The European Council this week extended by six months, until Jan. 31, its sanctions targeting certain sectors of the Russian economy. The restrictions were imposed in 2014 and expanded following the invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions include a host of sectoral restrictions on trade, finance, technology, dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods, the council said, as well as an import ban on seaborne crude oil and restrictions on Russia-based "disinformation outlets."
Paul Goldfinch, a sanctioned former board member at Russian financial institution Bank Otkritie, filed suit on July 17 at the District Court for the District of Columbia over the government's failure to render a decision on his delisting petition. The banker, listing the State and Treasury Departments as defendants, said he resigned after Bank Otkritie was listed in February 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the government has stalled on finding that he has satisfied its delisting requirements (Paul Goldfinch v. Antony J. Blinken, D.D.C. # 23-02045).
The Biden administration will complete its review of the Section 301 tariffs "this fall," U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai wrote to senators, and while she did not commit to any course of action, she wrote: "As part of the 4-Year Review of the Section 301 tariffs, USTR is reviewing the effectiveness of the tariffs in achieving the objectives of the investigation, as well as the effect of the tariffs on consumers, workers, and the U.S. economy at large. As part of this review, we are considering the existing tariffs structure and how to make the tariffs more strategic in light of impacts on sectors of the U.S. economy as well [as] the goal of increasing domestic manufacturing."
President Joe Biden this week renewed a national emergency authorizing certain sanctions related to transnational criminal organizations, which "threaten international political and economic systems and pose a direct threat to the safety and welfare" of the U.S. The emergency was renewed for another year from July 24.
The U.S. and U.K. discussed various sanctions issues July 19 during the first U.S.-U.K. Strategic Sanctions Dialogue in Washington, including various “priorities across geographic and thematic sanctions regimes,” the State Department said. The agency said the two countries “continue to intensify our coordination on United Nations and autonomous sanctions regimes” and discussed ways to coordinate the measures with other countries to “show collective leadership on the targeted, legitimate, and effective use of sanctions to tackle threats to international peace and security.”
The U.S. this week sanctioned more than 100 people, entities and ships supporting Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine, including one of its top metals producers and leading construction companies, Kyrgyz Republic firms sending Moscow dual-use technologies, and other businesses helping the government evade international sanctions. The new designations are meant to further restrict Russia’s ability to import military goods and technology, slash revenue from its mining sector, undermine its energy capabilities and “degrade Russia’s access to the international financial system,” the Treasury Department said.
A former senior export control official with the Commerce Department told the House Select Committee on China that he thinks the Entity List is ineffective against China, because countries can change their names, establish partnerships, change locations, and because the Entity List is a "meat cleaver" approach, given that listed parties are subject to very strict licensing requirements.
Republicans on the House Select Committee on China urged U.S. officials this week to cut off a broader range of exports to China, arguing that trade with China is helping to fund Beijing’s efforts to undermine American national security. Committee chair Mike Galagher, R-Wis., specifically asked witnesses from the Commerce, State and Defense Departments to enact a technology export ban on Huawei that the administration has reportedly been considering for the last year (see 2301310009).
Carol Lee, former associate at Clifford Chance, has joined Womble Bond as a partner in the business litigation group. Lee's practice will center on export controls, economic sanctions, Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. proceedings and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, the firm said.
The Norwegian government will establish a new agency to handle matters relating to export controls and sanctions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced July 11. The country said it's forming the agency in part due to the growing number of restrictions stemming from Russia's war in Ukraine, adding that it wanted to create a "separate government agency to dedicate more resources to efforts relating to implementing sanctions and export control." The new agency, which is expected to be established within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024, will deal with case processing, oversee export licenses and provide guidance.