Rome props up air export controls. Those in the aviation sector who intend to export pistons or internal combustion engines and their components – or provide brokering and technical assistance services – from Italy to Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan now face new hurdles as they’ll have to obtain authorisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The MFA laid down the rule in a July 10 decree, which was published a week later in the Official Gazette and will remain in force for three years.
It’s related to Kyiv. The rule aims to counter the risks of circumventing the sanctions Italy imposed (alongside EU and Western states) on Russia and Belarus for their war of aggression against Ukraine. Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are affected by the measure because they are members, together with Russia and Belarus, of the Eurasian Economic Union.
- Iran, on the other hand, has been supplying Russia with drones and armaments used in the war. Which is why the Council of the European Union established a new framework of restrictions on Iran on Thursday, banning the export of components used in the construction and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The nitty-gritty. The content subject to the new measure includes rotary piston engines with spark ignition (internal combustion engines) that can be used in the aviation sector (aeroplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, autogiros, hybrid aircraft or radio-controlled models), as well as parts recognisable as intended for said engines.
- If operators attempt to export these products, brokering operations and technical assistance, exporters will have to carry out a technical evaluation. Only by clearing this passage can they apply to the MFA’s Unit for the Authorizations of Armament Materials (UAMA) in advance.
