The UK government has announced the full lifting of its arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan, a measure that had been in place since 1992 under the OSCE framework. This decision represents a significant shift in the United Kingdom’s policy toward the South Caucasus and reflects recent diplomatic developments in the region. The announcement follows […]
Sanctions circumvention is no longer limited to Russia’s neighboring states. Over the past two years, entirely new commercial routes have emerged across Asia and the Middle East, creating increasingly complex challenges for exporters and compliance teams. These evolving pathways often involve multiple intermediaries, fragmented logistics chains, and opaque re-exporting practices, all of which heighten the […]
A recent ruling in Germany has once again highlighted the critical risks associated with violations of dual-use export regulations. A court in Stuttgart has sentenced a defendant to seven years in prison for selling industrial machinery in 2015 to a Russian weapons manufacturer, in clear breach of European Union sanctions.Investigators determined that the machines were […]
The West is significantly tightening its measures to counter Russian sanctions evasion.Following the adoption of its 14th sanctions package, the European Union is reinforcing its efforts to prevent the re-export of sensitive goods to Russia through intermediary countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. As Moscow increasingly relies on these trade routes to […]
On 12 October, 2025, the Dutch government took control of semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, citing serious governance deficiencies and concerns over the potential transfer of sensitive technologies to its Chinese parent company Wingtech Technology, owner since 2018. This rare intervention, justified on national security grounds, reflects Europe’s increasing vigilance toward foreign acquisitions in strategic sectors. In […]
In 2025, the United Kingdom has launched a significant overhaul of its export control framework, reflecting the growing importance of technological sovereignty, security concerns, and international coordination. These reforms aim to modernise national rules, strengthen alignment with international commitments, and incorporate recent European developments in dual-use regulation. A central element of this reform is the […]
China is undergoing a significant overhaul of its export control regime with the introduction of a fully redesigned framework structured into six chapters and fifty articles. This new regulatory architecture aims to modernize the rules governing dual-use items, reinforce oversight on sensitive transfers, and provide authorities with greater visibility over exports that may affect national […]
Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, companies worldwide have faced a rapidly expanding set of sanctions and export restrictions. These evolving rules have significantly reshaped international trade, requiring organizations to update their compliance processes, internal controls, and technological tools. For global businesses, understanding these sanctions is essential. Inaccurate classification, insufficient due diligence, or oversight […]
Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and later the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been subject to an unprecedented series of international sanctions aimed at limiting its access to military technologies. These restrictive measures were designed to curb Moscow’s capacity to modernize its armed forces, weaken its defense industry, and constrain its […]
On October 17, 2024, EC Compliance was delighted to participate in the PME Tour DGA, a regional meeting organized by the French Ministry of Defense (DGA) and the Systematic, Astech, and Nextmove clusters.This strategic event focused on a key topic: the role of Artificial Intelligence in the defense industries. Commanderie Templière de la Villedieu – […]