Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2668 actions· ✨ 89 recent

Azerbaijan's Milli Məclis adopted the Law on Investment Activity (Qanun No. 551-VIQ) on 22 June 2022, replacing the 1992 Law on Protection of Foreign Investments and consolidating the country's fragmented investor-rights framework into a single foundational statute. The Law establishes national-treatment and most-favoured-investor guarantees for all investors, restricts expropriation to public-purpose proceedings with full market-value compensation, and authorises profit and capital repatriation in convertible currency. It preserves the Investment Promotion Document (IPD) framework administered by the Ministry of Economy while updating the statutory authority for tax and customs incentive schedules, dispute-resolution pathways, and prohibited-sector definitions.

Loi n° 2022-408, promulgated by President Alassane Ouattara on 13 June 2022 and published in the Journal Officiel de la République de Côte d'Ivoire (JORCI) on 19 September 2022, is the foundational local-content statute governing the entire petroleum and gas value chain in Côte d'Ivoire. The law mandates employment priority for Ivorian nationals, preference for Ivorian-registered enterprises in goods-and-services procurement, expatriate-substitution timelines, and technology-transfer obligations on all concessionnaires, co-contractors, and sub-contractors operating in upstream and midstream petroleum and gas activities. Implementing Décret n° 2023-441 du 24 mai 2023 created the Comité de Suivi du Contenu Local under the Ministre du Pétrole and the Plateforme du Contenu Local digital monitoring system under the Direction Générale des Hydrocarbures (DGH), operationalising annual reporting and three-year forecasting plan requirements for operators.

The US Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 71 entities — 70 Russian and 1 Belarusian — to the Entity List, effective June 2, 2022, in direct response to Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The entities were designated as military end users acquiring or attempting to acquire US-origin items in support of Russia's military, and are subject to a policy of denial for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Sixty-six entities receive a "footnote 3" military end-user designation, while five face outright denial with no license exceptions available beyond humanitarian food and medicine.

The Council of the EU adopted Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/878 of 3 June 2022, implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The regulation adds 65 individuals and 18 legal entities to Annex I, subjecting them to an EU-wide asset freeze and a prohibition on EU persons or entities making funds or economic resources available to them. The listed entities span Russia's defense-industrial base, military-linked vehicle and tyre manufacturing, and financial-market infrastructure.

On 3 June 2022 the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2022/879, the sixth package of sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, further amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014. It bans the seaborne import of Russian crude oil and refined petroleum products, covering roughly two-thirds of EU oil imports from Russia at adoption (pipeline deliveries via Druzhba were temporarily exempted). It removes Sberbank, Credit Bank of Moscow and Russian Agricultural Bank from SWIFT (Annex XIV), bans EU operators from providing accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, tax consulting, business/management consulting and public-relations services to persons in Russia (new Article 5n), and adds three more Russian broadcasters to the EU broadcasting-suspension list (Annex XV). It entered into force on 4 June 2022, the day after publication in the Official Journal.

BIS published a CFR correction to the Entity List (15 CFR Part 744, Supplement No. 4) fixing the entry for Kaliningradnefteprodukt OOO, a Russian petroleum products distributor based in Kaliningrad originally designated in February 2018 under Executive Order 13662 for operating in Russia's energy sector and being controlled by a sanctioned person. The correction updates the entity's name spelling and address details; the underlying license requirement (all EAR items for use in §746.5 Russian industry sector projects, presumption of denial) remains unchanged.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule (FR Doc 2022-11761) on June 1, 2022 adding a new section (15 CFR § 743.6) to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) requiring BIS to notify Congress before issuing export licenses for semiautomatic firearms (ECCN 0A501.a) where a single license application meets or exceeds $4 million in value. The notification requirement applies to destinations outside Country Groups A:5 and A:6 (close US allies) and does not apply to exports under License Exception GOV for US government or NATO agency use. The rule is a Biden-era oversight measure adopted under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA); it is a predecessor step in the regulatory arc that culminated in the 2024 BIS Firearms IFR (FR Doc 2024-08813), which was later partially rescinded in 2025.

On 27 May 2022 OFAC formally published in the Federal Register two general licenses (GL 13Q and GL 13R) that had been issued under the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions program and previously made available only on OFAC's website. Both licenses had already expired by the time of FR publication: GL 13Q (issued 24 Jan 2022, expired 27 Apr 2022) authorised the divestiture or transfer of debt, equity, or other holdings in GAZ Group to a non-US person; GL 13R (issued 25 Apr 2022, expired 25 May 2022) superseded GL 13Q and continued the wind-down authorisation for a further 30 days. The Federal Register publication is an administrative archival step with no substantive change to the active sanctions regime; both GLs were expired at time of codification.

On 27 May 2022 OFAC formally published in the Federal Register two general licenses (GL 15K and GL 15L) issued under the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions program. Both licenses had already expired by the time of Federal Register publication. GL 15K (effective 24 Jan 2022, expired 27 Apr 2022) authorised a broad set of manufacturing, sales, and operational transactions involving GAZ Group and its majority-owned subsidiaries; GL 15L (effective 25 Apr 2022, expired 25 May 2022) superseded GL 15K and narrowed authorisation to wind-down transactions only, while explicitly prohibiting new debits to GAZ Group accounts at US financial institutions. The FR publication is an administrative archival step codifying web-published licences after their operative windows had already closed.

BIS finalized changes to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) governing controls on cybersecurity items — primarily intrusion software, command-and-control platforms, and surveillance tools capable of disrupting or monitoring information systems without authorization. The final rule, effective May 26 2022, revises License Exception ACE (Authorized Cybersecurity Exports) originally established by an October 2021 interim rule and narrows end-user carve-outs for government end users in Country Group D:5 and A:6 destinations. Exports of affected ECCNs (4A005, 4D001, 4D004, 4E001, 5A001.j, 5B001, 5D001, 5E001) to Country Groups E:1 and E:2 remain prohibited; D:1 through D:5 government-end-user transactions require a license.

The Spanish Council of Ministers approved on 24 May 2022 the Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation of Microelectronics and Semiconductors (PERTE Chip) within the framework of the Plan de Recuperacion, Transformacion y Resiliencia (financed in large part by NextGenerationEU funds). The package commits a public envelope of roughly EUR 12.25bn through 2027 across four lines: scientific R&D capacity (~EUR 1.165bn), chip design including fabless companies (~EUR 1.330bn), manufacturing-plant construction including front-end below-5nm and above-5nm fabs (~EUR 9.350bn), and dynamisation of ICT/electronics manufacturing including a venture fund for semiconductor startups (~EUR 0.400bn). The Sociedad Espanola para la Transformacion Tecnologica (SETT), formally constituted by Real Decreto 676/2024 of 16 July 2024, is the operational vehicle managing more than EUR 10.75bn of the envelope.

Canada amended the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations via SOR/2022-102, registered 18 May 2022, adding Schedule 6 (luxury goods) and Schedule 7 (goods usable in weapons production/manufacturing) to the list of items prohibited for export to, and in Schedule 6's case also import from, Russia. Both schedules took effect 60 days after registration (17 July 2022). Schedule 6 covers luxury alcohol, tobacco, textiles, footwear, clothing, jewellery, kitchenware, art, and some machinery; Schedule 7 covers raw materials (including tungsten and aluminium), pumps, vehicle parts, construction equipment, watercraft, and medical/dental/surgical equipment. The regulation also added 14 individuals to the Schedule 1 asset-freeze list.

The Act on the Promotion of Ensuring National Security through Integrated Implementation of Economic Measures (Law No. 43 of 2022), enacted 18 May 2022, establishes a four-pillar framework: (1) supply-chain resilience for "specified critical products," (2) security of critical infrastructure, (3) state-backed development of "specified critical technologies," and (4) non-disclosure of nationally sensitive patents. A December 2022 Cabinet Order designated 11 product categories as specified critical products, including semiconductors, storage batteries, permanent magnets, cloud programs, LNG, critical minerals, machine tools, and aircraft parts. Competent ministries must publish stable-supply plans, can fund private-sector surveys, and may provide subsidies to qualifying firms.

The Wet veiligheidstoets investeringen, fusies en overnames ("Vifo Act") is the Netherlands' cross-sector statutory FDI screening regime. Adopted by the States-General on 18 May 2022 (Stb. 2022, 215) and entered into force on 1 June 2023 together with two implementing decrees (Stb. 2023, 173 — main implementing decree; Stb. 2023, 172 — decree defining the scope of "sensitive technology"), the Act establishes mandatory pre-closing notification and a security review by the Bureau Toetsing Investeringen (BTI, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate) for transactions affecting (i) "vital providers" in critical infrastructure sectors — energy, transport, telecoms, port operators, banking infrastructure — and (ii) Dutch undertakings active in "sensitive technology", defined to include EU Reg 2021/821 Annex I dual-use items, military goods, and additional national-security technologies. The regime applies retrospectively to transactions completed after 8 September 2020. It is the foundational instrument under which the Dutch national export-control measures on ASML DUV immersion lithography (filed: 2023-06-30 and 2024-09-07) operate, and the Dutch peer of US CFIUS, EU Regulation 2019/452, the German AWG §§55-62, the French Décret 2014-479 / R. 151-1 et seq., and the UK NSI Act 2021.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) expanded export-control sanctions on Russian industry by adding 205 HTS codes (478 Schedule B numbers) to Supplement No. 4 to Part 746 of the EAR, imposing a license requirement — with a presumption of denial — for all exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) to or within Russia of covered industrial goods. The targeted categories span wood products, boilers, industrial machinery, pumps, compressors, textile and grinding equipment, and hydraulic motors, aligning U.S. controls with EU partner lists. The rule took retroactive effect May 9, 2022, two days before Federal Register publication on May 11, 2022.

At the Executive Branch's request, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued an order suspending the general license authority in 10 CFR 110.21-110.24 for exports of source material, special nuclear material, byproduct material, and deuterium for nuclear end use to the Russian Federation, effective immediately on issuance (May 12, 2022) and published in the Federal Register on May 17, 2022. Exporters must now apply for a specific license under 10 CFR 110.31 for any such export to Russia, which the NRC evaluates case by case. The order followed the Executive Branch's determination that continued general-license exports to Russia were inimical to US common defense and security in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Canada registered SOR/2022-98, Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, on 6 May 2022, adding five Russian defence-sector entities to Schedule 1 of the regulations: Zelenodolsk Shipyard JSC, Military Industrial Company LLC, Rosgvardia, UEC Klimov JSC and KAMAZ PTC. The listing triggers Canada's standard dealing/asset-freeze prohibitions against the named entities under the Special Economic Measures Act, part of Canada's ongoing sanctions response to Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

On 2 May 2022 OFAC published a comprehensive final rule in the Federal Register renaming the Ukraine Related Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR Part 589) to the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations and replacing the abbreviated regulatory text that had been in place since 2014 with a fully elaborated framework. The new Part 589 incorporates interpretive guidance, definitional provisions, and consolidated general licenses implementing Executive Orders 13660, 13661, and 13662 — the original March 2014 Ukraine/Crimea-crisis authorities. The rule does not introduce new substantive prohibitions; it formalises and makes accessible the regulatory infrastructure that underlies subsequent GL issuances (e.g., GL 13Q/13R, GL 15K/15L) and OFAC designation actions under the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions program.

The Subsidy Control Act 2022 (Royal Assent 28 April 2022; in force 4 January 2023) replaced EU state-aid rules as the UK's domestic subsidy-control framework, fulfilling an obligation under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). It establishes a principles-based self-assessment regime administered by a new Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), allowing UK public authorities to grant subsidies without prior Commission approval while remaining compliant with WTO subsidy disciplines and TCA obligations.

On 20 April 2022 Mexico's Diario Oficial de la Federación published a reform to the Ley Minera (Mining Law) declaring lithium "patrimonio de la Nación" (national patrimony) and of public utility, adding Article 5 Bis to state that no further concessions, licenses, contracts, permits or authorizations for lithium exploration, exploitation, benefit or use will be granted to private parties — reserving the entire value chain exclusively to the State (Articles 1, 9 and 10 also amended). On 23 August 2022 a follow-on decree created "Litio para México" (LitioMx), a decentralized public agency governed by a board of five cabinet secretaries (Energy as chair, plus Finance, Economy, Interior and Environment) and technically supported by the Mexican Geological Service, holding exclusive rights to explore, exploit and commercialize Mexico's lithium deposits. The law was subsequently upheld as constitutional by Mexico's Supreme Court in March 2026 (Acción de Inconstitucionalidad 78/2022, filed separately).

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule expanding license requirements under the EAR for all items on the Commerce Control List (CCL) destined for Russia and Belarus, retroactively effective April 8, 2022. The rule also removes certain license exceptions that previously allowed aircraft-related transactions involving Belarus to proceed without authorization. Issued in direct response to Russia's continued aggression in Ukraine and Belarus's role in enabling it, this measure substantially tightens the multilateral export- control perimeter first established by BIS in late February 2022.

BIS amended the Export Administration Regulations to add Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland to the list of countries excluded from certain EAR license requirements that apply to items destined for Russia or Belarus. The exclusion recognizes that these four countries have implemented substantially similar export-control regimes aligned with US restrictions, and applies specifically to the Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rule under EAR Part 734.9. The change reduces the licensing burden for entities in these partner countries when producing or handling items using US-origin technology or equipment in transactions with Russia/Belarus, consistent with the broader allied coordination approach adopted after February 2022.

On 8 April 2022 the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2022/576, further amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (the fifth package of measures against Russia). It bans imports of Russian coal and other solid fossil fuels, wood, cement, rubber, fertilisers, high-end seafood and spirits; bans exports to Russia of jet fuel, quantum computers, advanced semiconductors, high-end electronics and sensitive machinery; bars Russian and Belarusian road-freight operators from EU territory; and closes EU ports to Russian-flagged vessels. It entered into force on 9 April 2022, the day after publication in the Official Journal (OJ L 111).

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 120 entities under 120 entries to the Entity List, effective 1 April 2022 and published in the Federal Register on 7 April 2022. All 120 entities — located in Russia and Belarus — were determined to be acting contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests in the context of Russia's further invasion of Ukraine beginning 24 February 2022. The rule imposes a presumption-of-denial policy for all EAR-subject items and prohibits all license exceptions for exports, reexports, or in-country transfers to the listed parties. Ninety-five of the 120 entities are additionally designated under Footnote 3 of the Entity List as military end users, triggering the Russian/Belarusian Military End User foreign-produced direct product rule (MEU FDP Rule), extending US extraterritorial reach to non-US items made with US-origin technology.

Canada amended the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations via SOR/2022-075, registered and in force 5 April 2022, in response to Belarus's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The amendment prohibits any person in Canada and any Canadian outside Canada from providing insurance, reinsurance or underwriting services for aviation and aerospace products owned, controlled, registered to, chartered by or operated by Belarus or a Belarusian person. A new section 3.6 separately establishes export prohibitions on goods and technologies listed on a Belarus Restricted Goods and Technologies List, incorporated by reference, aligning Canada's Belarus measures with its parallel Russia export-control regime. The same instrument added nine individuals (Belarusian oligarchs and defence officials) to the Schedule 1 asset-freeze list, outside this action's scope.

On 4 April 2022 Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs registered the Autonomous Sanctions (Export Sanctioned Goods—Russia) Amendment (No.1) Designation 2022, made under the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011. It amended the existing Export Sanctioned Goods—Russia designation to add further categories of goods to the list of items whose export, supply or transfer to Russia is prohibited, extending an export-ban regime introduced in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It took effect on registration.

Russian Government Resolution No. 506 of 29 March 2022, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and effective 30 March 2022, authorises the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg) to designate categories of goods exempt from articles 1252(4), 1359(6) and 1487 of the Russian Civil Code on national/regional exhaustion of trademark and other intellectual- property rights. Followed by Minpromtorg Order No. 1532 of 19 April 2022 publishing an initial list of 55 goods categories and named brands — including pharmaceuticals, electronics, automotive parts, mineral fuels, industrial chemicals, paper, textiles, base metals, and consumer goods — for which parallel (grey-market) imports without IP-holder consent are legalised. Designed as a sanctions-circumvention and supply-substitution instrument after the Western corporate exodus of March 2022; extended annually and most recently re-authorised through 31 December 2026.

Canada amended the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations via SOR/2022-067, registered and in force 24 March 2022, establishing a new "Restricted Goods and Technologies List" and prohibiting any person in Canada, and any Canadian outside Canada, from exporting, selling, supplying or shipping any listed good or technology to Russia or to any person in Russia. The list is maintained and published separately by Global Affairs Canada and covers items with dual civilian/military applications across electronics, computers, telecommunications, sensors and lasers, navigation and avionics, marine, aerospace and transportation equipment.

SARS amended South Africa's Prohibited and Restricted Imports and Exports list on 2022-03-23 to add both import and export licensing requirements — administered with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy — covering uranium ores and concentrates (HS 2612.10), molybdenum ores and concentrates (HS 2613.10), depleted-uranium transport containers and isotope projectors (HS 2844.10/20/30/40, 9022.19), nuclear-grade graphite, graphite blocks and graphite electrodes (HS 8545.11/19). Both directions of trade in these items now require a permit rather than moving freely across South African borders.

Australia designated aluminium ores (including bauxite), alumina and aluminium hydroxide as "export sanctioned goods" for Russia under the Autonomous Sanctions (Export Sanctioned Goods -- Russia) Designation 2022, banning their export from Australia to Russia effective 20 March 2022. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the measure a day earlier as part of Australia's response to the invasion of Ukraine, framing it as an attack on Russia's aluminium industry, which sourced roughly 20% of its alumina from Australian supply. Rusal, Russia's dominant aluminium producer, was identified as the primary target.

On 16 March 2022 the Swiss Federal Council adopted a total revision of the Ordinance on Measures against Belarus (SR 946.231.116.9), aligning Switzerland's autonomous sanctions with the EU's Belarus regime. It bans imports of Belarusian petroleum products, potassium chloride ("potash"), wood, iron and steel, and cement and rubber products; bans exports of goods used to manufacture or process tobacco products, weapons, surveillance equipment, and goods usable for Belarus's military or security development; and imposes financial sanctions including a ban on public financing for trade with or investment in Belarus, restrictions on securities/loans/ deposits, a prohibition on transactions with the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, and exclusion of listed Belarusian banks from SWIFT. The ordinance entered into force on the day it was adopted.

On 15 March 2022 the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2022/428, amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (the fourth package of measures against Russia). It bans imports, purchase and transport of the iron and steel products listed in a new Annex XVII that originate in or are exported from Russia, bans the sale or export of Annex XVIII luxury goods to Russia (above EUR 300 per item unless otherwise specified), and prohibits transactions with the Russian state-controlled entities listed in Annex XIX. The Regulation entered into force on the day after its publication in the Official Journal (OJ L 87 I, 15.3.2022), i.e. 16 March 2022.

The UK government announced on 15 March 2022 that it would ban the export of high-end luxury goods to Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The measure was implemented via new regulation 46B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, inserted by the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 8) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/452), which was made on 13 April 2022 and came into force at 5pm on 14 April 2022. Regulation 46B prohibits the export, supply, or making available of luxury goods to, or for use in, Russia, covering goods with a sales price over £250 (excluding VAT) and vehicles over £42,000, spanning high-end fashion, works of art, jewellery, and vehicles, subject to licensing exceptions in Part 7.

BIS amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to add the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to Supplement No. 3 to Part 746 — the list of partner countries excluded from certain license requirements under § 746.8 that apply to items destined for Russia or Belarus. South Korea received a "Full" designation, meaning it is fully exempt from the Russia/Belarus Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rule license requirements provided it maintains substantially similar export controls on Russia and Belarus under its own laws. The rule was effective March 4, 2022, six days before its publication in the Federal Register (87 FR 13627).

The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 91 entities (across 96 entries) to the Entity List under 15 CFR Part 744, in direct response to Russia's further invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The listed entities span ten destinations — Belize, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malta, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom — and include Russian military research institutes, shipbuilding facilities, aerospace and electronics manufacturers, and suspected front companies in third countries used to circumvent EAR controls. A license is required for all items subject to the EAR; the review policy is denial for 86 entities and case-by-case (for US Government-supported space programs) for five.

Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations, SOR/2022-49, were registered and came into force on 8 March 2022. They add 19 individuals and 25 entities to Schedule 1 and widen the listing criteria to cover persons supporting the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity. Listed entities named in the regulatory impact statement include the potash producer Belaruskali OAO and the Belarusian Potash Company, the Naftan Oil Refinery and Belneftkhim, and Absolutbank, Belinvestbank, Belbizneslizing and Bank Dabrabyt. Listing brings asset freezes and dealing prohibitions for persons in Canada.

Effective 3 March 2022 (retroactive to five days before Federal Register publication), the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) expanded Russian Industry Sector Sanctions under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding a new license requirement and denial policy for oil refinery equipment destined for or within Russia. The rule creates 15 CFR § 746.5(a)(1)(ii) and a new Supplement No. 4 to Part 746 enumerating approximately 20 categories of refining equipment — from crude distillation units and catalytic crackers to hydrocracking reactors and sulphur recovery units. Applications are subject to a policy of denial, with a narrow health-and-safety exception reviewed case by case. The stated rationale is to limit Russia's ability to generate oil-derived government revenues used to finance its military operations in Ukraine.

On 6 March 2022, the South Korean government determined that Belarus had materially supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine and announced it would extend the export-control measures already applied to Russia to Belarus as well. Effective 7 March 2022, Korea designated two Belarusian entities (Belarus's Ministry of Defence and a second entity) to its "parties of concern" list, triggering a case-by-case licensing requirement for strategic items under Korea's multilateral export-control regime, and tightened review of non-strategic dual-use items destined for Belarus.

On 4 March 2022 Switzerland's Federal Council adopted a total revision of the Ordinance on Measures Relating to the Situation in Ukraine (SR 946.231.176.72), taking effect the same day at 18:00, to fully implement the EU's sanctions packages of 23 and 25 February 2022. The revision bans export of all dual-use goods to Russia regardless of end use or end user, bans export of goods that could contribute to Russia's military or technological strengthening or its defence and security sector, and prohibits export of specified goods and services to the oil sector, as well as goods for aviation, space and oil-refining/gas-liquefaction use.

On 2 March 2022 the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2022/355, amending Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus. It bans importing, purchasing or transporting products originating in or exported from Belarus in wood (Annex X), cement (Annex XI), iron and steel (Annex XII) and rubber (Annex XIII), and extends restrictions to potassium chloride ("potash"), tobacco and mineral products, plus a ban on exporting dual-use goods, machinery (Annex XIV) and goods usable for Belarus's military or security development. The measure responds to Belarus's active facilitation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It entered into force the day after publication in the Official Journal (OJ L 67, 2 March 2022), i.e. 3 March 2022, with a wind-down period to 4 June 2022 for pre-existing contracts.

Effective 2 March 2022, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) extended to Belarus the same sweeping EAR sanctions imposed on Russia following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The rule adds Commerce Control List (CCL)-based license requirements for Belarus with a policy of denial across virtually all categories, extends both the Russia Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rule and the Russia Military End User (MEU) FDP rule to cover Belarus and Belarusian military end users, and aligns Belarus with Russia's license review policy. The action was triggered by Belarus's active enablement of the Russian military operation from its territory.

On 1 March 2022 Japan's Foreign Minister announced a second package of sanctions over Russia's military action in Ukraine. It suspended visas for and froze assets of designated Russia-related individuals and entities, froze the assets of three Russian banks (VEB.RF, Promsvyazbank, Bank Rossiya), and imposed export restrictions on Russian military-related entities and on controlled items on internationally agreed lists and other dual-use goods such as semiconductors. Relevant ministries were to proceed with the domestic implementing procedures.

On 28 February 2022, South Korea's government condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and announced it would strengthen export control review to block strategic items -- microelectronics, telecommunications equipment, sensors, navigation equipment, avionics, marine equipment, and aircraft components -- from reaching Russia. The statement also committed Korea to joining the exclusion of designated Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system, with implementation details to follow through interagency consultation, alongside plans to release strategic petroleum reserves and divert LNG cargoes to Europe.

On 28 February 2022 the Swiss Federal Council decided to adopt the EU sanctions packages of 23 and 25 February 2022. As part of this, the import, export and investment ban in place for Crimea and Sevastopol since 2014 was extended to the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk that are not under Ukrainian government control. The Federal Council instructed the EAER to amend the existing ordinance in line with the EU measures.

On 25 February 2022, the day after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Council of the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2022/328, amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014. It prohibits the sale, supply, transfer or export of dual-use goods and technology to any person, entity or body in Russia, or for military use or military end-users there, and extends to goods and technology suited for use in the oil refining industry and for the aviation and space industry, alongside a ban on related technical assistance, brokering, financing and insurance/maintenance services. The Regulation entered into force on the day after its Official Journal publication (OJ L 49, 25.2.2022), i.e. 26 February 2022.

SOR/2022-28, registered and in force on 24 February 2022, amends the Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations to prohibit persons in Canada and Canadians abroad from making investments involving property in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic regions, from importing, purchasing or acquiring goods from them, and from exporting goods destined for them. It also bars related financial services, technical assistance and tourism-related services. The prohibitions are territorial and apply to goods generally; no product list is itemised.

On 24 February 2022 Japan's Foreign Minister announced sanctions following Russia's recognition of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic". Japan suspended visa issuance to and froze assets in Japan of individuals of the two "Republics", prohibited imports from and exports to the two regions, and prohibited the issuance of and transactions in new Russian sovereign debt in primary and secondary markets. The relevant ministries were to proceed with the domestic procedures needed to implement them.

On 24 February 2022 (25 February NZ time) the New Zealand Government announced its first measures after Russia's invasion of Ukraine: targeted travel bans on Russian Government officials and individuals associated with the invasion, a prohibition on exporting goods to Russian military and security forces, and suspension of bilateral foreign-ministry consultations. The export prohibition is end-user based; the announcement does not itemise products or give a trade value. GTA tags cereals, vegetables and fruit-and-nuts sectors for this intervention; the primary release reviewed does not mention them.

On 24 February 2022, hours after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the UK Foreign Secretary announced a full asset freeze on VTB, Russia's second-largest bank (£154bn in assets, 95,000 employees), alongside a freeze on all Russian bank assets in the UK and a ban on Russian companies raising finance on UK markets. The package designated more than 100 companies and individuals -- including five major defence firms (Rostec, Uralvagonzavod, Tactical Missile Corporation, United Aircraft Corporation, United Shipbuilding Corporation) and Putin-inner-circle figures such as Kirill Shamalov -- for asset freezes and travel bans. Aeroflot was banned from UK airspace and new export controls were imposed on electronics, telecommunications and aerospace goods to Russia.

Effective 24 February 2022 — the date of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an interim final rule (87 FR 12226, FR Doc 2022-04300) adding sweeping new export license requirements under a new § 746.8 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The rule requires a licence for any item in CCL Categories 3–9 (electronics, computers, telecommunications, sensors, lasers, navigation/avionics, marine, aerospace, propulsion) exported, reexported, or transferred to Russia, with a review policy of denial. Two new Russia-specific Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rules extend US jurisdiction to foreign-manufactured goods: the Russia FDP Rule (§ 734.9(f)) covers all foreign-made items using US technology/equipment destined for Russia, and the Russia-MEU FDP Rule (§ 734.9(g)) covers items destined to 47 designated military-end-user (MEU) entities with no licence exceptions available. All three restrictions carry a presumption of denial, making this the most sweeping peacetime expansion of the EAR since its modern codification.