On May 19, 2015, the Federal Register published the President’s Notice of May 15, 2015 – Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Burma which extends for an additional year the national emergency originally declared in Executive Order (E.O.) 13047 on May 20, 1997. E.O. 13047 certified to the Congress under section 570(b) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-208), that the Government of Burma had…
On March 25, 2015, the Canada Gazette published the Order Amending Schedule to the Customs Tariff (Extension of General Preferential Tariff to Burma) (SOR/2015/62, March 13, 2015) and the Order Amending Schedule to the Customs Tariff (Extension of Least Developed Country Tariff to Burma) (SOR/2015/63, March 13, 2015), which extend entitlement to the General Preferential Tariff (GPT) and Least Developed Country Tariff (LDCT) tariff treatments to imports originating from Burma. Canada extends unilateral preferential tariff rates…
On 12 February 2015, the Commission announced that the first round of negotiations on the investment protection agreement between the European Union and Myanmar/Burma took place between 9 and 12 February in Yangon. This round offered the EU the opportunity to present its text proposal and to have a first exchange of views on the text with Myanmar/Burma. This agreement is the first standalone agreement on investment protection negotiated by the EU. Moreover, it would…
On November 8, 2014, the Canada Gazette published a Proposed Order Amending the Schedule to the Customs Tariff (Extension of General Preferential Tariff to Burma) and a Proposed Order Amending the Schedule to the Customs Tariff (Extension of Least Developed Country Tariff to Burma) pursuant to the Customs Tariff. The proposed orders would extend entitlement to Burma for: • the General Preferential Tariff (GPT) offers tariff rates that are lower than Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) Tariff rates to goods…
On September 24, 2014, the Department of State published a document [Public Notice 8875] containing the Secretary of State’s designation of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC) for religious freedom violations pursuant to section 408(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105–292), as amended (the Act). On July 18, 2014, the Secretary of State, under authority delegated by the President, designated each of the following as a CPC for having engaged in…
On June 30, 2014, the Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC) published in the Federal Register a final rule amending and reissuing in their entirety the Burmese Sanctions Regulations to implement Executive Order (EO) 13448 of October 18, 2007, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Burma,” EO 13464 of April 30, 2008, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Burma,” EO 13619 of July 11, 2012, “Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the…
On May 19, 2014, the Federal Register published the Notice of May 15, 2014—Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Burma which extends the national emergency originally declared in Executive Order (EO) 13047 of May 20, 1997 (and as amended by EOs 13310 of July 28, 2003; 13448 of October 18, 2007; 13464 of April 30, 2008; 13619 of July 11, 2012; and 13651 of August 6, 2013) for an additional year because the…
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently posted guidance on the prohibition against importation into the United States of certain Burmese rubies, jadeite and articles containing Burmese rubies or jadeite. The posting explains that the President issued a new Executive Order (EO 13651) which amended EO 13310 [see article on the Executive order, above], to remove the general ban of “any article that is a product of Burma,” and, as a result, certain provisions of…
On 8 August 2013, the legislation.gov.uk website published SI 2013/1964 – The Export Control (Burma Sanctions) Order 2013 (the Order). The Order makes provision for the enforcement of the remaining trade sanctions against Myanmar/Burma specified in Council Regulation (EU) No 401/2013 (the Burma Regulation) repealing Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Myanmar/Burma, which included a range of restrictive measures many of which have now been lifted. The trade sanctions which remain…