The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit last week amended various parts of its export control regulations, including one update involving a Syria reference and another corrected two drafting errors "in which words already contained in the retained Dual-Use Regulation were inserted a second time." The country said these changes "do not have an impact on the operation of the retained Dual-use Regulation and have been corrected for the sake of good order.

The EU General Court on Oct. 18 rejected two sanctions delisting applications from Belarusian automakers Minsk Automobile Plant and BelAZ. In separate applications, the companies said the European Council failed to notify them of the sanctions, failed in the wording of the companies' names in the sanctions listings and failed in assessing the facts surrounding their designations.

After a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Joe Biden, the two sides publicly acknowledged they wouldn't meet their Oct. 31 deadline to complete a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, which is meant to keep out non-market overcapacity from the two markets, as well as privilege trade in green metals between them.

The U.K. removed three people and three entities from its Iran nuclear weapons sanctions regime, in an Oct. 19 notice. The individuals are Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, former head of Iran's Physics Research Centre; Mohammad Hejazi, commander of the Bassij resistance force; and Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Qods force who was killed in a U.S. air strike. The entities are Barzagani Tejarat Tavanmad Saccal Companies, Doostan International Co. and Pejman Industrial Services Corp.

The U.K. updated its general sanctions license allowing sanctioned parties to make "permitted payments" to Companies House, the country's executive agency that registers and publicizes company information and incorporates and dissolves limited companies. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the license to clarify that "permitted payments" means payment of fees "owed by or due from" sanctioned parties to the agency for filing a confirmation statement in respect of incorporated U.K. entities and also the payment of late filing penalty fees as a result of annual account late filings by the sanctioned parties.

China and Serbia signed a free trade agreement on Oct. 17, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. The deal marks the first of its kind between China and a Central and Eastern European country, the ministry said, touting the agreement's importance for its Belt and Road Initiative. The deal will allow both countries to achieve a "high level of mutual openness" and establish a more "preferential, convenient, transparent and stable business environment," the ministry said.

The U.K. delisted then replaced 78 entries on its Iran nuclear sanctions list as part of its decision to continue sanctions following Iran's failure to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The actions took place on Oct. 18, the JCPOA Transition Day, when certain restrictions were set to expire. All entities, including 20 individuals and 58 individuals, remain subject to an asset freeze.

The U.K. Solicitors Regulation Authority released its annual Anti-Money Laundering report for 2022-23, covering the agency's role in addressing money laundering and terrorism financing, the role of private parties, enforcement activity, how to report suspicious activity, sanctions, case studies and risk assessments.

The European Parliament's Internal Market and International Trade committees adopted a draft regulation that would provide a framework for investigating the use of forced labor in global supply chains and bans all goods using forced labor, the parliament announced. If the investigation of a company reveals the use of forced labor, the European Parliament said, "all import and export of the related goods would be halted at the EU's borders and companies would also have to withdraw goods that have already reached the EU market." Goods that had reached the market would be "donated, recycled or destroyed."

The German government is establishing a new agency to combat "internationally organized financial crime," dubbed the Federal Office to Combat Financial Crime, according to an unofficial translation. The agency will be an amalgamation of various different agencies' expertise, including analysis from the Financial Intelligence Unit, criminal investigations and supervision. The agency is expected to be established in 2024 and operational in 2025. The mandate of the agency will be to crack down on illegal financial flows via money laundering and sanctions evasion.