The introduction of a new European border system is set to be delayed following travel chaos at airports across the continent, as technological glitches continue to hamper the EU’s digitalisation push.
In other news, the UK government has announced new sanctions on Russian chemical weapons producers and is also launching a consultation on toy-safety rules for manufacturers.
ETIAS delayed
The European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS) is set to be delayed to next year, according to FT reporting.
EITAS will be the system through which travellers from “third party visa-free nations”, including the UK, will be asked to provide information ahead of travelling into the bloc. It relies on data from the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been in operation since 12 October.
EES – the system which processes information for non-EU travellers at the border– has itself had challenges. Although it is now operational, its roll-out has been stop-start due to technological glitches. This has resulted in delays at airports during the busy summer months, with widespread reports of missed flights and long queues at tourist hotspots.
The FT reports that the board of EU-LISA, the agency that oversees ETIAS, met in mid-June to discuss next steps. A meeting is set for September to discuss a new timeline.
One person speaking anonymously said that they needed to fix EES first, then roll out the ETIAS later.
Over 1.4bn people from 69 countries will potentially need to use EITAS for future travel into the EU.
New Russia sanctions
The government has added 9 new entities to the UK Sanctions List
Mirroring the EU’s recent announcement on Russian sanctions, the foreign office has announced measures against those responsible for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and British national Dawn Sturgess.
Seven individuals and two research institutes involved in the production of a “barbaric, undeclared and illegal chemical weapons programme” have been added to the sanctions list. Navalny was allegedly poisoned using Epibatidine, while Sturgess was sprayed with Novichok, both of which were purportedly produced by the nine new targets of UK sanctions.
This includes SC Signal, a research institute, and the organisation’s director Artur Zhirov, deputy head Andrei Antokhin and chief scientist Aleksandr Makhlay, and the State Research Institute of Military Medicine (GNIII VM).
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said that “Russia’s repeated use of chemical weapons is a sickening violation of international law and a direct threat to global security.”
“From the use of Novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine.”
The announcement comes during a Nato summit, where continued support for Ukraine is expected to be on the agenda.
LNG shipper struck in Strait of Hormuz
A Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipper, the Al Rekayyat, has reportedly been struck as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reports that a vessel is on fire on the strait, with no casualties or environmental damage emerging yet. It is unclear whether it is the Al Rekayyat or another vessel.
Iranian state media has said that the LNG tanker was struck after ignoring warnings, but this has not been confirmed by Iran’s government.
Prior to the attack, oil prices continued to fall as shippers felt more optimistic about transiting through the crucial waterway. Immediately after the reports of the attack, the price of Brent Crude rose by 1.1%.
Intelligence provided to Global Trade Today by Windward found that there was a “gradual, if fragile, resumption of Iranian crude export operations,” while energy cargos being moved across the strait were “modest”.
With talks on a long-term peace deal still ongoing, concerns remain about whether outbreaks of violence could derail these discussions and shatter the fragile interim truce.
Toy safety
The UK government has issued an open call for evidence on toy safety rules.
The EU’s Toy Safety Regulation is due to apply fully from 1 August 2030, having entered force at the start of this year, and the government is considering whether to copy the European approach.
Other areas, such as digital product passports, the risks of AI-enabled toys and chemicals, are also under consideration.
This call for evidence seeks views on the following:
- The potential benefits and costs of taking a similar approach to the EU’s toy safety legislation across the UK
- The potential benefits and costs of continuing recognition of EU toys requirements, including the CE mark
- How risks to consumers may be changing, including from chemicals, artificial intelligence and online marketplaces
- The practicalities and impacts of any future regulatory changes
Interested parties, such as manufacturers, importers and distributors, and consumers, are invited to reply to the call for evidence.
Also in the headlines
- US beef exports to China have picked up after rival traders exhausted their quotas
- Sir Keir Stamer is set to travel for one of his final outings as UK prime minister to the Nato summit in Turkey
- Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle is due to face Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee today to field questions on Mercosur and the ongoing negotiations with Switzerland and Turkey
Yesterday in trade
- The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) announced new Digital Trade Corridor pilots
- Front runner for next UK prime minister Andy Burnham told the BBC he would “fully fund the Defence Investment Plan (DIP)”
- Brazil and Ukraine both raised concerns about the EU’s lower steel import quotas
