ITALY LAW AND PRACTICE Contributed by: Giorgio Berlingieri, Alberto Massimo Rossi, Alfredo Lizio, Alberto Torrazza, Simone Gaggero and Filippo Cassola, ADVANT Nctm
financing and activities of countries threaten - ing international peace and security; and • Legislative Decree No 221 of 15 December 2017, providing a legal framework aimed at implementing trade embargoes and rules for the export of dual-use items and goods that could be used for torture or capital punish - ment. At a national level, Italian authorities may adopt autonomous trade and economic restrictive measures (such as asset freezing and fund- blocking measures) in line with the procedure defined in Article 4 bis of Legislative Decree 109 of 2007 in compliance with the UN provisions and the specific restrictive measures adopted by the EU. The relevant Italian authority in charge of international negotiations and sanctions is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internation - al Co-operation and, notably, the Office of the Directorate-General for Global Affairs, which deals with international organisations and fora for economic and financial co-operation and transport, and also with the implementation of international sanction regimes. Italy does not keep the lists of sanctioned per - sons and entities. These are held centrally by the EU. Among the most recently implemented inter - national trade sanctions introduced by the EU (and therefore recognised and implemented by Italy), the most prominent are those imposed in response to the military operation undertaken by Russia in 2022. These sanctions add to the existing measures imposed on Russia since 2014 with Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 (concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the sit - uation in Ukraine) and Council Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 (concerning restrictive measures
in respect of actions undermining or threaten - ing the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inde - pendence of Ukraine). These regulations, as lat - terly amended, have impacted on the possibility of entertaining business relations with the sanc - tioned subjects and also tightened restrictions on shipping. The EU has adopted 15 sanctions packages aimed at weakening Russia’s economic base since 2022, including: • the ban on providing access to EU ports to vessels registered under the Russian flag and, as of 8 April 2023, more generally to vessels enrolled in the Russian registry; and • the prohibition of maritime transport of Rus - sian crude oil and petroleum that has been purchased above the “price cap” determined in Annex XXVIII of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014, as subsequently amended. As of January 2025, the Italian national legisla - ture had not provided any special exemptions to the application of these measures. The Italian Armament Material Authorisation Unit (UAMA) was established in 2012 and is empow - ered, even in this controversial historical period, to issue the prescribed authorisations for the export, transfer, brokering, technical assistance and transit of dual-use items to the applicant parties, through the relevant electronic platform and for the direct and indirect trade of items listed under EU restrictive measures. 8.4 International Conflict(s) International conflicts have had significant implications in the maritime sector, giving rise to issues that affect both legal and commer - cial operations. The main implications involve
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