The United Kingdom should extend European Union safeguard measures on 10 product categories of steel imports for three years, Britain's Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate recommended in its Statement of Intended Final Determination May 19. After reviewing 19 categories of steel imports covered by existing trade remedies, TRID recommended the remaining nine remedies should be revoked. For each category, TRID conducted an “Economic Interest Test” to weigh damage the imported steel products are causing to domestic producers, economic significance of the affected industries, impact on certain geographic areas and likely consequences for the U.K. market's competitive environment.

The United Kingdom is preparing to kick off negotiations on trade deals with Canada and Mexico with the hope of expanding deals signed in 2020, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade announced in a May 18 news release. Last year's deals secured tariff-free exports from the U.K. on 98% and 88% of goods to Canada to Mexico, respectively, the release said. The expanded trade deal will have a stronger emphasis on industries such as digital, data and services and seek to bolster British jobs in car manufacturing and food and drink. The Department for International Trade is calling for input from concerned individuals, entities and other stakeholders on what the goals of the trade agreements should be.

The European Council is extending restrictive measures against cyberattacks until May 18, 2022, it said in a May 17 news release. With a current listing of eight individuals and four entities, the sanctions regime targets persons or entities that assist cyberattacks against the European Union or its member states. The restrictions include an asset freeze and travel ban and have been in place since 2017.

New European Union export controls on dual-use goods meant to promote human rights have the effect of shifting legislative authority from a member state's legislative body to its regulatory arm, Sheppard Mullin said in a May 14 analysis. Officially passed on March 26, the human rights export controls allow, among other things, a member state to impose a prohibition on the exports of items not on the Dual-Use Control List for human rights considerations. Subsequently, other member states are also prohibited from making unlicensed exports of these items if they have been notified by the appropriate competent authorities that the items are intended to be used for human rights violations. “In Member States whose legislation does not empower their licensing authorities unilaterally to impose export licensing requirements on new items, the Regulation effectively transfers legislative authority from one organ of Member State government (the legislature) to another (the export licensing authority),” Sheppard Mullin said.

Russia recently notified the World Trade Organization of draft amendments to certain food labeling regulations in the Eurasian Economic Union, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May 12 report. The measure would “harmonize” certain EAEU labeling regulations with European Union requirements in terms of “indicating proteins, fats, carbohydrates and trans isomers of fatty acids,” USDA said. U.S. parties should send comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology at ncsci@nist.gov by June 9.

The Czech Republic will begin collecting value-added taxes on all import consignments beginning July 1, KPMG said in a May alert. The measure will eliminate a VAT exemption on imports of “low value,” KPMG said. It will also place more of a burden on buyers and sellers of e-commerce goods, who will have to “pay more attention” to which party is responsible for paying the VAT. Traders must determine whether a foreign good's price includes the import VAT, or whether the end customer will be responsible for paying the VAT. “Sellers of goods from abroad should therefore consider all possible options,” KPMG said, “and decide on the most appropriate and convenient collection of VAT on the import of goods for both themselves and their customers.”

The European Commission initiated an expiry review of the antidumping duty order on imports of certain ring binder mechanisms from China and extended it to Vietnam and Laos, the commission said May 11. Acting on the request of producer Ring Alliance Ringbuchtechnik GmbH, which called for the review on behalf of over 25% of the European ring binder mechanism industry, the EC will review entries of the subject goods in 2020 to determine if the antidumping duties should be extended. The product is currently classified under Combined Nomenclature code 8305.10.00.

Cyprus is considering providing relief to industry for monetary penalties or interest related to value-added tax payments, KPMG said in a May 7 post. The measures, aimed at mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, would allow certain payments to be deferred for VATs due in May, June and July. Cyprus previously extended deadlines for payments of certain VATs (see 2103040008).

Following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, the European Commission does not want to see the U.K. join the bloc's 2007 Lugano Convention -- a pact that recognizes jurisdiction and enforcement of judgment in civil and commercial matters. In a May 4 communication from the EC to the European Parliament and Council, the commission said the Lugano Convention is meant for the internal market of the EU. and because the U.K. is now a “third party without a special link to the internal market,” it does not warrant access to the convention. In its stead, the commission recommends taking the normal course of action in recognizing jurisdiction with Britain and following the framework laid out by the Hague Conventions in the field of civil judicial cooperation.

The European Commission halted efforts to ratify a massive investment deal with China following back-and-forth sanctions over China's human rights violations committed against its Uighur Muslim ethnic minority, The Guardian reported May 4. “We now in a sense have suspended … political outreach activities from the European Commission side,” Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission’s executive vice president, said. The deal, called the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, was negotiated in December and secured greater market access for European Union companies in China along with certain questionable concessions on subsidies and labor standards (see 2101250052). “As long as members of the European Parliament are on sanction[s] list,” ratifying the agreement is “impossible,” Michael Reiterer, distinguished professor at Brussels School of Governance, told The Guardian.