The U.K. House of Commons released a research briefing April 20 that highlights British sanctions against Russia since 2014 and the current waves of restrictions relating to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The report also discusses the role of secondary sanctions, efforts to crack down on loopholes aimed at circumventing sanctions and work on coordinating the measures with allies.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is seeking comments on an information collection related to the agency’s Application for the Release of Blocked Funds. The application, which is available electronically on OFAC’s website, “provides a standardized method of application” for industry and eliminates the “need for applicants to write lengthy letters to OFAC,” the agency said. Comments are due June 21.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is seeking public comments on an information collection related to the provision of travel and courier services to Cuba. Comments are due June 21.
The U.N. Security Council on April 18 removed three entries from its sanctions list. The council delisted Maki Mustafa Hamudat, Asil Sami Mohammad Madhi Tabrah and Rasheed Bank, all of whom were listed with Iraqi addresses. The U.K. also delisted the three people this week (see 2204190005).
The U.K. announced even more import sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, adding to the list of goods facing higher tariffs or outright bans, the Department for International Trade announced. The new restrictions include bans on silver, wood products and on high-end Russian products, including caviar, the DIT said. Tariffs will also be upped by 35% on nearly $169 million worth of goods from Russia and Belarus, including diamonds and rubber.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added 26 entries to its Russia sanctions regime and amended another 30 in yet another sanctions move against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The listed individuals include military officials, businessmen and relatives of listed individuals, such as Oleg Belozyorov, chief executive of Russian Railways; Nikolay Bodanovsky, a Russian army officer; Igor Korotchenko, chairman of the Russian Defense Ministry Public Council; and Boris Obnosov, executive at Tactical Missiles Corp.
Although the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council is helping to foster important cooperation, it may be unintentionally leaving out other vital trade partners on a range of key issues, including export controls, said Mary Lovely, a senior fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. She said the TTC may be emphasizing the U.S.-EU relationship too much when the two sides should be doing more to convince other countries to adopt similar sanctions and export restrictions against Russia.
The Biden administration should “employ all tools necessary” to stop Chinese-owned Nexperia’s acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab (NWF), a U.K.-based chip facility, the Republican-led China Task Force said in a letter to the White House released April 21. If the acquisition is completed, the U.S. should remove the U.K. from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. white list and impose strict export controls on shipments to NWF, the House members said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on April 21 suspended the export privileges of another Russian airline for violating U.S. export controls against Russia. The agency issued a 180-day temporary denial order for Moscow-based cargo aircraft carrier Aviastar, which will limit the airline’s ability to deliver goods to Russia’s military, BIS said. Aviastar will be barred from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
The EU General Court upheld a lower court ruling that struck down the sanctions listings on former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his family members Gamal Mubarak, Alaa Mubarak, Heidy Rasekh, Khadiga El Gammal and Suzanne Saleh Thabet. The European Court of Justice had annulled the sanctions listings for Mubarak's family made in 2016 and 2017 and the 2018 listing of Mubarak himself. In March 2021, the EU reversed its Egypt sanctions, lifting restrictions on nine individuals. The General Court's April 6 ruling drops the sanctions imposed in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The court said it was unclear whether prior to implementing the sanctions, the European Council had fulfilled its duty to verify that the rights of defense and effective judicial protection were respected for the parties or that the council's actions were inadequate.