Insights

In June 2025, the European Commission adopted its first-ever measures under the International Procurement Instrument Regulation (IPI), restricting access to the EU public procurement market for medical devices for economic operators and medical devices from the People’s Republic of China. This is the first application of the IPI, a new trade instrument aimed at tackling lack of reciprocity in access to public procurement in third countries.

On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a sweeping Interim Final Rule (IFR), (the “Affiliates Rule”) expanding which entities qualify as Entity List or Military End-User entities, thereby subjecting those entities to elevated export control restrictions under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). U.S. export restrictions applicable to entities on the Entity List, Military End-User (MEU) List, and Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) now apply to foreign affiliates that are, in the aggregate, owned 50% or more by one or more of the aforementioned entities. An entity that becomes subject to these restrictions because of its ownership structure will be subject to the most restrictive controls that attach to any of its parent entities, regardless of ownership stakes.

On August 28, 2025, France, Germany, and the UK (the E3) initiated the process to reinstate (or snapback) UN sanctions on Iran. The snapback mechanism (which was set to expire on October 18, 2025) is outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (UNSCR 2231).

U.S. Government and private sector sources continue to report efforts by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nationals to infiltrate companies around the world by posing as information technology (IT) professionals, in order to get hired by U.S. and other businesses and gain access to sensitive company systems. Crowdstrike, a U.S. cybersecurity company, has reported a 220% increase in the number of companies infiltrated by North Korean threat actors over the last 12 months. In particular, a DPRK-affiliated group known as “Famous Chollima” has leveraged artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to generate synthetic identities, as well as resumes and CVs, draft communications, and conduct job interviews. Enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice identify victims in the cryptocurrency sector, including decentralized finance (“DeFi”) projects. In addition, media reports indicate that North Korean hackers are purportedly offering fake job offers targeting employees in the cryptocurrency sector, with the goal of stealing crypto.

On August 28, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule that modifies the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to reduce the number of export control restrictions on Syria, in alignment with Executive Order 14312, Providing For The Revocation of Syria Sanctions. The key adjustments made by this rule include the addition of new or expanded license exception eligibility for exports and reexports to Syria (which significantly broadens the number of items that can be exported or reexported to Syria) and the adoption of more permissive license review policies for exports and reexports to Syria.

The Best Lawyers in America 2026 Recognizes 43 Crowell & Moring Attorneys, One Selected as Lawyer of the Year

On August 29, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force to expand efforts to target importers and other parties committing trade-related fraud. As stated in a press release issued on August 29, the Task Force will augment the existing coordination mechanisms within the DOJ and DHS, for instance through partnerships with CBP and Homeland Security Investigations, to “aggressively” take enforcement measures against parties that commit tariff evasion or attempt to smuggle prohibited goods into the U.S.

On July 28, 2025, Cadence Design Systems Inc. (“Cadence” or “the Company”), a global electronic design automation (“EDA”) technology company based in San Jose, California, agreed to plead guilty in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division (“NSD”) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Through its guilty plea, Cadence agreed to resolve charges that it committed criminal violations of export controls by selling EDA hardware, software, and semiconductor design intellectual property (“IP”) technology to the National University of Defense Technology (“NUDT”), a Chinese military university on the U.S. Entity List since 2015 due to its involvement in military and nuclear simulation activities. In addition, Cadence simultaneously resolved a civil enforcement action brought by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) related to the same underlying conduct.

This news bulletin is provided by the International Trade Group of Crowell & Moring. If you have questions or need assistance on trade law matters, please contact Anand Sithian or Simeon Yerokun or any member of the International Trade Group.

On July 24, the European Commission announced the imposition of new EU countermeasures in response to U.S. tariffs further to an agreement reached among EU Member States. These measures are adopted through Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1564 and take the form of additional customs duties on U.S. products as well as export restrictions for certain EU products. In total, these measures concern about EUR 93 billion ($109 billion) worth of customs duties, the highest volume of bilateral trade caught by the EU so far. The EU countermeasures are set to enter into force as of August 7.

On June 30, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14312 effectively lifting (or beginning the process of lifting) most of the sanctions on Syria. Executive Order 14312 cites the leadership changes and the policies of the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa as the reasons for the removal of sanctions. On the same day, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of State took steps to implement the termination of the program by, among other actions, delisting appropriate individuals and entities from the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). These actions followed the initial sanctions relief provided on May 23, 2025 by OFAC, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and the State Department.

Since taking office earlier this year, the Trump administration has reignited tariff disputes between the European Union and the United States. The US has reimposed US Section 232 measures on steel and aluminum, extended the scope of these measures, and, on April 2nd, imposed IEEPA tariffs on EU products under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. These IEEPA tariffs were then reduced to 10% until July 9th.

Briefing. The Trump administration continues to raise the stakes for importers and other actors in the international trade space. Bloomberg Law reports that the Department of Justice has tasked its MIMF (Market Integrity and Major Frauds) Unit with investigating fraud schemes by companies dodging U.S. tariffs. The MIMF Unit is already well-versed in financial fraud investigations, is set to grow significantly with the addition of prosecutors previously assigned to consumer protection matters, and now is shifting resources to tariff evasion cases.

 

On June 2, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued its first ever Withhold Release Order (“WRO”) and Finding Modifications Guide (“Guide” or “the Guide”). The Guide serves as a roadmap for importers facing a possible WRO or Finding due to allegations of forced labor in the supply chain of their goods imported into the U.S. It provides guidance on information to be included in a modification petition, identifies possible cases in which CBP might request additional information, and provides resources for importers facing a WRO or Finding.

To date the Trump Administration has issued multiple proclamations imposing varying rates of import duties on steel and aluminum and certain derivatives, including construction materials. These measures have added volatility and financial pressures to the construction sector both in the United States and abroad. Most recently, on June 3, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, doubling tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, effective June 4, 2025. This action aims to counteract the continued influx of lower-priced, excess steel and aluminum imports that, according to the administration, threaten U.S. national security by undermining domestic production capacity. The proclamation notes that while prior tariffs provided some price support, they were insufficient to achieve the necessary capacity utilization rates for sustained industry health and defense readiness. The United Kingdom remains temporarily exempt at the 25% rate until July 9, per the U.S.-U.K. Economic Prosperity Deal.

On May 23, 2025, the U.S. Departments of State (“State”) and the Treasury (“Treasury”) took actions that resulted in immediate sanctions relief for Syria. Specifically, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License 25 (“GL 25”) pursuant to the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (“SySR”), the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations (“NPWMD”), the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations (“IFSR”), the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (“GTSR”), and the Foreign Terrorist Organization Sanctions Regulations (“FTOSR”). In parallel, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) and State took supporting actions outlined below.