The U.K. amended entries under its Russia and Belarus sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a pair of notices July 12. Under the Russia sanction list, OFSI amended 16 entries and corrected those for Vadim Anatolyevich Lukashevich and German Valentinovich Belous.
The European Commission on July 8 updated its Russia sanctions frequently asked questions, releasing new guidance. The deposits FAQs include how to make an authorization under the sanctions list, formal requirements on how the authorization should be designed, and what information should be obtained by the national authority for assessments made under the sanctions regime. The trust services FAQs cover the definition for the term "trust or any similar legal arrangement," what activities are banned in relation to trusts, how the ban is applied in practice, and more.
Lithuania has halted the transport of more goods to Kaliningrad as more EU restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine take effect, Reuters reported. Lithuania banned the transit of concrete, wood, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals via its territory to the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, which includes a seaport, a spokesperson for Lithuanian customs said, Reuters reported. The ban also includes an expansion of the restrictions on ferrous metals, which began in June. Russia called the ban on some goods an illegal blockade, while Lithuania said it has no choice but to enforce the EU's sanctions. Russia warned of "harsh measures" that could be imposed in response to Lithuania's move.
The U.K.'s Department for International Trade on July 11 announced the launch of the U.K.-Ukraine Infrastructure Taskforce. The group held its first meeting, with the U.K. committing to assist with temporary housing and longer-term infrastructure projects to aid the rebuilding effort after the war in Ukraine.
The EU dropped Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo from its Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions regime after he successfully challenged his listing in the EU General Court. In April, the court ruled Luyoyo no longer holds positions that justify his designation as a sanctioned party under the list and said not enough evidence establishes a link between him and the security situation in the DRC (see 2204290026). His request was declined in 2019.
The U.K. issued a General License permitting relevant parties to perform activities to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance relating to the war in Ukraine, in Crimea and non-Ukraine controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The license indefinitely permits such activity and also says any money used to carry out such humanitarian activity can't be from funds owned, held or controlled by a sanctioned individual or entity.
The EU is looking at ways to bolster its sanctions enforcement regime and harmonize it across member states, the Financial Times reported. Mairead McGuinness, the EU's commissioner for financial stability, financial services and the capital markets union, said officials are contemplating opening a version of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. McGuinness said the commission is looking at other enforcement measures as well, including forcing sanctioned parties to disclose their assets, syncing definitions of control across nations and broadening registers of beneficial ownership. The commission further requested reports from member states on sanctions enforcement, FT reported. Along these lines, the European Council requested the consent of the European Parliament to add the violation of restrictive measures to the list of EU crimes laid out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU to crack down on sanctions circumvention (see 2207010014).
The U.K. dropped nine entries from its cyber sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced in a July 5 notice. OFSI removed eight individuals -- Aleyona Chuguleva, Darya Dugina, Yuriy Fedin, Denis Gafner, Yevgeniy Glotov, Valeriya Kalabayeva, Aelita Mamakova and Mikhail Sinelin -- and one entity, United World International, from the consolidated list. All remain subject to an asset freeze under the Russia regime.
Eleven non-EU European countries implemented restrictions against ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities to mirror the EU's recent sanctions action, the European Council announced July 5. Last month, the council added three individuals and one entity to the list of sanctioned parties under the ISIL/al-Qaida restrictions. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Armenia and Georgia aligned themselves with the decision.
The European Commission in a July 1 move enabled member states to drop customs duties and value-added taxes temporarily on the import of food, blankets, tents, electric generators and "other life-saving equipment," meant for Ukrainians affected by the war. The action applies retroactively to Feb. 24 and will run until Dec. 31. Since Russian's invasion of Ukraine in February, over 14 million people have been displaced, with 6.2 million arriving in EU nations. To aid EU member states' humanitarian response to these refugees, the commission issued the waivers for goods imported by state organizations and charitable or philanthropic organizations approved by the member states' authorities.