In the Feb. 13-18 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Union is beginning an antidumping duty investigation on aluminum extrusions from China, the European Commission said in a Feb. 14 notice in the EU Official Journal. Preliminary duties on Chinese aluminum extrusions imposed in connection with this investigation could come in seven to eight months, the notice said.

The United Kingdom is extending the deadline for companies to apply for funding for customs training (see 2001220051) as the U.K. leaves the European Union, the U.K.’s revenue and customs agency said in a Feb. 10 notice. The grant funding deadline, which was originally set to expire Jan. 31, 2020, was extended one year to Jan. 31, 2021, the notice said. The U.K. said it has awarded the equivalent of about $21 million in grants, with about $10 million still remaining in the program.

In the Feb. 7-12 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The European Commission revoked some tariff preferences granted to Cambodia due to objections over human rights violations “enshrined” in Cambodia’s laws, the commission said in a Feb. 12 press release. The preferential tariffs will be replaced by EU standard tariffs and will affect certain garments, footwear, travel goods and sugar. The change will impact about one-fifth of Cambodia’s yearly exports to the EU, the press release said. The change will take effect Aug. 20 unless the European Parliament or Council objects. In a statement, Commission Vice President Josep Borrell said the preferential tariffs will be reinstated if Cambodian authorities “take the necessary measures.”

The United Kingdom has “confirmed plans” to put in place customs controls on Dec. 31 for goods traded between the U.K. and the European Union, according to a Feb. 10 press release from U.K. Cabinet Office member Michael Gove. “The UK will be outside the single market and outside the customs union, so we will have to be ready for the customs procedures and regulatory checks that will inevitably follow,” Gove said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a new “Food Security Doctrine” that aims to prevent imports of genetically engineered seeds for planting, according to a Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The doctrine also expands the list of Russia’s “self-sufficiency indicators” -- part of the country's effort to become more reliant on domestically produced goods -- to include vegetables, melons and gourds, fruits and berries, and seeds, the report said.

The European Commission released a Feb. 10 report on the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences during 2018-2019, detailing how developing countries took advantage of trade benefits under the scheme, which countries the scheme helped the most and how the scheme impacted trade. Developing countries’ exports to the EU under the special tariff treatments provided by the scheme reached a new high of about $73 billion in 2018, the commission said in a news release.

The United Kingdom plans to announce the locations of its 10 “freeports” before the end of the year and launch them in 2021, the UK said Feb. 10. The ports, which will reduce certain customs and tariff-related costs in a bid to boost trade, will open “across the UK” and help Britain's “post-Brexit growth,” the U.K. said. The U.K. previously named several candidates for the ports, including Teesport, the Port of Tyne, Milford Haven and London Gateway (see 1908020025). The UK also opened a consultation to “inform the government’s freeports policy,” which outlines benefits offered by the ports, including “tariff flexibility, customs facilitations and tax measures.”

The United Kingdom on Feb. 10 updated its guidance on Iranian trade sanctions and its requirements for exporting certain controlled nuclear items on the U.K.'s “Trigger List.” The notices now include links to further information on exporting nuclear and dual-use goods and services through the Iran procurement channel.