On December 16, 2024, the European Union (EU) adopted a fifteenth package of restrictive measures against Russia. This new package introduces a range of measures aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia’s military and industrial capabilities, curbing circumvention of existing sanctions, and enhancing protections for European businesses operating in increasingly complex environments.

On December 19, 2024, the “Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act of 2024,” to be known as the “SHIPS for America Act of 2024,” was introduced in the U.S. Congress.  The legislation is an ambitious effort to increase substantially the U.S. merchant marine in the international trade and the U.S. shipyard industrial base after a long period of U.S. government neglect. 

On December 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, alleging violations of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA). This action, filed in the Central District of California, marks the first time in over two decades that the federal government has taken steps to enforce the RPA.