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Sanctions update 22 July

Further to our previous sanctions updates of 25 February, 3 March, 11 March, 16 March , 14 April and June 8, we herewith provide a further update of recent sanctions developments following Russia’s war against Ukraine:

Sanctions update June 8

Further to our previous sanctions updates of 25 February, 3 March, 11 March, 16 March and 14 April we herewith provide a further update of recent sanctions developments following Russia’s war against Ukraine:

Sanctions update including counter measures by Russia

Further to our previous sanctions updates we herewith provide a further update of recent sanctions developments:

Update on the EU, UK and US sanctions against Russia and Belarus

In the past few days EU, UK and US have issued sanctions against Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Of particular importance is yesterday’s action by the US to sanction the two largest Russian banks, VTB Bank and Sberbank. UK has also sanctioned VTB Bank and it is not unlikely that EU will follow suit within short. Business dealings involving these banks, as well as all other sanctioned entities, will be severely affected. The sanctions can be summarised as follows:

European Commission provides sanctions compliance guidance

The European Commission has recently issued three opinions regarding the interpretation of asset freeze provisions in certain sanctions legislation pertaining to Central African Republic, Ukraine, Libya and Syria. The opinions are also of relevance for other sanctions regimes which provide for the same or similar restrictions. Therefore, their practical relevance goes far beyond the sanctions regimes in the context of which they were issued and they therefore provide for helpful guidance regarding the required thresholds for sanctions compliance generally.

Sanctions round-up

Not so long ago, sanctions were a rare occurrence which only involved obscure products and countries, and which were decided by the members of the United Nations Security Council. Today, the European Union and particularly the United States, impose sanctions and other trade restrictions with high frequency which have the potential to affect any type of transaction. Set forth below is a summary of some recent developments.

The global reach of OFAC sanctions

Sanctions imposed by OFAC have a global reach and therefore also an impact on any company involved in international trade. The legal basis can sometimes be questioned, but in practice there is no option but to abide, since a breach can cause very high fines. Companies are therefore well advised to implement compliance programmes taking into consideration sanctions imposed by OFAC.

Covid-19 and its impact on international trade

Vinge’s experts within trade and shipping summarise some observations on how Corona impact international trade.