Drawback

The European Commission on Nov. 16 updated its guidance for providing COVID-19-related humanitarian aid to sanctioned countries. The guidance now includes a chapter on Nicaragua and clarifies the “responsibilities and the processes” to help “facilitate activities of humanitarian operators” in that country, the commission said. “The present [Guidance] Note replaces Commission Notice C(2020) 3179 final, adopted on 11 May 2020 which was focused on Syria only. The part related to Syria remains the same,” it said. The notice addresses questions the EC received regarding “exports of, and payments for protective gear, medicines, medical equipment” and medical assistance “to the population in need” in areas subject to EU sanctions.

The European Union threatened to impose further sanctions (see 2010050010) against Belarus after a peaceful protester died due to injuries caused by plain-clothes police. Raman Bandarenka's death was “an outrageous and shameful result of the actions by the Belarusian authorities,” who are violating human rights, the EU said Nov. 13. “The European Union has already imposed sanctions on 55 individuals responsible for violent repression and intimidation, and stands ready to impose additional sanctions,” the EU said.

The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate for the Panel of Experts on Somalia until Dec. 15, 2021, and renewed the “partial lifting” of the arms embargo on the country's security forces, the UNSC said Nov. 12. The arms embargo exempts deliveries of arms, technical advice, financial assistance or training intended for Somali security forces, and prohibits the resale or making available to outside entities of weapons and military equipment “supplied to the Somali National Security Forces or Somali security sector institutions.” The UNSC also condemned exports of charcoal from Somalia, which are banned, as “illicit flows that may finance terrorist activities.” It also cautioned against transactions that might involve “direct or indirect sale or transfer of items that could be used in manufacturing ... [improvised explosive] devices” used in the escalating number of attacks undertaken by Al‑Shabaab, the East African terrorist fundamentalist group.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a financial sanctions guidance for charities on Nov. 13. The agency stressed that charitable organizations are responsible for complying with sanctions, applying for licenses and reporting “suspected breaches of financial sanctions to OFSI at the earliest opportunity.”

The European Union removed Neda Industrial Group from its Iranian sanctions regime, it said Nov. 13. The company had supplied electricity to Iran, but the European General Court found the company’s “provision of services” to an Iranian uranium enrichment plant “was not sufficient to support its designation,” a Nov. 13 EU Sanctions blog post said.

Corey Stewart, a trade lawyer and supporter of President Donald Trump who lost a 2018 Senate race in Virginia, was named to a “newly created” senior position in the Commerce Department to oversee export regulations, Reuters said in a Nov. 16 report. Stewart will hold the post of principal deputy assistant secretary for export administration, Reuters said, which is above the post of Matthew Borman, the deputy assistant secretary for export administration. Stewart is being brought in to help “push through hardline policies on China” before the Joe Biden administration takes over, the report said. Stewart is expected to serve in the role until the end of the Trump administration on Jan. 20, 2021. The Commerce Department and its Bureau of Industry and Security did not immediately comment. The announcement came about four months after Rich Ashooh, former Commerce assistant secretary for export administration, resigned in July (see 2007020027).

The Trump administration is considering imposing new export controls and sanctions against China in the coming weeks, a senior administration official said. The moves are meant to further cement Trump’s China policies under the incoming Joe Biden administration, the official said, which may find the measures difficult to reverse.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Nov. 12 that will block Americans from transacting in “publicly traded securities” or investing in Chinese firms that have ties to the Chinese military when it takes effect Jan. 11, 2021. The EO bans investments in a range of Chinese companies included in lists published by the Defense Department earlier this year, including Huawei, Hikvision and other prominent Chinese technology companies (see 2008300001 and 2006250024). U.S. people or companies violating the order could be subject to restrictions or sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, said the EO, which will be imposed by the Treasury Department after consultation with other agencies. The White House said agencies may soon issue “rules and regulations” to implement the order, including procedures for license applications.

The Bureau of Industry and Security withdrew a proposed rule from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs related to its strategic trade authorization (STA) license exception. The rule, which was received by OIRA Aug. 27 (see 2008280022) and withdrawn Nov. 12, would have clarified the “availability” and expanded restrictions on availability of the license exception under the Export Administration Regulations. A BIS spokesperson said the agency is still considering proposing the rule. “The rule was withdrawn for further informal interagency consultation,” the spokesperson said.

Danish state prosecutors charged a Danish holding company, its subsidiary and its director for violating sanctions against Syria, a Nov. 12 EU Sanctions blog post said. The company, which Denmark does not name, allegedly sold 172,000 metric tons of jet fuel to Russian companies, which delivered the fuel to Syria, a government news release said, according to an unofficial translation. The sales violated European Union sanctions and involved about 647 million Danish kroner, the equivalent of about $100 million.