What are international sanctions? What are primary and secondary sanctions? What are extraterritorial effects and how will that impact multinational operations? The changing international sanctions regulations produce dizzying regulatory landscape, and complex as well as confusing compliance environment. To help lift the curtain a bit on this topic, Trade Practitioner José María Viñals (partner, Madrid/Brussels), also … Continue Reading
The latest edition of our transatlantic export controls and sanctions wrap-up is now available. In this publication, we look at the shifting regulatory framework for international trade compliance on both sides of the Atlantic. In this issue, we cover:… Continue Reading
The latest edition of our transatlantic export controls and sanctions update is available. In this publication, we look at the shifting regulatory framework for international trade compliance on both sides of the Atlantic. In this issue, we cover:… Continue Reading
“We are going to win so much” is a staple soundbite from President Donald Trump, and also representative of his administration’s approach to international negotiations. President Trump favors bilateral trade deals and has been optimistically touting the US as the UK’s first FTA partner after Brexit. From the UK’s perspective, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also … Continue Reading
This blog post is being published for The Trade Practitioner as part of a content partnership with our Brexit Legal blog. Please contact Matthew Kirk with any questions. In the last week of February 2020 – amid some chest-beating ferocity on both sides – the EU and UK published their respective negotiating mandates for the … Continue Reading
OFSI, part of the HM Treasury, working toward ensuring that financial sanctions are properly implemented and enforced in the UK, has updated numerous financial sanctions that are currently in force. The recent updates are for financial sanctions in the following regions and industries: ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida Organizations Nicaragua Venezuela Central African Republic Ukraine – Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity Syria Libya … Continue Reading
The UK Committees on Arms Export Controls are conducting an inquiry examining the government’s 2017 Strategic Export Controls Annual Report. On June 24, 2019, both HMRC and the ECJU gave written evidence for the inquiry. … Continue Reading
The UK government has published the proposed customs duty rates that will apply to imported merchandise entering the UK from third countries after the country has left the European Union (EU) under a so-called no-deal scenario. Unless recent political developments require the UK government to extend that deadline, it has been indicated that the UK … Continue Reading
With continuing uncertainty, there is still a lack of clarity on what the final Brexit arrangements between the UK and the EU will look like. Many companies have been planning for the implications of Brexit for some time, and some still need to consider how Brexit may affect their operations. Both the UK government and … Continue Reading
The Department for International Trade has produced guidance, published on August 23, 2018, informing stakeholders how export controls would be affected if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. The notice explains how export licensing requirements for different groups of items would change and what the UK government proposed to simplify licensing. The export of many controlled items within … Continue Reading
The UK Trade Bill continued to be debated in the House of Commons with a second reading taking place on 9 January 2018. One of the main contributions of the bill is the establishment of the UK Trade Remedies Authority, an institution responsible for investigations into trade remedies, a responsibility currently assigned to the European … Continue Reading
On 10 January 2018, the European Commission published important notice warning of the consequences that Brexit will have in the field of industrial products[1], which are subject to CE Marking requirements when placed on the European Union (EU) market. For those products, the European Commission confirmed that, to demonstrate compliance with CE Marking requirements for … Continue Reading
On 21 November, the UK government published the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill, the stated aim of which is to “allow the UK to set and collect its own duty on goods coming into the country and will allow the government to implement different outcomes of the EU negotiations, including an implementation period”. The government announcement … Continue Reading
On 7 November, the UK government published the Trade Bill, having introduced it to Parliament for its First Reading. Together with the Customs Bill, it is designed to give the UK the powers necessary to bring existing EU trade agreements into UK statute. The bill also establishes a new independent body called the Trade Remedies … Continue Reading
On 7 November 2017, the UK Government published the Trade Bill, having introduced it to Parliament for its First Reading. Together with the Customs Bill, it is designed to give the UK the powers necessary to bring existing EU trade agreements into UK statute so that when the UK officially withdraws from the EU, businesses … Continue Reading
On 18 October, the Sanctions and Anti-money Laundering Bill was introduced to Parliament. It will provide the government with the legal powers it needs to continue implementing sanctions following Brexit and to maintain existing sanctions regimes that currently derive from EU law.… Continue Reading
On August 15, 2017, the British government unveiled a much anticipated “Future customs arrangements paper” that outlines the government’s views on post-Brexit relationship with the remaining 27 EU member countries (EU27).… Continue Reading
On 21 June 2017, the Queen’s Speech included the International Sanctions Bill as part of the new Brexit-related draft legislation, which is designed to “support our role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a leading player on the world stage, by establishing a new sovereign UK framework to implement international sanctions on a multilateral … Continue Reading
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee published a report on the UK’s relations with Russia, which examines sanctions on Russia. The report highlights that “recent developments in both the EU and the US have put the future of the sanctions regime in doubt”. It goes on to add that “as the UK is among the … Continue Reading
In a parliamentary debate on Eastern Ukraine, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced that the UK will be introducing a bill “on how we will continue to take part in sanctions jointly with our friends and partners across the channel”. Boris Johnson also stated that the UK “already leads the way in imposing sanctions on … Continue Reading
On Friday, 20 January, businessman Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. At the inauguration ceremony, President Trump stated: From this moment on, it’s going to be America First. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American … Continue Reading
Likely Major Policy Developments President-Elect Trump will enter the White House facing a dramatic decline in global trade growth. A recent World Trade Organization (WTO) report notes that 2016 marks the slowest pace of trade and output growth since the 2008 financial crisis. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo called slowing trade growth “a wake-up call,” especially … Continue Reading
On 1 August, during a phone conversation with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, UK Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that the position of the UK as regards sanctions against Russia was “unchanged following the UK’s Brexit vote in June”. The Prime Minister further added that sanctions will remain until Russia fully complies with its obligations under the Minsk agreements.… Continue Reading
Russia – Hacking Allegations; FBI Investigates. Last week, law enforcement officials reported the FBI and Justice Department are investigating a hack of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign computers, along with their investigations into previously-reported cyber intrusions of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Some U.S. officials suggested last week that there is strong evidence indicating the DNC … Continue Reading
