As countries continue to impose trade restrictions against Russia and Belarus, companies should expect longer review times and increased scrutiny on foreign direct investment involving either of those two nations, law firms said. Deal-makers in the EU should specifically prepare for more red tape resulting from a recent “sweeping” guidance from the European Commission, Fried Frank said in a May 2 alert, which could also speed up the rollout of further mandatory FDI screening regimes across Europe.
Congress should prioritize provisions in President Joe Biden’s recently proposed Ukraine-related aid package that will increase exports of military equipment to Ukraine and surrounding partners, said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also stressed the importance of military aid but said the U.S. should take a broader look at global military supply chains to make sure it isn’t depleting its own supplies and those of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed by a week a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), the two ports announced April 29. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee in November 2021 but have postponed it each week since. The latest extension delays the effective date until May 6.
The State Department is “finalizing” discussions with several trading partners on its new open general license concept for certain defense exports, senior agency official Mike Miller. The concept, which could begin as a pilot program, would allow U.S. exports to certain U.S. trading partners without having to apply for a specific license (see 2109290056).
President Joe Biden asked Congress this week for stronger authorities to seize the assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs and investigate and prosecute cases of sanctions evasion. The request was sent April 28 alongside a proposal for an additional $33 billion Ukraine-related aid package, including about $20 billion in additional military aid.
The State Department has moved “very effectively and very efficiently” to approve exports of military equipment to Ukraine since the invasion by Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken said the agency has been able to authorize some license applications in days that previously took several weeks. “This is moving quickly,” he said during an April 26 hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We have cut through a lot of red tape.”
The U.S. is facing a “real challenge” trying to meet growing EU demand for oil but is hopeful it can eventually help replace the bloc’s reliance on Russian energy imports, said Melanie Nakagawa, a National Security Council official. Nakagawa, speaking during an April 26 event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, said the U.S. is prioritizing efforts to create more U.S. energy export infrastructure so suppliers can ship more gas to the EU.
Hapag-Lloyd was ordered to pay $822,220 by a U.S. administrative law judge after a Federal Maritime Commission investigation determined the carrier imposed unfair detention fees, according to an April 22 decision. Hapag-Lloyd “acted unreasonably” by charging detention fees on a drayage provider that was unable to make appointments to return empty containers, the FMC’s Bureau of Enforcement said, and continued to impose the charges after they were disputed alongside “corroborating evidence.”
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed by a week a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), the two ports announced April 22. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee in November 2021 but have postponed it each week since. The latest extension delays the effective date until April 29.
Aviastar, the Russian cargo airline made subject to a temporary denial order last week (see 2204210043), continued to illegally fly multiple U.S.-origin aircraft after the U.S. in March announced restrictions on those flights (see 2203020072), including to China, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in its April 21 order. Flights included trips from the Russian cities of Novosibirsk and Abakan to the Chinese cities of Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhengzhou. All the trips, which took place April 5 to April 12, required approved license applications.