On Friday, February 13, 2015, the US State Department published on its website the “Section 515.582 List,” which describes the Cuban goods and services eligible for importation into the United States. This announcement is the latest component of the US Government’s recent relaxation of the comprehensive US embargo of Cuba, which we described in our recent blog post. The State Department also published a Fact Sheet with FAQs about the Section 515.582 List. Under Section…
On December 30, 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued long-awaited guidance clarifying that certain lightly processed crude oil are “petroleum products” that may be exported without a specific authorization otherwise required under the Short Supply Controls relating to crude oil and petroleum products in the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). BIS in particular posted frequently asked questions and answers (“FAQs”) to its website that, among other things, clarify how BIS…
On December 10, 2014, the US Congress passed the “Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014” to impose certain new targeted sanctions against government officials involved in the February-to-May antigovernment protests in Venezuela. It is expected that this bill will be signed into law by the President in the near future. The available sanctions are blocking of property interests (e.g., designation as a “Specially Designated National” (“SDN”)) and visa bans…