Denmark-based Danske Bank is no longer being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for potential sanctions violations, it said in a Dec. 19 news release. Authorities in Denmark, the U.S., Estonia and France were investigating the bank in connection with a money-laundering scandal, Reuters reported Dec. 15. The bank said OFAC “decided to close its investigation” in relation to “the Estonia case” but may take “future enforcement action should new or additional information warrant renewed attention.” A Treasury spokesperson declined to comment.
Russia recently extended its import ban on agricultural goods from countries that impose financial sanctions on Russia, including the U.S., according to a Dec. 21 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The ban will remain in effect through the end of 2021 with no changes to the list of covered products, FAS said, which includes various meats, seafood, dairy products and vegetables.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade launched a service it said will help companies identify overseas trading barriers and find “new trade opportunities,” it said Dec. 21. The digital service will allow users to search for information on trade barriers imposed by other countries that could restrict business and investment activities, it said. The service also will highlight new areas that may present business opportunities. The “new database will be regularly updated” to show the latest barriers.
The United Kingdom Dec. 21 updated its guidance on exporting controlled goods after Brexit to reflect new provisions on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the European Union (see 2012180009). Northern Ireland will be considered part of the EU’s customs territory and no licenses will be required to ship dual-use items, with some exceptions, the U.K. said. If unsure, traders should seek advice from their “relevant EU member state licensing authority.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the evening of Dec. 21 that he hopes the closure of the U.K.-France border to truck cargo can be resolved in the “next few hours,” according to a report from Reuters. But as of press time, the border was still shut, after French President Emmanuel Macron closed it at 11 p.m. London time on Dec. 20 to help prevent the spread of a new, potentially more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 that recently was discovered in the U.K. In a statement on Dec. 21, Johnson said the delays only affect human-handled freight at the port at Dover, which is “only 20 per cent of the total arriving from or departing to the European continent.”
The European Council approved the European Commission’s Customs Action Plan, saying it will make European Union customs operations “smarter, more innovative and more efficient,” a Dec. 21 news release said. The plan, announced in September, includes new measures to support the EU Customs Union, tackle smuggling and combat customs duty fraud, and features a rollout of modern customs equipment and an EU-wide single customs portal (see 2009280023). Although the EC “welcomes” the commission’s plan, it added that “complex challenges in the customs area are best tackled” through cooperation, urging the commission to respect the “competences and the responsibilities of the EU institutions and the member states.” The council agreed that the EU should improve cooperation between customs, police and other law enforcement agencies, and said it welcomes the creation of a group of member states “to consider how to further modernise the Customs Union.”
The European Union and the United Kingdom endorsed a withdrawal agreement that will keep Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods after the Brexit transition period ends Dec. 31, the EU said Dec. 17. The agreement ensures there will not be a “hard border on the island of Ireland,” and goods sold to and from Northern Ireland with the EU will continue to be treated the same as other cross-border goods within the EU, the European Commission said in a guidance. The guidance also addressed value-added tax provisions of the agreement, trade in specific products, export declarations and how long the provisions will remain in effect.
The United Kingdom suspended import tariffs on a range of goods used to fight COVID-19, including face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, face shields and other protective equipment, the U.K. said Dec. 16. While the U.K. had already removed import tariffs from certain protective equipment, it said it “is now going one step further and ensuring there are no additional costs on any items on the World Health Organisation’s latest list of critical goods.” The new suspensions will also extend to “private sector organisations,” the U.K. said, including “care homes” that were paying tariffs pf between 2% and 12% on the goods. The suspensions will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, and will remain in place for one year, the U.K. said.
The United Kingdom issued a guidance Dec. 16 on how it will manage export restrictions when the U.K. experiences supply shortages. The U.K. said it may introduce “temporary” export controls if there are certain shortages or a “risk of a shortage.” Those restrictions may include license requirements, export quotas and limits or bans on exporting a certain product.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade published a guidance Dec. 16 on duty suspension and tariff quotas that will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2021. The guidance covers which tariff suspensions and quotas will be carried over from the European Union after the U.K. officially leaves the EU, and how long they will remain in effect.