The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed an entry from its Syrian sanctions regime, dropping "leading businessperson in Syria" Nader Qalei from the sanctions list, in a July 8 notice. Qalei will no longer be subject to an asset freeze.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed Agat System from its Belarus sanctions regime, in a July 8 notice. Agat Electromechanical Plant JSC is part of the Belarusian State Authority for Military Industry, tasked with the “military-technical policy of the state,” and will no longer be subject to an asset freeze.
The United Kingdom's Export Control Joint Unit, part of the Department for International Trade, on July 8 released guidance on export licensing decisions made Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. The data includes quarterly reports on issued licenses, previous quarterly licensing data reports, annual licensing data reports for 2008-2020 and guidance on strategic export controls data.
Moet Hennessy stopped shipments of its Champagnes to Russia following new restrictions that reserve the label of Shampanskoe, the Russian translation of Champagne, for Russian sparkling wines, Bloomberg reported July 7. “The Champagne region is outraged by the new Russian legislation on wine labeling,” the French Champagne lobby group CIVC said July 5, three days after the new rules were implemented. Moet's decision to halt the shipment of Dom Perignon, Ruinart, Moet & Chandon and Krug will allow the company time “to understand and study the new regulations and assess their consequences,” a representative of Moet owner LVMH told Bloomberg. France's Foreign Ministry is reviewing the new restrictions while the European Commission pledged to evaluate whether the law violates Russia's World Trade Organization commitments, the report said.
French prosecutors are investigating four fashion retailers accused of covering up “crimes against humanity” in China's Xinjiang region, Reuters reported July 2. The companies are Uniqlo France, Zara owner Inditex, France's SMCP and Skechers, a judicial source told Reuters. France's Central Office to Fight Crimes against Humanity, Genocide and War Crimes is conducting the inquiry. The companies said they undertake serious due diligence to ensure that there is no forced labor in their supply chains, Reuters reported.
The United Kingdom suspended antidumping duties on cold-rolled flat steel goods from Russia, a July 1 notice said. The suspended duties originate from a general antidumping duty order on certain cold-rolled flat steel products from China and Russia and a tariff rate quota on steel goods. The notice includes a list of affected exporters and their now-lowered rates. All other exporters of the subject merchandise from Russia will see their antidumping duty rates fall from 36.1% to 11.1%.
The European Union imposed a definitive antidumping duty and will start “definitively collecting” the provisional duty on certain hot-rolled flat products of iron, non-alloy or other alloy steel from Turkey, the European Commission said in a July 6 implementing regulation. The provisional duty was implemented Jan. 7, after which the European Commission heard comments from concerned parties. Duties are imposed on six Turkish companies in amounts ranging from 4.7% to 7.3%. All other Turkish importers will be subject to a 7.3% dumping margin.
North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway aligned themselves with the European Union's further sanctions on Belarus, the European Council announced in a July 6 news release. The council expanded its Belarus sanctions regime June 21 to include 78 individuals and seven entities.
The European Commission amended its common rules for imports from certain third countries relating to volumes of tariff rate quotas in a July 5 implementing regulation. Country-specific and residual TRQs were incorrectly published in the original regulation, prompting the fix from the commission, the notice said. The notice lists TRQ volumes of metallic-coated sheets from Korea, India, the United Kingdom, China, India and other countries.
The United Kingdom lifted antidumping duties on welded tubes and pipes of iron or non-alloy steel from Belarus or Russia, a July 1 notice said. Certain antidumping duties originating from an AD quota on certain welded tubes and pipes of iron or non-alloy steel from Belarus, China and Russia along with a tariff rate quota on steel goods will be suspended under the notice. The announcement includes a list of affected companies from Russia that will see their antidumping rate drop to zero. All affected tube and pipe exporters from Belarus will have their antidumping rate drop from 38.1% to 13.1%.