Chapter News

EU Parliament calls for temporary COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver

Patent waiver will enhance global access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines Voluntary licensing, transfer of know-how and technology key to ramping up global production in long term Call on US and UK to abolish export ban on vaccines and raw materials More support for global vaccine distribution mechanism COVAX To accelerate global vaccine rollout, MEPs demand the temporary lifting of intellectual property rights protection for COVID-19 vaccines. In a resolution adopted with 355 votes in favour, 263 against and 71 abstentions,...

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Member News

Houthoff | European Commission adopts new Standard Contractual Clauses

The European Commission adopted new Standard Contractual Clauses ("SCCs") on 4 June 2021. The SCCs can be used under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a safeguard for transfers of personal data to recipients in countries outside the European Economic Area if the European Commission has not adopted an adequacy decision. The new SCCs have been updated to align with the GDPR, offering more flexibility for complex processing chains. They include a practical toolbox to help companies comply with the CJEU's...

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Member News

Cozen O’Connor | USCIS Updates Policies to Improve Immigration Services

On June 9, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new policy updates to the USCIS Policy Manual that will clarify the criteria and circumstances for expedited processing; improve the existing request for evidence (RFE) and notice of intent to deny (NOID) guidance; and increase the validity period for initial and renewal employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain noncitizens with pending adjustment of status applications. The noted changes include the following: expedited processing, requests for evidence and notices...

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Brexit News, Member News

Vulcan Insight | EU patience “wearing really, really thin” over Northern Ireland Protocol

On Wednesday, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and his UK counterpart, Cabinet Minister David Frost, met in London for the latest meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee and the first meeting of the newly created Partnership Council under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement.  Following several weeks of failed technical and political talks on finding a compromise, Mr. Šefčovič acknowledged that there are still “substantial gaps” in the UK’s implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and that the EU’s “patience...

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Chapter News

IMF | Four Factors Behind the Metals Price Rally

As economies reopen in various parts of the world, the price of some commodities has soared, including the prices of prominent industrial metals. The extent to which the metals price rally may lose steam depends on how multiple factors will play out. As our latest chart of the week shows, metals prices have increased by 72 percent relative to their pre-pandemic levels—reaching a nine-year high in May (in inflation adjusted terms). The increase has been broad-based across industrial metals—copper is...

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Chapter News

IMF | Getting Back to Growth

Producing and consuming more goods and services for the same amount of work sounds too good to be true. In fact, it’s entirely possible. Higher productivity is one of the key ingredients to higher economic growth and incomes. It’s all about how workers become more productive. For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and spend. The question is how these changes will affect our productivity, both now and into the future. 'The pandemic accelerated the...

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Member News

NautaDutilh | Europe proposes first-ever statutory framework for AI

Following its White Paper on AI in 2020, the European Commission released in April of this year a proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (the "Regulation").  The Regulation builds on various resolutions adopted by the European Parliament in relation to AI and contributes to the EU's objective of becoming a global leader in secure, trustworthy and ethical artificial intelligence. It aims to ensure, on the one hand, legal certainty to facilitate investment and innovation in...

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Member News

Thompson Hine | EU Approves New Standard Contractual Clauses for Cross-Border Data Transfers

On June 6, the European Commission adopted new Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to enable organizations to transfer personal data outside the European Union (EU) in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The new SCCs are intended to address the complex data processing issues that impact modern businesses, and they impose several novel obligations on organizations. Importantly, the new SCCs address situations where the U.S. government (and other non-EU authorities) request access to personal data, which was the...

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Member News

Marks Paneth | Cyber Crime 101: Ways to Protect Yourself Online

As most entities look to advance their technology infrastructure post pandemic, cybercriminals are on their own digital transformation journey. Trends like remote work, Internet of Things (IoT), bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and cloud initiatives have given hackers new ways to infiltrate your organization by exponentially expanding the attack surface. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have given hackers new tools to distribute malware, vector in on high-end targets and reach bigger and more diverse audiences. And as these...

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Member News

Jaguar Freight | What’s the Difference Between Shipping Visibility and Supply Chain Transparency?

Many people use the terms visibility and transparency interchangeably; however, it’s important for shipping professionals to understand that there’s a difference between these two popular terms. While it may seem like we’re splitting hairs, making a clear distinction can go a long way towards a common understanding of what each provides while enabling logistics service providers and shippers to gain the benefits. Visibility Defined: Anecdotally speaking, visibility seems to be the slightly more popular of the two terms right now. In the...

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