The short, end-2020 deadline pushed by the United Kingdom government for negotiations on a permanent post-Brexit deal with the EU means the two sides won’t be able to strike a comprehensive deal, but will instead have to prioritize what makes it into the final agreement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in remarks Jan. 8 at the London School of Economics. The top priority should be areas where an international agreement does not exist to fall back on, she said. A “hard exit” in any area “would not be good for the U.K. or the EU,” von der Leyen said.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade updated its guidance for import controls with a Jan. 3 notice on the European Union’s prior surveillance import licensing arrangements. The notice removed two tariff codes and added five codes “covering imports into free circulation within the EU of aluminum and steel products,” the notice said. All “unused valid import” licenses for a removed tariff code need to be replaced with a new import license, the notice said.

The European Union is considering banning certain batteries that don’t meet environmental standards, potentially affecting battery manufacturers and exporters worldwide, according to a Dec. 31 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. European Commission officials recently said the EU is developing “green standards” for batteries, the report said, and suggested the EU could impose import restrictions on batteries that cause toxic waste, with imports from Southeast Asia particularly at risk.

The United Kingdom will soon update its list of dual-use items that are controlled for export, the Department for International Trade said in a Dec. 31 notice. The changes will reflect decisions recently made by “international export control regimes” and which will be adopted by the European Union, the notice said. The DIT said it will publish another notice when the regulations have been updated along with “associated changes to open general export licenses.” The European Commission recently published details of the upcoming changes agreed to at the Wassenaar Arrangement (see 1912120011), which include changes to export controls for discrete microwave transistors, certain software, lasers, diffusion bonding technology and more.

In the Dec. 30 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

In the Dec. 27 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade updated its guidance on import controls, according to a Dec. 27 notice. The guidance includes changes to an open general import license that pertains to certain chemical weapons, firearms, mines and other dual-use goods.

In the Dec. 23 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade updated its firearms export control forms, according to a Dec. 23 notice. The forms contain information on various export licenses used by the country’s firearms and ammunition exporters.

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade on Dec. 20 updated its collection of open general export licenses for exports to Saudi Arabia. The changes updated OGELs and open general trade control licenses that permit exports to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners carrying out military operations in Yemen, the DIT said.