On Monday 27 April 2015, the 17th EU-Ukraine summit will take place in Ukraine and focus on: · the implementation of the Association Agreement and the political and economic reforms in Ukraine including EU financial and other assistance; · the crisis in eastern Ukraine and the application of the Minsk agreements; · regional issues; and · the preparations for the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in Riga. According to the background note published by the…
On April 14, 2015, President Obama submitted to the U.S. Congress a report and certification indicating the Administration’s intent to rescind Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. The rescission of Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism will become effective unless Congress enacts a joint resolution prohibiting the proposal within 45 days after receiving the report. The proposal is part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba…
On 2 April 2015, talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, ended between Iran and the E3+3 countries (i.e., China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States). These lengthy negotiations resulted in high-level agreement on the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA parties will continue drafting the final text of JCPOA, to be agreed by 30 June 2015. We previously reported on this development on our blog (here).…
It was announced on Friday that the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) circulated an e-mail to its regional subdivisions demanding to perform quality and sanitary tests of products originating from Ukraine. The quality and sanitary tests should be performed with respect to 15 specifically listed types of products: cosmetic products, soap, perfumes (HS code 330300), household chemicals (HS code 340220), wallpaper (HS codes 481420 and 481490), furniture,…