A few months ago, the European Parliament and the European Council published the Regulation (EU) 2021/821 that establishes a regime for the control of exports, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual- use items.

Exports within the territory of the European Union will have consider this new regulation. This also affects brokerage, which is defined as the commission received by trade brokers on the transactions they carry out. On the other hand, technical assistance and transit of goods will be doubly involved.

The dual-use goods are all those materials, goods, software and technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. These would include those for the design, development, production or the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, including all items that can be used both for non-explosive uses and to assist in the manufacture of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

This is the list of categories of dual-use items included in the annex to the regulation:

• Nuclear materials, facilities and equipment
• Special materials and related equipment
• Materials processing
• Electronics
• Computers
• Telecommunications and information security
• Sensors and lasers
• Navigation and avionics
• Marine
• Aeronautics and propulsion

How does this regulation affect freight forward operations?

The aim of this regulation is to have greater control over commercial movements involving this type of goods. As a result, the European Union and its member states must consider international obligations and commitments, obligations arising from relevant sanctions and foreign policy and national security considerations.

This new regulation is important because it safeguards human rights by more thoroughly controlling the transit of these sensitive goods and the risk that they may not reach their destination due to misinformation. It also increases transparency in the transit of this type of goods and improves the knowledge of exporters, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), regarding responsible practices.

At Logisber we are experts in the transit of goods and our team knows the legislation and regulations. Do you need to make a shipment inside or outside the European Union? Contact us now and let’s work together.