Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

Joint European Union-United States Statement on addressing global steel and aluminum capacity

European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo today announced the start of discussions to address global steel and aluminum excess capacity. During a virtual meeting last week, the leaders acknowledged the need for effective solutions that preserve our critical industries, and agreed to chart a path that ends the WTO disputes following the U.S. application of tariffs on imports from the EU under section 232. Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis, Ambassador...

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Chapter News

European Green Deal: Developing a sustainable blue economy in the European Union

Today, the European Commission is proposing a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU for the industries and sectors related to oceans, seas and coasts.  A sustainable blue economy is essential to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and ensuring a green and inclusive recovery from the pandemic. Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the Green Deal said: “Healthy oceans are a precondition for a thriving blue economy. Pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction, coupled with the effects of the climate crisis, all...

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Member News

Littler | Social and Political Issues and the Workplace – Implications for Employers

Over the past year, employers have had to grapple with seismic social, cultural, and political developments impacting profoundly how they do business. From a worldwide pandemic severely affecting global communities, markets and workplaces, to the murder of George Floyd catapulting racial and social justice issues to international prominence, to a tumultuous presidential election and its resulting fallout, to the brutal attacks on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, there has been a fundamental shift in how employers...

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Chapter News

IMF | How Strengthening Standards for Data and Disclosure Can Make for a Greener Future

Imagine you plan to invest your savings and are looking for a firm or sector with a sustainable business model or a project that can make a real difference in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Where do you get reliable information to assess and compare projects from different companies? "Data gaps make it difficult to assess firms’ exposure to climate risk." To give investors access to decision-useful information to effectively price and manage climate risks, there is an urgent need to...

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Member News

EIB issues its first ever digital bond on a public blockchain

The EIB spearheads market developments in the digitalisation of capital markets The EUR 100m 2-year bond, placed with key market investors, represents the market’s first multi‑dealer led, primary issuance of digitally native tokens using public blockchain technology Project selected by Banque de France as part of its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) sphere Similar to the EIB’s role in green bonds or risk free rates, the new digital bond issuance may pave the way for market players to...

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Member News

Thompson Hine | SEC Division of Investment Management Releases Statement on Bitcoin Futures and Registered Funds

On May 12, the SEC Division of Investment Management staff (IM staff) issued a statement regarding registered funds’ investments in Bitcoin futures (Statement). The Statement acknowledges the development of the Bitcoin futures market since the IM staff began to consider issues surrounding potential cryptocurrency-related investments by registered funds in 2018. In the Statement, the IM staff referred to its January 2018  letter to the registered fund industry in which it identified several areas of concern about cryptocurrency-related investments, including valuation, liquidity, custody,...

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Chapter News

OECD | Inheritance, estate and gift taxes could play a stronger role in addressing inequality and improving public finances

Inheritance taxation can be an important instrument to address inequality, particularly in the current context of persistently high wealth inequality and new pressures on public finances linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new OECD report. Inheritance Taxation in OECD Countries provides a comparative assessment of inheritance, estate and gift taxes across the 37-member OECD, and explores the potential role these taxes could play in raising revenues, addressing inequalities and improving the efficiency of tax systems in the future. The...

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Member News

CEA Legal | What Do the Proposed Changes to Section 1031 Mean for Your Real Estate Investment Strategy?

Real estate investment deserves its reputation as a lucrative source of income, but investors must always be aware of the constant changes to the laws on taxes related to real estate properties, since these rules change frequently, with the numbers and percentages changing from one year to the next. No two years are alike as far as real estate investing goes, but this year, the Biden administration has proposed major changes to sections of the Internal Revenue Code that...

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Chapter News, New York Related News

Governor Cuomo Launches a New Decade of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative

Round XI Will Award More Than $750 Million Across All 10 REDC Regions to Build Back Better in a Post-COVID Economic Recovery Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched Round XI of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, officially kicking off a new decade of economic development in a post-pandemic recovery. The 2021 funding round includes more than $750 million in state economic development resources. The Consolidated Funding Application will open on May 10, enabling businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and the public to begin applying...

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Chapter News

ECB | Central banks in a shifting world: selected takeaways from the ECB’s online Sintra Forum

The 2020 ECB Forum on Central Banking addressed some key issues from the ongoing monetary policy strategy review and embedded them in discussions of major structural changes in advanced economies and the post-COVID recovery. In this column, two of the organisers highlight some of the main points from the papers and debates, including whether globalisation is reversing, implications of climate change, options for formulating the ECB's inflation aim, challenges with informal monetary policy communication, relationships between financial stability and...

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