A United Kingdom trade deal with New Zealand could eliminate tariffs of up to 10% on various British goods and increase a trade relationship already worth over $3.1 billion, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said Aug. 21. The trade agreement could drop tariffs on British chocolate, gin, buses and clothes, the department said. The latest round of trade talks between the two sides ended last month.

The United Kingdom appointed 10 trade envoys to boost British business in markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said Aug. 23. The new positions were created to "help UK businesses find new export and investment opportunities and promote UK trade in their allocated market," and include seven members of Parliament, the release said. The U.K. already has trade envoys in more than 60 countries. The new envoys are Lord Ian Botham to Australia; Baroness Kate Hoey to Ghana; and MPs Stephen Timms to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, David Mundell to New Zealand, Mark Eastwood to Pakistan, Marco Longhi to Brazil, Conor Burns to Canada, John Woodcock to Tanzania, Felicity Buchan to Iceland and Norway, and Jeffrey Donaldson to Cameroon, bolstering his current role as trade envoy to Egypt.

Several European packaging industry groups recently called on the European Commission to create an EU-wide approach to “packaging waste‑sorting” labeling, which would help improve the free movement of goods, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 18. In a recent letter, the groups express concerns about the EU’s “trend of divergent national packaging labeling and information requirements,” which runs counter to European efforts to harmonize waste collection and sorting regulations, and has caused “Single Market disruptions.” EU industry said the commission should take “decisive action” to stop “unjustified measures on unilateral packaging labeling, which undermine the integrity of the Single Market for packaging and packaged goods and the transition towards more sustainable packaging solutions.”

A leading European chemicals industry association said European Union member states should increase enforcement of chemicals regulations, especially for imported goods, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 18. The association, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), recently released a report that showed a “steep increase” from 2019 to 2020 in cases related to noncompliance with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation, in which an imported product’s country of origin was unknown. The report also showed rises in other import compliance issues, including an increase in instances of mercury in “skin‑lightening products” imported from the Ivory Coast and Pakistan, and an increase in cases of noncompliance involving air conditioning systems and hand sanitizers. CEFIC said the data points to “an urgent need for EU Member States to step up enforcement of REACH particularly for imported goods, including from online marketplaces.”

The European Commission in an Aug. 23 notice announced the impending expiration of antidumping duty measures on certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (other than stainless steel), of circular cross-section with an external diameter exceeding 406.4 mm from China, unless a review of the duties is initiated. European Union manufacturers can submit a written request for a review up to three months before the duty's May 13, 2022, expiration date. The duties were imposed May 11, 2017.

The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added seven names to its chemical weapons sanctions list, in an Aug. 20 financial sanctions notice. Added are Alexey Alexandrov, Vladimir Panyaev, Ivan Vladimirovich Osipov, Vladimir Mikhailovich Bogdanov, Kirill Vasilyev, Stanislav Valentinovich Makshakov and Alexei Semenovich Sedov, who are each subject to an asset freeze. All seven are operatives of Russia's Federal Security Service.

The European Council announced the alignment of third countries to its sanctions regimes on Lebanon and Iran. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Georgia aligned themselves with the measures pertaining to the Lebanon sanctions. Except for Georgia, the same countries, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova aligned themselves with the restrictive measures Iran sanctions.

Brexit-related customs and tax issues in Ireland may continue for some businesses, based on KPMG’s experience during the first six months of the United Kingdom’s official departure from the European Union, the firm said Aug. 17. Companies trading between Ireland and Great Britain are facing increased costs from supply chain delays and customs clearance issues, KPMG said, and also need to be aware of a range of declarations and paperwork needed to benefit from certain trade preferences.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade amended five open general export licenses to exclude Afghanistan as a permissible destination, the department said in an Aug. 18 guidance. The five OGELs are export after exhibition: dual-use items; export for repair/replacement under warranty: dual-use items from December 2019; export for repair/replacement under warranty: dual-use items; OGEL (X) from December 2019; and OGEL (X).

The Swiss Federal Council implemented an asset freeze and travel ban on eight Nicaraguan officials, joining the European Union in imposing the restrictions, according to a notice from the council. Due to an "ongoing violation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua," Switzerland made the restrictions, including on Vice President and first lady Rosario Maria Murillo de Ortega. The other seven affected individuals include Gustavo Eduardo Porras Cortes, Juan Antonio Valle Valle, Ana Julia Guido Ochoa, Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo, Alba Luz Ramos Vanegas and Bayardo Arce Castano. The council also delisted Libyan General Tohami Khaled, another decision in line with the EU's, since the general died.