The European Union imposed a definitive antidumping duty on imports of birch plywood from Russia, the European Commission said Nov. 9. The commission kicked off the investigation in October 2020 following a complaint from the Woodstock Consortium, which led to provisional measures taking effect in June 2021. The Nov. 9 update locks in those provisional measures. The duties cover "imports of plywood consisting solely of sheets of wood, each ply not exceeding 6 mm thickness, with outer plies of wood specified under subheading 4412 33, with at least one outer ply of birch wood, whether or not coated," from Russia.

The United Kingdom and Cote d'Ivoire held their first meeting under the U.K.-Cote d'Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement Oct. 21, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said in the Nov. 5 joint communique from the meeting. The parties agreed to adopt the Rules of Procedures of the EPA Committee, DIT said. They also discussed the EPA's dispute settlement framework as a means to "facilitate the implementation" of the agreement's "commercial and developmental objectives."

The United Kingdom published a case study on the effectiveness of its enforcement of United Nations sanctions on North Korea. The study is part of a larger report ahead of the 10th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The case study looked at U.K. leadership on enforcement, including maritime guidance for the shipping sector through public-private outreach workshops. For instance, the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation released Maritime Guidance alerting shipping sector actors to ship-to-ship transfers and Automatic Identification Systems concealment, the report said. The U.K. also cited measures to oppose North Korean cybercrime, including sanctions relating to the 2017 "WannaCry" cyberattack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued four decrees imposing sanctions on 141 individuals and 49 entities relating to Russia's State Duma elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine, multiple Ukrainian airlines and Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 for Crimea and Sevastopol. The declarations -- 556, 557, 558 and 559 -- were approved by the National Security and Defense Council Oct. 15 and were issued by Zelensky Oct. 30. The restrictions can include an asset freeze, travel ban, restrictions on trade transactions, and the suspension of economic and financial obligations, the defense council said.

Baker McKenzie issued a November alert on recent updates to the United Kingdom's trade remedies regime, including the functions of its new Trade Remedies Authority and its potential implications for other World Trade Organization members. The regime is a “significant shift” for the U.K.’s national trade policy, the firm said, mostly because it can now impose its own remedies and directly challenge foreign tariffs separately from the European Union. The alert includes tips for companies making a trade remedy application in the U.K. and what evidence they will need to show.

The United Kingdom released its conclusions from the Sept. 16 meeting of the U.K.-South Korea Committee on Trade in Goods, detailing areas of progress from the first meeting under the U.K.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. Both sides agreed that finalizing adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the Committee on Trade in Goods is a priority "once empowered to do so by a decision of the Trade Committee." Signed decisions will be exchanged shortly, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said. The U.K. and South Korea agreed to share their notifications of the agreement to the World Trade Organization Regional Trade Agreement Committee and share methodological information on the development of data on preference utilization rates, DIT said. Also, the parties noted ongoing discussions on steel safeguards being conducted outside the committee, and the U.K. said it will provide updates on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol as needed.

The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated its financial sanctions guidance for charities and other nongovernmental organizations. The new document provides resources for charities and NGOs, including basic steps for conducting due diligence when engaging in business abroad, what to do if financial sanctions are breached and how to apply for an OFSI license to skirt financial sanctions. The guidance also gives country- and sector-specific sanctions information including on Syria, Afghanistan and petroleum products.

The trial involving Danish fuel supply Dan-Bunkering and its parent company Bunker Holding kicked off on Oct. 26, EU Sanctions reported. Denmark in 2019 charged Dan-Bunkering with violating the European Union's Syrian sanctions regime by selling jet fuel to Syria. Between 2015 and 2017, around 172,000 tons of jet fuel were allegedly sold to Russian companies and shipped to Syria using intermediaries, EU Sanctions said.

The United Kingdom suspended Ghana, Jordan and Kenya from receiving preferential rates under its Generalised Scheme of Preferences for the month of December, the Department for International Trade said Oct. 29. The secretary of state for international trade said the suspensions are being implemented due to alternative trade arrangements with the three countries, and will apply if equivalent or better preferential market access than the GSP in confered in those arrangements.

A European Union official said that even once the bloc passes its Carbon Border Adjustment Measure, "that definitely doesn’t preclude joint work on international coordination" on preventing manufacturing from moving to countries that aren't as ambitious in fighting climate change.