EU | Hong Kong Means Business

Advocate General Delivers Formal Opinion: UK Can Unilaterally Cancel Its Withdrawal from EU

07 December 2018

On 4 December 2018, an Advocate General (Mr. Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona) at the Court of Justice of the EU issued his formal (non-binding) opinion that the UK would be able to unilaterally cancel its withdrawal from the EU. According to Mr Sanchez-Bordona, if a country decided to leave the EU, it should also have the power to change its mind during the two-year exit process specified in Article 50 TEU. The Court of Justice still needs to rule on the matter. More

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Product-specific Laws Combatting Planned Obsolescence to be Debated over Coming Days

06 December 2018

On 29 November 2018, it came to light that the EU may be watering down proposed legal provisions regulating “built-in obsolescence” in certain products, namely, lighting, electronic displays (including televisions), washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators. More

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European Parliament and Council Nearing End of Trilogue Negotiations for Directive on Single-Use Plastics

05 December 2018

The final wording of the proposed Directive on single-use plastics (SUP) is expected to be determined in an upcoming trilogue meeting between the EU Council and the European Parliament scheduled for 6 December 2018, where both institutions will aim to reconcile their diverging views on the scope of products covered, and other equally contested topics. The Directive seeks to introduce an EU-wide ban on several SUP products, including cotton buds, plastic cutlery, plates and straws. More

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Anti-dumping Actions

04 December 2018

Citric acid and trisodium citrate dihydrate, currently falling within CN codes 2918 14 00 and ex 2918 15 00 (TARIC code 2918150010). This description is found in Article 1 of Commission Implementing Regulation 2015/82. More

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Official Journal Summary

04 December 2018

C430: Notice concerning the anti-dumping measures in force on imports into the Union of citric acid originating in the People’s Republic of China: change of name and address of a company subject to an individual duty rate More

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Digital Services Tax Still Controversial Among EU Finance Ministers

30 November 2018

As Hong Kong readers may recall, two proposed Directives were tabled in March 2018 by the European Commission. The Commission proposed EU-wide changes to taxation, mainly due to the seemingly disproportionate revenues that are regularly made by so-called “digital giants”. More

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Strict Limit Proposed for DecaBDE in Recycled Plastics Used to Make Toys and Other Consumer Goods

28 November 2018

On 15 November 2018, the European Parliament voted to introduce a derogation limit of only 10 mg/kg (0.001% by weight) for the brominated flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (“DecaBDE”). This figure, it is intended, will be inserted into Regulation 850/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on persistent organic pollutants (the “POPs Regulation”). More

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Anti-dumping Actions

27 November 2018

Ceramic tableware and kitchenware, excluding ceramic knives, ceramic condiment or spice mills and their ceramic grinding parts, ceramic peelers, ceramic knife sharpeners and cordierite ceramic pizza-stones of a kind used for baking pizza or bread, currently falling within CN codes ex 6911 10 00, ex 6912 00 10, ex 6912 00 30, ex 6912 00 50 and ex 6912 00 90. More

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Official Journal Summary

27 November 2018

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1785 of 15 November 2018 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature. More

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WTO Disputes over U.S. Actions on Imported Steel and Aluminium, Certain Mainland Chinese IPR Policies Move Forward

27 November 2018

The WTO Dispute Settlement Body agreed at its 21 November meeting to establish a panel to examine allegations by seven economies – mainland China, the EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Turkey and Russia – that the Section 232 tariffs the United States imposed earlier this year on imported steel and aluminium contravene U.S. multi-lateral obligations. More

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