The UK has updated its Export Control Regime

On 8 December 2021 the UK Government issued a written statement about a package of measures to update the export control regime.

Summarized, the update package includes three main points: 1. The Revised UK Strategic Export Licensing Criteria As per the original document, the revised UK Strategic Export Licensing Criteria will be read as follows: 1) Respect for the UK’s international obligations and relevant commitments; 2) Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country for international humanitarian law; 3) Preservation of internal peace and security; 4) Preservation of peace and security; 5) The national security of the UK and territories whose external relations are the UK’s responsibility, as well as that of friendly and allied countries; 6) The behaviour of the buyer country with regard to the international community, as regards in particular its attitude to terrorism and transnational organised crime, the nature of its alliances and respect for international law; 7) The existence of a risk that the items will be diverted to an undesirable end-user or for an undesirable end-use; 8) The compatibility of the transfer with the technical and economic capacity of the recipient country, taking into account the desirability that states should achieve their legitimate needs of security and defence with the least diversion for armaments of human and economic resources. 2. Revised military end-use control The drafters promised that the definition of Military end-use will be enhanced to improve its effectiveness. While the controls of non-listed items will continue to be conducted on a case-by-case basis, they will only be imposed when government informs the exporter that a proposed export is intended for a military end use. Exceptions will concern medical supplies and equipment intended for hospitals as well as food, clothing and or other consumer goods generally available to the public. 3. China will be added to the list of destinations subject to military end-use controls According to the explanation provided by the UK Government, ‘this will rectify an anomaly that derives from the way the EU arms embargo was imposed in 1989 and the drafting of the current legal text’. Source: UK Government