ICYMI: G7 Issues Guidance on Preventing Evasion of Export Controls and Sanctions Imposed on Russia

The United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (the G7) published joint guidance for industry on preventing evasion of the export controls and sanctions imposed on Russia.

The goal of the guidance is to protect common high priority list items from misappropriation, prevent reputational harm, and mitigate liability risk. The guidance aims to assist industry with complying with multilateral export controls and sanctions and with identifying evolving Russian evasion practices.

The guidance outlines three priority areas: Items that pose a heightened risk of being diverted to Russia, red flag indicators of potential evasion, and best practices to address red flags.

1. The Common High Priority List (CHPL)

The European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States developed the CHPL to identify items that pose a heightened risk of illicit diversion to Russia. Items include:

  • Integrated circuits
  • Navigational instruments
  • Digital cameras
  • Transistors
  • Signal generators
  • Milling machines

See the full CHPL here.

2. Red Flag Indicators

The G7 identified the following red flags indicators of potential export control and sanctions evasion:

  • Sudden changes in business activity after February 24, 2022
  • Fales, inaccurate, or misleading documentation
  • Concealing the end user
  • Inconsistencies in the transaction
  • Vague details and/or incomplete information
  • Dividing invoices
  • Suspicious customer information

3. Best Practices

The G7 calls on responsible traders to improve export compliance systems and exercise enhanced due diligence. Specifically, following these steps when encountering any red flags:

  • Run transaction parties against applicable public sanctions lists
  • Conduct additional due diligence
  • Analyze the risk of export control and/or […]
By |2024-10-11T11:02:26-04:00October 11, 2024|Countries, Export, Russia|0 Comments

Customs and Trade News Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:     

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • CBP issued guidance on the modifications made to Section 301 pursuant to the findings of the four-year review of actions taken in the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation.
  • CBP officers in Norfolk, Virginia, seize food trailers and golf carts from China that violate federal motor vehicle safety standards.
  • CBP officers working at the Presidio port of entry seized 748 pounds prohibited Mexican bologna.

United States Trade Representative (USTR)

  • USTR and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has secured over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access across the globe for America’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers.
  • Katherin Tai submitted written responses to the Senate Finance Committee following a hearing earlier this year. In her answers, she declined to endorse a permanent e-commerce tariff moratorium and called for more money for CBP, to address Section 301 tariff circumvention.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

  • BIS published its second quarterly update of the boycott Requester List. The list […]
By |2024-10-04T18:50:23-04:00October 4, 2024|news, Snapshot|0 Comments

Customs and Trade News Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news: 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • CBP announced they are delaying the deadline for use of the Document Image System (DIS) as a method to submit the CBP Form 1302A Cargo Declaration. The new deadline is April 1, 2025.
  • CBP seized $268,000 in unapproved FDA drugs in Cincinnati.
  • Wilmington CBP officers seized $151k in counterfeit designer brand name handbags.
  • CBP announced they are centralizing drawback functions under one Center of Excellence and Expertise (Center). Effective October 1, 2024, Drawback Specialists and their respective functions will be managed by the Houston Field Office under the Petroleum, Natural Gas and Minerals (PNGM) Center.
  • CBP published a new Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) implementation guide.
  • A subgroup of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee laid out eight recommendations for how to improve communications among CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, brokers and other trade entities.

United States Trade Representative (USTR)

  • USTR issued a federal register notice announcing a docket for public comments on proposed tariff increases following the four-year 301 review. The docket opened on September 23, 2024 and will close on October 22, 2024.
  • USTR announced an enforcement action under the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) Forest Sector Annex. USTR requested the Government of Peru to verify that five timber shipments exported to the United States from Peru complied with applicable Peruvian […]
By |2024-09-28T13:51:57-04:00September 28, 2024|Snapshot|0 Comments

BIS Issues Final Rule on VSD Policies and Penalty Guidelines

BIS recently issued a final rule to amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), making several changes to their Voluntary Self Disclosure (VSD) policies, as well as updates to guidance on penalty determinations.

The rule codifies previously announced policy changes through several Policy Memoranda including an April 2023 memorandum on voluntary-self disclosures, and a June 2022 memorandum on strengthening administrative enforcement.

Revisions to Voluntary Self-Disclosures

The rule makes both substantive and procedural changes to the VSD policies:

  1. Addition of non-disclosure as an aggravating factor – the new rule makes clear that BIS will consider a deliberate decision to not disclose a violation as an aggravated factor when determining what administrative sanctions will be imposed.
  2. New dual track for processing VSDs – one track for minor or technical violations, the other for significant violations.
  3. Authorizes any person (not just the party submitting a VSD) to notify the Director of BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) that a violation has occurred and to request permission to engage in corrective activities.

Revisions to Penalty Guidelines

This rule makes several changes to the BIS Penalty Guidelines, including:

  1. Changes the base penalty caps:
    1. Non-egregious VSD cases: was $125,000, now one-half of the transaction value.
    2. Non-egregious cases that are not initiated by a VSD: was $250,000, now the full transaction value.
  2. Permits BIS to use  non-monetary penalties to resolve cases that are not egregious and have not resulted in national security harm, but rise above the level of cases warranting a warning letter.
  3. Removes from the BIS […]

Customs and Trade News Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:      

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

  • CBP released the August 2024 monthly update. Highlights: 
    • Stopped 400 shipments  or further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor. 
    • Identified estimated duties of nearly $7.5 billion. 
    • Seized 1,997 shipments that contained counterfeit goods. 
  • CBP provided examples of unacceptable vs acceptable cargo descriptions. The agency said this list will continue to be expanded as unacceptable descriptions are identified and acceptable descriptions are further refined. 
  • CBP has introduced a new benefit for Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) participants. This benefit allows the use of Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) to store goods that are subject to potential forced labor enforcement actions. 
  • CBP officers seized 277 counterfeit Lululemon Everywhere Belt bags in Delaware, that had they been authentic would have been worth about $13,000. 
  • The United States signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) with the Republic of Uzbekistan, strengthening law enforcement and Customs support between the two nations.  
By |2024-09-23T09:15:32-04:00September 20, 2024|Snapshot|0 Comments
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