What is dual-use export control?
Dual-use export control regulates the export, re-export, and transfer of items, software, and technology that have both civilian and military applications. The EU regulates dual-use under Regulation (EU) 2021/821 (recasting prior Regulation 428/2009); the US uses the Export Administration Regulations (EAR, 15 CFR Parts 730-774) administered by BIS at the Commerce Department. Dual-use items include semiconductors, encryption, AI systems, certain materials, cybersurveillance tools, and aerospace components.
EU 2021/821 key features
- Annex I control list: categorised items requiring licence for export outside the EU.
- Cyber-surveillance carve-out: new licensing for tools that could be used for human rights abuses (Pegasus-style spyware).
- EU General Export Authorisations (EUGEA): simplified licences for low-risk destinations and items.
- Catch-all clauses: non-listed items still need licence if end-use raises WMD or military concerns.
- Internal Compliance Programme (ICP): mandatory written compliance for exporters using General Authorisations.
US EAR distinction
- Commerce Control List (CCL): US dual-use items with Export Control Classification Number (ECCN).
- Deemed export rule: sharing controlled technology with foreign nationals within the US counts as export.
- De minimis rule: US-content threshold; below threshold, foreign-made items may escape US re-export controls.
- Entity List: specific foreign entities subject to extra licensing requirements.
Türk ihracatçı/teknoloji şirketleri için
Türk teknoloji ihracatçıları (savunma sanayi: Aselsan, Roketsan; teknoloji: HAVELSAN, Karel) AB ve ABD dual-use kontrolüne tabidir AB/ABD pazarına satışta. ABD-kaynaklı bileşen kullanan Türk ürünleri (de minimis hesaplamayla %25+ US-içerikle) ABD re-export kontrolüne girer — Türk-İran, Türk-Rusya işlemlerde özellikle risk. Türk Dış Ticaret Müsteşarlığı stratejik mal listeleri ulusal kontrol oluşturur. 2024 sonrası Avrupa Komisyonu Türkiye’yi belirli sertifika rejimlerinde “güvenilir partner” kategorisinden çıkarmıştır; bu yapısal değişim Türk ihracatçılar için ek belgeleme yükü getirir.
Do: implement ICP with screening, training, record-keeping; classify each export against EU Annex I AND US CCL; document end-user statements for catch-all risk mitigation.
Don’t: rely on item description alone — technical specifications (encryption bit length, processing speed, dual-use software functionality) drive classification, not product marketing.