"E5" Export Controls at the Antipodes

The governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States met as the “Export Enforcement Five” (E5) in their second annual conference in Washington, D.C.

The E5 was etablished in 2023 to coordinate response to the Russia’s circumvention of export controls and sanctions related to its war Ukraine.

The group's statement noted their efforts to prevent the diversion of sensitive technologies and materials that support Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Specifically, the E5 committed to enhancing enforcement-related information sharing and capacity building, increasing outreach and guidance to industry to prevent diversion, and expanding joint investigative efforts to impose penalties that deter and redress violations of our coordinated export controls on Russia.

“The Export Enforcement Five have demonstrated the powerful impact that enforcement coordination can have in impeding Putin’s efforts to illicitly acquire dual-use items to support his unlawful invasion of Ukraine,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “This partnership has laid a strong foundation for continued effective global enforcement in support of our common national security interests.”

Since June 2023, BIS and its law enforcement counterparts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK have collaborated closely to partner with industry to harden supply chains of the items – especially common high priority list items – that Russia needs to sustain its unlawful invasion, identify entities that have violated our coordinated export controls, and share investigative information to take coordinated enforcement actions.  

In September 2023, the E5 issued the first-of-its-kind Quint Seal Guidance on countering Russian evasion of export controls. Furthermore, the E5 coordinated activities that resulted in detentions, seizures, and investigations that prevented violators from illicitly acquiring items to support the Russian war machine, as well as formed the foundation for an enduring framework for enforcement of export controls more broadly.

The joint statement can be found here.