Restrictions
Exporting fine art and cultural goods to the European Union
Holly Piggott17 Sep 2025
Exporting fine art and cultural goods to the European Union
On 28 June 2025, the European Union activated the Import of Cultural Goods (ICG) system, a centralised electronic platform for lodging and processing import licences and importer statements. This marks the full implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/880 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1079. For customs practitioners, this change means that imports...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
The evolving nature of European efforts to control third countries' support for Russia's military-industrial base
Christelle Dubouchet26 Jan 2025
The evolving nature of European efforts to control third countries' support for Russia's military-industrial base
The use of sanctions and export controls as a strategic tool to ensure global security has gained prominence in the face of geopolitical shifts. Recent developments highlight the European Union’s (EU) efforts to tighten restrictions on dual-use goods and advanced technology items through its anti-circumvention legal tools. This was particularly...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
Fur coat? Not in Israel
Omer Wagner15 Sep 2024
Fur coat? Not in Israel
The import of furs of wildlife into the State of Israel is under a strict supervision of the Nature and Parks Authority, which is department of the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. This is part of a larger issue of importing animals or parts of them, but in this article...
Restrictions
Country update
Importing chemicals: CJEU rules who bears the burden of administrative work
David Savage10 Jul 2024
Importing chemicals: CJEU rules who bears the burden of administrative work
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation is the EU’s main instrument to protect human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. The legislation places a registration obligation on the importer. However, the definitions of the importer and import under the REACH...
Restrictions
Case law
New General Product Safety Regulation: What should economic operators expect?
Anthony Buckley16 May 2024
New General Product Safety Regulation: What should economic operators expect?
Every year since 2003, the European Commission has published its annual report on Safety Gate, the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products. The reports cover the alerts identified during the year and the measures taken by countries to eliminate or minimise the risks. It is worth noting that...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
BTOM Phase 2: The Common User Charge
Mark Rowbotham02 May 2024
BTOM Phase 2: The Common User Charge
On the 30th of April 2024, the UK Government introduced the second phase of Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) checks on goods entering the UK. The government has released details on the charges that will be levied for food and drink goods entering the UK from abroad, raising concerns from...
Restrictions
Country update
Used car parts - export of waste or goods for reuse?
Jurgita Stanienė30 Nov 2023
Used car parts - export of waste or goods for reuse?
Today, we often talk about circular economy goals and the ambition to reduce waste by extending the life of products through reuse, repair, refurbishment or recycling. The legal framework is still under development. For example, there are provisions in the EU Combined Nomenclature for certain waste and scrap and for...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
Non-tariff measures: the biggest challenges in 2023
Non-tariff measures: the biggest challenges in 2023
19 Nov 2023
Where do we draw the line between non-tariff measures that help governments achieve important goals (e.g. sustainability) and non-tariff barriers that unnecessarily restrict trade? How can SMEs ensure compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment (international sanctions, export controls, SPS, CBAM, REACH, forced labour, etc.)? As a distributor, how do...
Restrictions
Perspective
EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus: non-tariff measures or non-tariff barriers?
Boryana Peycheva19 Nov 2023
EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus: non-tariff measures or non-tariff barriers?
This article discusses the challenges faced by the Bulgarian automotive industry in the context of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus. A national customs risk profile has been introduced, triggered by the export of certain automotive parts of HS Chapters 84 and 85 to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan...
Restrictions
Sanctions
Topic spotlight
Non-tariff measures: their purpose and effect on trade
Rizwan Mahmood05 Nov 2023
Non-tariff measures: their purpose and effect on trade
According to UNCTAD, 90 % of global trade is subject to non-tariff measures (NTMs). NTMs can increase trade costs three times as much as tariffs. NTMs often lack transparency. This increases uncertainty and unpredictability in global trade. At the same time, NTMs can be beneficial for international trade, as they...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
REACH chemical regulations in the EU and the UK – international conflict?Mark Rowbotham02 Nov 2023
REACH chemical regulations in the EU and the UK – international conflict?
In the manufacturing industry, there are often complex supply chains where chemical substances cross borders between the UK and the EU several times. In this article we provide an overview of how REACH works in the EU (including the current revision) and in the UK, the implications for businesses and...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
What exporters should know about licensing barriers?
Ilona Mishchenko03 Apr 2022
What exporters should know about licensing barriers?
Due to the non-transparent import licensing requirements in many countries, such as Turkey, India, Malaysia, Brazil, and Argentina, to mention a few, exporters are denied trade opportunities, which these days are especially important for those who lost their export markets after Russia invaded Ukraine. The article introduces basic information on...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
Phytosanitary, veterinary and sanitary import controls in various countries
Dinesh Unadkat20 Mar 2022
Phytosanitary, veterinary and sanitary import controls in various countries
Any state that allows animals, plants or products of animal and plant origin to enter its territory shall establish additional measures aimed at protecting people, animals and plants from infection, pests and diseases. Having a similar purpose, these measures differ depending on the country of their application. The article offers...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
Requirements for labelling of vaping products (vapes) on the territory of Russia
Requirements for labelling of vaping products (vapes) on the territory of Russia
Polina Savvina17 Dec 2021
Until recently, e-cigarettes and their accessories were not subject to precise, unambiguous regulation under Russian law, including requirements on packaging labelling. As a matter of practice, until recently, some market players were attempting to mitigate compliance risks stemming from the aforementioned legislative gap as to labelling of the products in...
Restrictions
Country update
Dangerous product - release for free circulation in the EU not authorised
Arvydas Naina14 Aug 2021
Dangerous product - release for free circulation in the EU not authorised
Editorial word. The website of the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (SCRPA), Lithuania contains numerous reports of prohibited products to be placed on the market, for example, due to the risk of injury, it is prohibited to place a scooter from China on the market (see picture below). Therefore, importers...
Restrictions
Topic spotlight
EU CE marking: requirements, the responsibility of the importer, actions in case of non-complianceArvydas Naina14 Aug 2021
EU CE marking: requirements, the responsibility of the importer, actions in case of non-compliance
Editorial word. We keep hearing stories of products, such as massage chairs, plush toys, 'stuck' in customs and not allowed into the EU market due to incorrect or non-existent CE marking. What should be known to EU importers to prevent such situations? Mr. Arvydas Naina, Head of the Market Surveillance...
Restrictions
Case law