Technical assistance including maintenance and repair measures on Belorussian aircraft is included in the European Union's current embargo against Belarus, Germany's customs agency clarified in a May 26 notice, according to an unofficial translation. While an expansion of current sanctions is expected, the release said, individuals and entities should be notified to not repair Belorussian aircraft including that in the Belorussian airline Belavia. The clarification on the scope of the sanctions comes as officials across Europe ramp up calls for greater sanctions on the Eastern European nation following the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk.

The United Kingdom's Department fpr International Trade seeks public comments to help shape its trade negotiations with India before both parties enter into a trade deal, the agency announced in a May 25 news release. The consultation period will end Aug. 31. Prior to the start of formal negotiations, the U.K. and India will complete a pre-negotiation scoping phase that includes the public consultations via questionnaires about participants' experiences and priorities on their business in India. The U.K. will seek to remove tariffs of up to 150% on whisky and 125% on automobiles made in Britain, the release said.

The European Union extended countervailing duties on rainbow trout from Turkey after conducting an expiry review, the bloc announced in a May 25 regulatory statement. The CV duties will continue to be imposed on rainbow trout imports (1) live weighing 1, 2 kilograms or less each or (2) fresh, chilled, frozen and/or smoked: in the form of whole fish whether gilled, whether gutted, weighing 1, 2 kg or less each, or with heads off, whether gilled, whether gutted, weighing 1 kg or less each, or in the form of fillets weighing 400 grams or less. Duty rates range from 1.5% to 9.5%, with the highest rate applying to companies not listed.

The United Kingdom's Cabinet cecretary, with approval from the prime minister, appointed James Bowler to serve as the new permanent secretary to the Department for International Trade, the agency announced in a May 24 press release. Bowler most recently worked as the permanent secretary leading the COVID Task Force in the Cabinet Office beginning in October 2020. The current interim permanent secretary, John Alty, is retiring. “I’m delighted to welcome James to DIT as we enter our next exciting stage," Trade Secretary Liz Truss said. "His experience will support our talented, driven department as we negotiate trade deals with key markets across the world, head the G7 trade track and encourage WTO reform."

The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended the general license for counterterrorism sanctions, granting legal aid payments to solicitors representing sanctioned individuals for their work in doing so, OFSI said in a May 21 update. The change to the license also removed a reporting requirement to qualify for the license, the EU Sanctions blog reported.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade launched a review of ongoing tariff measures against the U.S., which originally sought to respond to the Section 232 tariffs on British steel and aluminum. The U.K. wants to tailor any future response to the American tariffs to “UK interests,” a May 24 news release said. The consultation closes July 5, the agency said. In response to the Section 232 action, the U.K. instituted restrictive measures against trade in products such as whiskey, motorcycles and tobacco, but may be considering a change to “deescalate trade tensions,” it said.

The European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution May 20 to halt ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment between the European Union and China. The resolution said CAI ratification discussions have “justifiably been frozen” due to Chinese sanctions in place on the EU in response to Europe's own sanctions on China over its treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang province. The European Parliament wants the sanctions lifted on all 10 European individuals before ratification can continue. The report also mentioned the deteriorating human rights situation in Hong Kong as a cause for European concern with regard to continued relations with China.

The United Kingdom wants a long transition period to phase in tariff cuts for agricultural products in any post-Brexit trade agreement with Australia, Bloomberg reported May 21. Such a period, which could be as long as 15 years, would aim to aid British farmers. The U.K. and Australia in April announced an agreement to most elements of a proposed free trade deal and said negotiations could be completed by June (see 2104230072).

The United Kingdom is recruiting an external adviser to point out new opportunities following the nation's departure from the European Union, Bloomberg reported May 17. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is struggling to demonstrate the benefits of Brexit, especially as a task force to identify how the U.K. can reshape its economy has yet to make a suggestion, the report said. Financial services regulation, changes to agricultural subsidies and clinical drug trial fast-tracking are all areas the government is looking to bolster with the help of the adviser, Minister for EU Affairs David Frost said. Additional areas of focus include subsidy control, procurement rules and freeports.

The United Kingdom is set to implement a new tariff suspension scheme, giving importers the chance to request a drawdown or withdrawal of duties, the Department of International Trade announced in a May 20 news release. Companies in the U.K. or Crown Dependencies will be able to place their requests for the next month, the release said, and once a reduction or withdrawal is granted to a single company, all U.K. importers will be able to use the new rate. The idea is to "allocate suspensions based on the needs of firms in the UK and the wider economy," the release said.