11 Feb
Chapter News

How e-Government Services Can Pay Dividends

The ability to renew your passport or driver’s license, pay a tax bill, or access government data with the click of a button or swipe of a screen, anytime and anywhere, has grown more important during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the spread of the virus. Beyond the obvious efficiency and transparency gains that digital government services provide, “e-government” can actually make an economy more attractive to foreign investors. Recent IMF staff research has linked―for the first time―the accessibility of government information and...

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11 Feb
Member News

Stibbe | ACM’s 2021 enforcement focus: digital, green and COVID-19

The ACM’s list of 2021 focus areas is out. Whereas the digital economy and the energy transition are repeats from last year, the effects of the COVID-19 crisis is a new, although somewhat unsurprising, designated focal point. In 2021, the ACM will launch a preliminary study into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail markets and set up best practices for closer collaborations in the healthcare sector. It will finalise its investigation into Apple’s app stores rules, and continue its investigation...

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10 Feb
Chapter News

EU Parliament gives go-ahead to €672.5 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility

Biggest building block of the Next Generation EU stimulus package €672.5 billion in grants and loans to curb the effects of the pandemic Funds will support key policy areas such as green transition, digital transformation, crisis preparedness as well as children and youth Respect for rule of law and the EU’s fundamental values a prerequisite to receive funding On Wednesday, Parliament approved the Recovery and Resilience Facility, designed to help EU countries tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The...

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10 Feb
Chapter News

Federal Reserve Board announces the second extension of a rule to bolster the effectiveness of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the second extension of a rule to bolster the effectiveness of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Like the earlier extensions, this one will temporarily modify the Board's rules so that certain bank directors and shareholders can apply to their banks for PPP loans for their small businesses. To prevent favoritism, the Board limits the types and quantity of loans that bank directors, shareholders, officers, and businesses owned by these...

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10 Feb
Chapter News

ECB | Speech: Evolution or revolution? The impact of a digital euro on the financial system

Speech by Fabio Panetta, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at a Bruegel online seminar | Throughout history, innovations in money have challenged and altered the structure of the financial system. Time and time again, innovations have given rise to debates about the risks they pose and the rewards they bring, as well as the role of central banks in building confidence in money. Paper banknotes are a case in point. As they were easy to carry, they made...

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10 Feb
Member News

Osborne Clarke | ESG: The view from Europe

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors are playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of investments, suppliers and corporate performance across the globe, with a particular emphasis on the "E". This is a trend we expect to grow rapidly in the coming year. In the US, the new administration has already committed to sustainability, requiring action on emissions reductions and deep structural change from America's industrial and energy base. In Europe, the ESG ecosystem has been developing for a...

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10 Feb
Member News

Ogletree | COVID-19–Related Employment Litigation: How It Started … How It’s Going

Over 2,500 COVID-19–related employment lawsuits were filed in the United States in 2020. Ogletree Deakins’ Interactive COVID-19 Litigation Tracker highlights the industries impacted, locations, and types of claims in these matters. The healthcare industry is outpacing other industries by almost double for the most COVID-19–related employment litigation thus far. The hospitality, manufacturing, and retail industries have also been heavily impacted. These trends are not surprising, given that it is often difficult for employees in these frontline industries to socially distance themselves from...

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10 Feb
Chapter News

USCIS Modifies H-1B Selection Process to Prioritize Wages

Rule Expected to Protect the Economic Interests of American Workers | WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a final rule that will modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and better ensure the most highly skilled foreign workers benefit from the temporary employment program. Modifying the H-1B cap selection process will incentivize employers to offer higher salaries, and/or petition for higher-skilled positions, and establish a more certain path...

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10 Feb
Member News

CLA | VERY Frequently Asked Questions About the Expanded Employee Retention Credit

Key insights New legislation brought changes to the employee retention credit, including updates to the quarterly comparison dates you can use to qualify. Certain S corporation owners may claim the credit for their own wages, but there are restrictions. Review the interplay of ERC, PPP loans, Families First, WOTC and other wage-related credits to help protect yourself from issues related to double-dipping. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA 2021) broadened the applicability of the employee retention credit (ERC), bringing eligible employers greater...

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09 Feb
Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

OECD | Services trade restrictions increased in 2020, compounding COVID-19 economic shock

The global regulatory environment for services trade became more restrictive in 2020, with new barriers compounding the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic on exporters, according to a new OECD report. OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI): Policy trends up to 2021 shows an increasing pace in the erection of new barriers to services trade across all major sectors. New restrictions are affecting services traded through a range of commercial establishments, in sectors including computer services, commercial banking and broadcasting. Global...

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