The European Union and Japan expanded the number of geographical indications protected under their free trade deal and loosened restrictions on trade in cars and wine, the EU said Feb. 1. The changes, announced on the agreement's second anniversary, will protect 28 additional geographical indications for each country. The two sides also agreed to extend the list of car safety requirements that don’t require “double approvals,” making vehicle trade easier. Japan also further aligned its wine standards to those of the EU, which will allow more EU wine to access the Japanese market. In another change, the two sides said they simplified procedures for obtaining tariff preferences, making it easier for EU companies -- particularly small businesses -- to export to Japan.

The European Commission in January approved imports of five types of genetically engineered crops and renewed the authorization for three corn crops used for food and animal feed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service reported Jan. 28. The approvals were off the usual EC schedule and were the ones that remained to be taken up at the end of 2020. The GE crops cover three corn types and two soybeans, USDA said, adding that the imports will be subject to the European Union’s strict labeling and traceability rules. The approvals and renewals are in effect for 10 years.

The European Union will ban imports of oysters, mussels, clams, cockles and scallops from the U.K. indefinitely, according to a Feb. 1 BBC report. The EU had introduced trade restrictions on U.K. shellfish that were expected to last until April, the report said, but a European Commission official last month told the British shellfish industry that the restrictions will remain in place longer. The ban stems from concerns that the shellfish do not meet strict EU hygiene rules, the report said. The European Commission didn’t comment.

The United Kingdom formally applied to start negotiations on its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) -- an 11-member trade partnership that represents more than 9 trillion euros in economic activity. The inclusion of the U.K. would mark the bloc's first foray beyond the Pacific and expand CPTPP's proportion of global GDP to 16%.

The European Union recently issued guidance and Canada updated its frequently asked questions on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. The EU guidance covers rules of origin under the deal, including the process for declaring origin and details for a range of product-specific rules. Canada on Jan. 26 updated its FAQs, detailing how Brexit will affect market access for Canadian goods, and offering information on labeling requirements, tariff rates and more.

The European Union’s new export requirements surrounding COVID-19 vaccines (see 2101270027) will not affect exports to Canada, a top EU official said. The “proposed EU measures will not affect vaccine shipments to Canada,” EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told Canadian Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng during a Jan. 28 conversation, according to a Global Affairs Canada readout. Ng “pressed” Dombrovskis on the “importance of ensuring that critical health and medical supply chains remain open and resilient,” GAC said.

The European Commission is investigating whether a food and snack producer violated competition rules by hindering “trade flows” in the European Union, a Jan. 28 news release said. Mondelez, one of the EU’s largest producers of chocolate, biscuits and coffee, may be restricting the “parallel trade” of its goods between member states through agreements and other “unilateral practices,” the EC said. Restrictions on parallel trade can “lead to the isolation of a national market whereby the manufacturer or supplier can charge higher prices to the detriment of consumers,” it said.

South Korea is breaching labor provisions under its trade deal with the European Union, a panel of experts concluded. The panel, appointed by the EU and South Korea as part of their trade agreement’s dispute settlement system, found that South Korea needs to adjust its labor laws and practices and ratify four conventions under the International Labour Organization, the EU said Jan. 25. South Korea must meet those requirements “regardless of their effect on trade,” the panel said, agreeing with the EU's arguments that they are legally binding. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU will work “closely” with South Korea “to ensure it effectively implements commitments on workers' rights.” South Korea's U.S. embassy didn't comment.

The European Union published a decision to create a “set of common features” required for end-user certificates for certain defense items. The features will establish a “more uniform approach” for exports of small arms, light weapons and ammunition, the European Council said Jan. 18. The goal of the decision -- which requires certificates to include certain information on the exporter, the end-user, country of final destination and more -- is to “diminish the risk of arms diversion to illicit or unintended users.” The council said this will create a “level playing field and increase clarity for the defence industry and its clients regarding relevant requirements.”

The World Trade Organization should rule on “unlawful” export restrictions imposed by Indonesia on raw materials used for the production of stainless steel, the European Union said in a Jan. 14 news release. The EU said Indonesia’s export ban on nickel ore and its “domestic processing requirements” on nickel ore and iron ore “illegally restrict access” of raw materials for EU steel producers. The processing requirements force businesses to subject their raw materials to “certain processing or purification operations in Indonesia prior to exporting them,” the EU said, which “unduly restricts exports of unprocessed raw materials.”