EU member states agreed July 26 to voluntarily reduce their natural gas demand by 15% this winter in a bid to reduce shocks from any disruptions to the supply of Russian gas, the European Council announced. The agreement lays out the possibility of triggering a "Union alert" that would make the gas demand reduction mandatory. The agreement calls for 15% reduced demand Aug. 1 through March 31 and specifies some exemptions and chances for member states to request a derogation from the reduction target to boost the security of the gas supply.
The U.K. added 42 entries to its Russia sanctions regime and five entries to its Syria sanctions list in a pair of July 27 notices. The additions to the Russian sanctions regime consisted of 41 individuals and one entity. The listed parties include Vitaly Pavlovich Khotsenko, prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic; Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuychenko; Graham Phillips, U.K. national and video blogger who "has produced and published media content that supports and promotes actions and policies which destabilise Ukraine"; and 29 Russian regional governors.
The EU extended its sanctions regime on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine for another six months, until Jan. 31, the European Council announced July 26. In 2014 in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the restrictions were expanded following this year's invasion to include various sectoral sanctions with bans placed on finance, energy, technology, dual-use goods and luxury goods, among other things.
The European Commission opened four different infringement procedures against the U.K. over its alleged failure to comply with certain parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The commission launched the infringement proceedings following the UK's "unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion" and the UK Parliament's "continued passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill." The four infringement procedures are for failing to (1) comply with the customs requirements on the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, (2) "notify the transposition of EU legislation laying down general EU rules on excise duties," (3) notify the transfer of EU rules on exicse duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, and (4) implement EU rules on value added tax for e-commerce.
The European Council said Russia should revoke the addition of five EU member states to the list of countries to which Russia can apply measures in "Response to Unfriendly Actions of Foreign States." The countries are Greece, Denmark, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The allegations of unfriendly actions are "unfounded and unacceptable," the council said a July 22 news release. It called the move "yet another step by Russia towards continued escalation of tensions with" the EU. The council said the list of "unfriendly" states is "incompatible" with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
The EU added four individuals and one entity to its Syria sanctions regime, the European Council announced. The sanctions move addresses the Syrian state's efforts to provide support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Added were Saleh Al-Abdullah, a high-ranking military official; Wagner Group-supervised Sanad Protection and Security Services and co-owners Ahmed Khalil Khalil and Nasser Deeb Deeb; and Issam Shammout, Cham Wings airline owner.
The U.N., Russia, Ukraine and Turkey agreed to a deal to allow safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural exports through the Black Sea, the State Department said last week. The deal -- which is expected to be “fully operational” in a few weeks, Reuters reported July 22 -- comes amid months of halted Ukrainian exports of grain and other staple food crops (see 2204080037). The agreement is a “positive step towards addressing the far-reaching impacts of Russia’s war,” the State Department said, but stressed that Russia must be held “accountable for this deal, ending its effective blockade of Ukraine’s ports.”
Kazakhstan recently announced the second stage of its 2022 meat and poultry tariff rate quotes, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a July report. The country “approved the distribution” of 8,505 tons of beef and 94,500 tons of poultry, USDA said, unchanged from the 2021 volumes and rates.
The U.K. released a General License July 22 covering payments to British insurance companies for building and engineering insurance. Under the license, individuals and entities listed solely by the U.K. and not the U.N. may make permitted payments for an indefinite duration to U.K. insurers from a frozen U.K. bank account. The license further allows U.K. insurers to receive these payments. U.K. insurers can also make return payments to frozen bank accounts for the payment of funds due from a claim made relating to the permitted payments or due to overpayment, and the designated parties can receive return payments in the frozen account.
The EU dropped Cham Wings Airlines from its Belarus sanctions regime, the European Council announced. The Syrian operator was listed in December for facilitating the transport of migrants to Belarus who sought to enter the EU. "The Council took the decision to delist Cham Wings, as it considered that the restrictive measures brought the desired effect with regards to this entity," an EU spokesperson said, Reuters reported July 20. "According to information presented to the Council, Cham Wings ceased its involvement in the activities for which it was listed."