On 18 July 2025, the European Union adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, including by amending Regulation (EU) 833/2014 and Regulation (EU) 269/2014. The EU also mirrored a number of measures and introduced additional designations in its Belarus sanctions by amending Regulation (EC) 265/2006. Adopted just two months after the 17th package, this latest round of measures reflects the EU’s continued strategic shift toward more dynamic, extraterritorial, and asset-specific sanctions and reinforces the…
At the Annual Compliance conference recently held in London, Baker McKenzie hosted a session on ‘The evolving national security, sanctions and export controls landscape’. This session introduced the concept of the “trade toolbox” — a growing set of measures designed to manage national security risks through trade and investment restrictions. Speakers highlighted the increasing complexity of global compliance, particularly in relation to business relating to China, Russia, and in the Middle East. China: outbound investment,…
Sanctions enforcement is intensifying globally, with authorities expanding their toolkits and increasing cross-border cooperation. This session explored key developments in sanctions enforcement in the US, UK, EU and Turkey and the implications of these for the progression of civil and criminal investigations. This session first examined key developments in enforcement infrastructure and penalties frameworks across the different jurisdictions. This included the EU’s push for harmonisation, the UK’s new body for the enforcement of trade sanctions…
Geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions between China and the US remain high. This session explored the use of export control and other national security measures by competing regimes, drawing on perspectives from the US, China, the EU, the UK, Japan, and Taiwan. The session began with an overview of US national security policies towards China and recent efforts to regulate the flow of capital and data. This was followed by insights from China on retaliatory measures,…