The Korean Customs Service states it is taking significant steps to prevent illegal transshipment and document falsification, in order to prevent companies in other countries from fraudulently obtaining preferential tariff treatment once the pending U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) and the EU-Korea FTA take effect.
Russia export controls and sanctions
The use of export controls and sanctions on Russia has surged since the country's invasion of Crimea in 2014, and especially its invasion of Ukraine in in February 2022. Similar export controls and sanctions have been imposed by U.S. allies, including the EU, U.K. and Japan. The following is a listing of recent articles in Export Compliance Daily on export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia:
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases on June 8, 2011:
On May 26, 2011, the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus, which represents over 65 members, issued its “2011 International Piracy Watch List” in an effort to combat international copyright piracy. Among other things, the Caucus announced that it would closely monitor the serious problems of copyright piracy in Canada, China, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine.
The World Economic Forum has published the Russia Competitiveness Report 2011, which states that Russia has been falling behind other large emerging BRIC economies (Brazil, India, and China). According to the report, Russia has seen a negative trend in its competitiveness performance due to a number of shortcomings in the country’s business environment. Key competitiveness challenges are underdeveloped institutions, stifled competition, low business sophistication, etc.
The European Commission has protested and requested the immediate withdrawal of Russia's ban on all vegetable exports from the European Union to Russia due to an outbreak of E. Coli in Germany. The Commission expressed concerns about this decision, stating that the latest test results on cucumber samples carried out by authorities in Spain and Germany showed that the cucumbers from Spain suspected of being a source of the E. Coli are not responsible outbreak. The Commission also stressed that it has removed its own alert notification on Spanish cucumbers from the Rapid Alert System on Food and Feed (RASFF) and that any measures such as bans concerning imports of EU vegetables remain disproportionate. Investigations to identify the source of the E. Coli are ongoing.
The Government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices for June 3, 2011:
On June 3, 2011, the Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has issued a report which states that Russia’s innovation system continues to be undermined by several factors, including very low levels of R&D and innovation activities in firms, a lack of competition and high levels of corruption, and weak infrastructures and regulations. According to the report, Russia should, among other things, increase protection of intellectual property, strengthen competition, and improve standards of transparency and disclosure in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The report also states that part-privatizing SOEs would provide them with greater access to foreign know-how and accelerate the modernization agenda.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has recently revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries:
On June 1, 2011, the Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN reports: