people, allowing them to expand and create jobs across the UK,” International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said.
The European Commission amended a countervailing duty order on rainbow trout imports from Turkey on Aug. 3, finding that an exporter with an individual CVD rate could still receive this rate following a name change. BAFA Su Urunleri Yavru Uretim Merkezi Sanayi Ticaret AS, an exporter with a 1.5% individual CVD rate, told the commission that after combining with its parent company, it changed its name to Kilic Deniz Urunleri Uretimi Ihracat Ithalat ve Ticaret A.S. The commission found the name change to be properly registered, keeping the 1.5% rate for Kilic.