The United Kingdom published a June 8 guidance regarding express clearance of the Ministry of Defense Form 680 -- a required document for entities seeking to release sensitive information or equipment to foreign entities. Noting the MOD saw an increase in express clearance requests for Form 680 applications during January through April, the guidance said MOD will consider express clearances only in "exceptional" circumstances, including humanitarian reasons, COVID-19 prevention, life-threatening situations and expedited U.K. defense initiatives. Overseas customer demands are not a valid reason to issue an expedited Form 680, it said.

National competent authorities may authorize the release of funds frozen under European Union sanctions to satisfy the terms of a preexisting financial guarantee, the European Commission said in a June 2 opinion. An NCA had asked the European Union to determine whether funds subject to the Central African Republic sanctions regime could be used to pay a guarantee. The commission found that the use of frozen funds toward a guarantee amounts to a “payment” under Article 9, which says funds can be unfrozen to make payments due before the listing. Provided that all the conditions of Article 9 are met, the guarantee can be fulfilled “without the consent of or against the Designated Person.” Ultimately, the commission said, it is up to the NCA to determine if the conditions are fulfilled and, in particular, whether the payment of the guarantee was due before the sanctions.

The European Union's ambassador to the U.S. said that as the world watches the European Union-U.S. summit in a week, they will be looking to see that “we are capable of resolving quickly and effectively our bilateral trade irritants.” He said they also want to see “that we can work and will work together to address the new challenges that sit on the nexus of technology and trade and security.” He said that export controls and cyber security measures are some of the ways to address those challenges, and there should be an announcement at the conference on those matters.

The United Kingdom amended its export control laws regarding defense-related goods to reflect revisions made to the Wassenaar Arrangement munitions list. According to a June 8 guidance, changes were made to Schedule 2 (military goods, software and technology) and Schedule 3 (U.K. controlled dual-use goods, software and technology). The Schedule 2 changes consist of revised definitions and changes to ML1, ML2, ML6, ML8, ML10, ML11, ML13, ML15, ML17, ML18 and ML21. The Schedule 3 alterations are changes to definitions and to PL9009, according to the release. The alterations took effect June 7.

The United Kingdom wants 12 trade and agriculture experts to join its new Trade and Agriculture Commission to provide feedback on new free trade agreements, the Department for International Trade announced in a June 7 guidance. “Members are appointed for their individual knowledge and expertise, and do not represent an organisation,” it said.

A new United Kingdom mentorship program designed to boost food exports matches food producers and businesses looking to export for the first time. The Department for International Trade, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the National Farmers Union will run the program, which launched June 7, DIT said in a news release. New post-Brexit trade deals allow producers to take advantage of lower tariffs on agricultural goods, such as British cheese and dairy products, it said. “We are determined to help UK farmers make the most of the new trade deals we’re striking across the world,” Trade Secretary Liz Truss said. “This new mentor programme matches experienced exporters with our brilliant farmers and food producers to help them open even more doors to the fastest-growing consumer markets.”

The United Kingdom agreed in principle to a trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in a June 4 news release. The deal includes a substantial digital trade chapter and cuts tariffs on various British food products. Tariffs in Norway as high as 277% will be slashed for products such as “West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly, and Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese,” along with pork, poultry and Scotch whisky, the release said. The agreement also contains a new government procurement section permitting British companies to bid on government contracts worth up to 200 million pounds in the other three nations.

Belarusian carriers will no longer be allowed to fly through European Union airspace nor access EU airports, in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on May 23, the European Council announced in a June 4 news release. The move marks an escalation of existing council condemnations on Belarus over the arrest and detention by Belarusian authorities of journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.

The United Kingdom's Trade Secretary Liz Truss is seeking the removal of a 5% tariff on whisky exports to Australia in trade agreement negotiations, Truss announced in a June 3 news release. Both sides are seeking a final agreement by mid-month, British High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadell told reporters in Canberra, Reuters reported. “We are working hard to have an agreement in principle at the bilateral between Prime Ministers Johnson and Morrison on June 15,” she said. According to the release, Australia is the eighth-biggest market for Scotch whisky, worth around 113 million British pounds in 2020. Truss also said that a trade pact between Australia and the U.K. would be an “important gateway” for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, of which Australia is a member. The CPTPP bloc recently agreed to begin negotiations on the U.K.'s membership in the group (see 2106020006).

The European Commission in a May 27 opinion clarified two questions on national competent authorities (NCAs) requirements regarding assets frozen under various sanctions. One question asked whether it's legal under the EU's Libyan sanctions to liquidate an EU investment fund compartment that holds a listed entity's shares if the proceeds are then immediately frozen in a segregated EU bank account. The second involves whether it is possible under the Syrian sanctions to transfer a frozen bank account from an EU-based branch to the United Kingdom parent bank. In answering both, the commission focused on ensuring no one could use the assets.