Earlier this week, the Council of the EU adopted a series of legal instruments giving effect to what had been agreed on 20 May 2025, to significantly reduce sanctions on the Syrian Arab Republic. As a result, all EU economic restrictive measures targeting Syria have been lifted, except for those maintained on specific security-related grounds. This marks a substantial shift in the EU’s sanctions posture, intended to facilitate renewed economic engagement, support post-war reconstruction and encourage institutional re-integration, while preserving targeted measures where legal and strategic considerations continue to apply.
EU Adopts 17th Sanctions Package Against the Russian Federation: Further Targets the “Shadow Fleet” and Expands Export Controls
On 20 May 2025, the European Council announced its 17th sanctions package against the Russian Federation. The latest measures reinforce the EU’s strategic objective of undermining Russia’s capacity to finance and sustain its war efforts in Ukraine.
European Commission Previews New Round of Countermeasures Against the United States
In April 2025, the European Union (“EU”) set tariffs on a series of US imports but immediately suspended their application until 14 July 2025. This was due to the US almost simultaneously announcing that it would be softening its across-the-board tariffs. In the case of EU exports, this meant going from a 20% to a 10% general “reciprocal” tariff for three months to negotiate better US/EU trade arrangements.
Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) “Fast-Track” Pilot Program Being Developed
On May 8, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) announced that it “will establish a fast-track process” to facilitate the review by CFIUS of foreign investment into the US from “allies and partners sources . . . where there is verifiable distance and independence from foreign adversaries or threat actors.” The announcement noted that the contemplated process will include a “Known Investor” portal where information from foreign investors can be collected in advance of investment filings with CFIUS. The process is being developed by Treasury as a pilot program; however, the announcement did not include details for when the process would be rolled out.
In-Person Event: US Export Controls Workshops in the UK – September 15-17, 2025
This hugely successful and highly praised event on US export controls regulations, which is jointly organized by the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use (EGADD) and Squire Patton Boggs, will be celebrating its 18th Anniversary when it takes place in September 2025.
Recent DCSA Updates Regarding Expansion of FOCI Requirements to Unclassified Government Contracts
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has provided new updates about the highly anticipated changes that will apply foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) mitigation requirements to unclassified contracts.
A Summary of China’s Retaliation Actions Since The Trump Administration
This summary helps to navigate the various retaliation actions China has taken in the past 50 days after President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, to counter the US trade restrictions, including (i) imposing additional tariff on certain US origin products, (ii) adding 12 US companies to the Unreliable Entity List, (iii) control of export of certain precious minerals, (iv) adding 15 US companies to the export control related Controlled Party List and (v) launching anti-circumvention investigation against US fiber optic products.
DOJ’S False Claims Act Based Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative in 2024
The US Department of Justice’s Civil Cyber-Fraud (CCF) Initiative employs the powerful False Claims Act (FCA), with two recent FCA settlements under the CCF Initiative indicating scrutiny on cybersecurity compliance to combat emerging cyber threats. Whether the CCF Initiative continues in current form, it nonetheless underscores the importance for contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and other forms of funding that have agreements with the government to pay close attention to the cybersecurity requirements of such agreements.
Check out the full post on our Global Investigations & Compliance Review blog.
The EU Suspends Certain Sanctions on Syria to Support Economic Stabilisation, Political Transition and Reconstruction
To help the Syrian people achieve a peaceful and inclusive political transition, to aid the swift economic recovery and reconstruction of the country and to facilitate its eventual reincorporation into the global financial system, the EU has suspended with immediate effect a number of sanctions and restrictive measures that had targeted key sectors of the Syrian economy, including its banking, energy and transport sectors.
The EU’s Foremost Economic Retaliation Device – The Anti-Coercion Instrument
Under the leadership of President Trump, the US has adopted a new trade policy that may lead to the adoption of trade measures on imports from the EU. Given the importance of the US/EU trade relationship and the EU’s stated commitment to a free trade environment, the EU has said that it will adopt measures in response to such a US policy. During the election campaign, President Trump spoke of tariffs to re-balance the US economy and replace some tax revenue (i.e. new tariffs as a permanent feature of the trading landscape). The EU’s response may be calibrated according to the purpose of tariffs applied by the US Administration.
In this blog post, we provide an insight into the functioning of perhaps the most assertive (yet so far unused) trade instrument at the EU’s disposal to retaliate, the EU Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI, available here).
