Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2662 actions· ✨ 89 recent

From 1 January 2021, the end of the EU exit transition period, the UK introduced a standalone import licensing requirement — the Nuclear Materials Import Licence (NMIL) — for "relevant" nuclear materials entering the UK, administered at the time by the Office for Nuclear Regulation under an Open General Import Licence framework and published via GOV.UK guidance on 31 December 2020. Coverage spans tariff heading 2612 (uranium ore and concentrates) and 2844 (plutonium, uranium-233, enriched uranium, natural uranium and related compounds/alloys, including spent or irradiated fuel elements). The requirement replaced the free-circulation treatment nuclear material imports from EU member states previously had inside the single market.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals notified the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Promotion of Domestic Manufacturing of Critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs), Drug Intermediates (DIs) and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) on 21 July 2020 via Gazette Notification, with an outlay of Rs 6,940 crore (~USD 920m) over FY 2020-21 to FY 2027-28. The scheme covers 41 identified critical bulk-drug products across four target segments — fermentation-based (Key Fermentation; Niche Fermentation) and chemical synthesis-based (Key Chemical Synthesis; Niche Chemical Synthesis) — paying 20% incentive on incremental sales for fermentation-based products (years 1-4) tapering to 15% (year 5) and 5% (year 6), and a flat 20% over 5 years for chemically-synthesised products. The stated objective is to reduce India's ~70% bulk-drug import dependence on China by establishing greenfield domestic manufacturing capacity with at least 90% domestic value addition for fermentation products and 70% for chemical-synthesis products.

Royal Decree No. M/140, dated 19 Shawwal 1441H (11 June 2020), promulgated Saudi Arabia's Mining Investment Law, replacing the 2004 Mining Investment Law (Royal Decree M/47). The law establishes a modern licensing framework under the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) and the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), introduces five license categories (reconnaissance, exploration, exploitation, small-mine, building-materials quarry), permits 100% foreign ownership in mining, and sets out royalty and fiscal terms aligned with Vision 2030's goal of developing an estimated $1.3 trillion in identified mineral wealth. The law took effect on 1 January 2021 and serves as the statutory parent of every Saudi mining licensing round and strategic minerals initiative launched since that date.