EU control list ‘exceptional update’ on marine toxins

The European Commission has adopted a delegated regulation updating the EU dual-use export control list in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/821:

‘On 23 February 2023, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation updating the EU dual-use export control list in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/821, in order to bring it in line with the decisions taken in the Australia Group – the multilateral export control regime in charge of preventing the proliferation of chemical and biological items – in 2022.

‘This update adds some emerging technologies in the biological sector to the EU Dual-Use List. In particular, the updated EU control list includes four new entries for marine toxins, namely brevetoxins, gonyautoxins, nodularins and palytoxin, which are naturally present in marine environments but can also be synthesised and used for biological weapons, for example. Other changes were mostly on removal and changes of references, and editorial changes.

‘Subject to the Council and the European Parliament raising no objections within a period of two months, the Commission Delegated Regulation (Ref. C(2023)1164) will be published and will enter into force on the day following that of its publication.’https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/2022-exceptional-update-eu-control-list-dual-use-items-2023-02-27_en