The EU General Court last week rejected Russian oligarch Alexander Ponomarenko's application to annul his sanctions listing after he argued the European Council violated his procedural rights, committed "manifest errors of assessment" and violated principles of fundamental law.
Guatemala formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on March 10, bringing the number of countries that have accepted the deal to 92. The WTO needs 19 more countries to accept to get to two-thirds of the membership, the threshold for the agreement to take effect.
The European Commission proposed extending the current duty exemption for imports of Ukrainian iron and steel products, which are a "significant source of revenue for Ukraine," the commission said last week. The current waiver, which has been extended twice before, is due to expire in June. The proposed extension must be approved by the European Council and Parliament. "The Commission is currently working on a longer-term solution which will provide economic certainty and a stable framework for trade to both Ukraine and the EU," it said.
North Macedonia formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on Feb. 28, bringing the number of countries that have accepted the deal to 91. The WTO needs 20 more countries to accept to get to two-thirds of the membership, the threshold for the agreement to take effect.
The EU General Court on Feb. 26 rejected the sanctions delisting application of Aleksandra Melnichenko, wife of sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko.
The U.K. corrected one entry on its Russia sanctions list and amended one entry on its Global Anti-Corruption sanctions list, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said. Under Russia, OFSI corrected the listing for OJSC Keremet Bank, changing the ZIP code for the bank in Kyrgyzstan. Under the anti-corruption regime, the agency amended the listing for Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue to reflect that Mangue was listed for engaging in bribery while serving as vice president of Equatorial Guinea.
The U.K. removed one entry from its Russia sanctions list on Feb. 26, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a notice. Francois Mauron, a Swiss national, was removed after originally being sanctioned for working as a director for an entity conducting business in the Russian energy sector.
The Council of the European Union on Feb. 24 suspended various sanctions on Syria to support an "inclusive political transition" there, the council said.
The U.K. added 34 people and 33 entries to its Russia sanctions list on Feb. 24, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. In addition to listing Russian companies, OFSI sanctioned companies based in Hong Kong, China, Germany, Thailand, India, Ukraine, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kyrgyzstan for contributing to Russia's economy or war effort, along with businesspeople and military figures from Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, North Korea and Israel for contributing to the destabilization of Ukraine or operating in a sector of strategic significance to Russia.
The World Trade Organization's published agenda for the Dispute Settlement Body's Feb. 24 meeting includes a request from China to establish a panel in its dispute against Turkey's measures on electric vehicles and other types of vehicles from China.