The U.S. Department of Commerce amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), effective March 15, 2024, to move Nicaragua from Country Group B to Country Group D, and added it to the list of countries subject to the...more
In this weekly update, we summarise the most notable updates in the UK sanctions world. ...more
In 2023, the biggest question on clients’ minds was the ramping up of U.S. export controls targeting semiconductors and advanced computing. In October, the U.S. Commerce Department unveiled new rules to tighten further a...more
Switzerland implemented the remaining measures of the EU ninth package of sanctions in its Ordinance on Measures Connected with the Situation in Ukraine (the "Ordinance"switz), with effect from 25 January at 18:00 CET. These...more
1. New Import Ban on All Products From China’s Xinjiang Region- In late December 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law. The new legislation creates a rebuttable presumption that any...more
On December 9, 2021, the Departments of Commerce and State issued rules restricting a range of exports to Cambodia citing, “significant evidence of corruption, human rights abuses, and an exclusive agreement with the People’s...more
In response to “deepening Chinese military influence…as well as growing corruption and human rights abuses,” on December 8, 2021, the State Department and Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced...more
As part of the United States’ response to Russia’s use of chemical weapons against Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny, the U.S. State Department applied a policy of denial to licenses and other approvals for exports to...more
In March 2021, three federal agencies promulgated international trade restraints as part of the Biden Administration’s response to alleged mistreatment of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in 2020. Specifically, the...more
Yesterday, the United States announced new targeted sanctions, export control restrictions, and an arms embargo on Russia after the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. All three of the...more
On 14 October 2020, the EU designated under its asset freeze six Russian officials and one research institute, in response to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in August 2020. Separately, it also...more
Summary - After the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”) declined to extend a conventional arms embargo on Iran, the United States sought to unilaterally trigger a UN sanctions “snapback” provision and issued a new...more
On 20 July 2020, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced (through a statement to the House of Commons) that as part of the UK's response to China’s imposition of new national security laws on Hong Kong...more
The legislative scrutiny over the export of arms to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("Saudi Arabia") is continuing to increase in Europe, with several member states taking legal steps to restrict their export control licensing...more
On November 19, 2018, the Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce (BIS) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) soliciting comments on the criteria to be used to identify emerging...more
• ECRA became law on August 13, 2018. It is the permanent statutory authority for the EAR, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s BIS. The new law codifies long-standing BIS policies and does not require...more
After nearly 20 years of promulgation by executive orders, bipartisan export control reform legislation has re-established a permanent statutory basis for the control of commercial and dual-use items licensed by the...more
In what has become his trademark Trumpian manner, the President announced last Friday that new tariffs and trade restrictions against China are on again, at the same moment that his senior Commerce and Treasury Department...more
On August 2, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Pub. Law. No. 115-44, H.R. 3364) (the “Act”), which significantly expands economic sanctions against...more
On August 2, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (the Act), which significantly expands U.S. sanctions against Russia while enacting modest new sanctions on...more
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS - Former Securency Manager Convicted of Corruption - On May 11, 2016, Peter Michael Chapman, former manager of polymer banknote manufacturer Securency PTY Ltd. (“Securency”), was...more
On May 23, 2016, during President Obama’s visit to Ho Chi Minh City, the United States announced the termination its long-standing arms embargo policy for Vietnam. Exports of defense articles and defense services to Vietnam...more
After weeks of negotiations and a Putin-backed delay, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2270 on March 2, 2016, imposing new sanctions against North Korea. According to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry,...more
You are the chief legal officer of a U.S. company. Your CEO walks into your office and announces that your company is about to conclude its first international sale. In addition, the company has just appointed distributors in...more