EU customs authorities are intensifying enforcement around customs classification, with scrutiny of goods assembled in the EU after importation. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) 2025 Annual Report explicitly identifies assembly operations performed after import as a common fraud pattern used to evade customs duties. The concern centres on components that, when classified individually, attract
The European Commission has granted six countries – Algeria, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United States – an exemption from prior authorisation requirements for natural gas imports under the RePowerEU Regulation.
What does this mean?
Gas sourced from these six countries will no longer require prior authorisation under Article 5(3) or evidence
In a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape marked by rising tensions and global economic challenges, the European Union is accelerating efforts to diversify its trade partnerships. One of the most significant recent developments is the signing of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA, or the Agreement) and the Interim Trade Agreement (iTA) on 17 January 2026
I was recently quoted in TradeWinds on the growing number of tankers going dark as the EU considers expanding restrictions on maritime services connected to Russia’s oil trade.
It now looks increasingly certain that the EU, and likely the UK, will move to a comprehensive maritime services ban on the carriage of Russian crude
In today’s global trade landscape, trade defence instruments (TDI), such as anti-dumping and countervailing (anti-subsidy) duties, are more vital than ever. TDI are measures used to protect EU industry from imports originating from non‑EU countries that distort competition by suppressing EU producers’ prices, typically through dumping or because of state subsidies. The European Commission, specifically
On 17 December 2025, the European Commission published an amendment proposal (COM 2025/0419) to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/956), which proposes to expand CBAM to certain downstream goods and strengthen anti-circumvention provisions. The proposal also refines operational rules, including for electricity imports, exemptions, and market-stability safeguards.
Yesterday, the European Union adopted safeguard measures (C/2025/7842) to curb imports of manganese- and silicon-based ferro-alloys, key alloying inputs for the European steel industry. The decision follows a surge in imports and forms part of a broader policy response to global overcapacity and shifting trade flows in the steel sector. The measures take
Following the EU’s existing embargo on Russian crude oil and petroleum products, the European Commission has proposed, and the Council has now agreed in principle, a complementary Regulation designed to end the remaining inflows of Russian natural gas into the Union. The measure gives legal effect to the Commission’s May 2025 Roadmap towards ending Russian
China’s Ministry of Transport will impose a new “Special Port Service Fee” on U.S. linked vessels from 14 October 2025, aligning with U.S. Section 301 measures taking effect the same day. In its announcement, the Chinese Ministry of Transport criticises the U.S. actions announced in April this year and warns of significant disruption to maritime