The European Council on Nov. 13 renewed its sanctions on Venezuela for another six months, setting them up to now expire on May 14, 2024. The sanctions include an embargo on arms and equipment for internal repression along with an asset freeze on 54 people.

The EU General Court on Nov. 8 rejected a Russian CEO's application to annul his sanctions designation. The court said the European Council properly laid out a statement of reasons for the sanctions decision, adding that the council "adduced a set of sufficiently specific, precise and consistent indicia capable of demonstrating" that Dmitry Mazepin "is a leading businessperson involved in a sector providing a substantial source of revenue to the Russian Government."

The EU General Court on Nov. 8 rejected Mikalai Varabei's application to annul his sanctions listing under the EU's Belarus sanctions regime. Varabei was challenging the European Council's finding that his activities in various Belarussian economic sectors show that he benefits from President Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime.

The U.K. dropped one name from its Russia sanctions list. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed Sergey Stognienko, management board member of Bank Otkritie Financial Corp., a financial services company in Russia.

A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with a recent sanctions decision from the European Council in light of the situation in Niger, the council announced Nov. 8. On Oct. 23, the council established the sanctions framework to target those responsible for threatening the security of Niger and undermining the "constitutional order, democracy, and the rule of law." North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Armenia and Azerbaijan all followed suit and imposed the sanctions.

The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit on Nov. 6 replaced and updated its open general export license for goods in support of the Turkish Aerospace Industries TF-X program. The new license replaces the revoked license and allows for the export of "software or technology for the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) TF-X Programme aircraft, also known as KAAN, from the U.K. to" Turkey and, in the case of reexports, the U.K.

Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs on Nov. 1 amended 224 entries under its Russia sanctions regime. The updates were for 181 people and 43 entities and, for many, gave more specific reasons for the listings. The changes took effect Nov. 2.

The Guernsey Financial Services Commission on Nov. 1 called on companies to submit reports involving frozen assets linked to parties designated under the Russia sanctions list. Businesses that "hold or control frozen assets" of the sanctioned parties, "or which have an ongoing connection to frozen assets outside" Guernsey, should report certain information about those assets to the government by Nov. 24.

The U.K. corrected one entry under its Russia sanctions regime Oct. 31, removing an alias for Veniamin Ivanovich Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar territory.

The EU updated a frequently asked question under its Russia sanctions regime pertaining to the Central Bank of Russia. The question asked whether the payment to fulfill the "obligation to pay voluntary transaction" falls under the definition of "transactions related to the management of reserves as well as assets" under the bloc's sanctions regime. The EU said the Russian Governmental Commission sets the obligation to pay a voluntary transaction, or so-called "exit tax," which is not part of Russia's official tax legislation. Sanctions don't apply because payment is a "precondition for" allowing EU companies to divest from Russia and doesn't lead to "enabling the Russian Central Bank to manage its reserves or assets."