On May 10, 2021, the EU adopted its new, revised version of Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 (the “Regulation”).  It is widely acknowledged to be the first major reform to the structure of the EU’s export control regime since 2009.

The text of the Regulation was approved by the European Parliament on March 26, 2021. In November 2020, the Council and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional political agreement on the Regulation. The reform of EU export controls had initially been proposed by the European Commission in September 2016.
Continue Reading A New Era of Export Controls Begins in the EU: The Revised EU Dual-Use Export Controls to Promote Human Rights

The pressure on Russia continues to build.  As we previously reported here and here, throughout March, the United States and other Western powers implemented a series of sanctions against individuals and entities deemed to be involved in the political destabilization of Ukraine.  Those sanctions were restricted to specific parties, including high ranking Russian and Ukrainian officials and – notably – one Russian bank.
Continue Reading Starving the Bear: The United States Restricts Exports to Russia

By: Neil Ray

In light of the recent high profile disclosures of cyber surveillance, there is increased political momentum in the U.S. and EU to control the export of particular cyber technology products and services.  In the EU, the focus is on electronic surveillance equipment, and in the U.S., the concern is the proliferation of cyber weapons.
At an export control conference in Brussels this summer, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament, Marietje Schaake, who sits on the Parliament’s Committee of International Trade, called for EU regulation of “mass surveillance, mass censorship, tracking and tracing systems, as well as hacking tools and vulnerabilities that can be used to harm people”.
Continue Reading EU Targets Cyber Surveillance Exports and U.S. Considers Cyber Weapon Controls