Member News

Why the EIB Scaled up Its Commitment to the Climate

Change is difficult – but 2019 taught us that it’s possible. Here’s how to change big organisations to cope with a new reality. At a well-attended event organised this April in Berlin by the Institute for European Policy to boost young voter turnout, I commented to the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “Look, this proves that young people can be mobilized for a good cause!” To which the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier responded: “Yes, that is true. But much more importantly,...

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Member News

Vulcan Insight Analysis of the Latest EU Developments

EU chiefs sign off on Brexit deal, but what's next? The House of Commons passed legislation implementing the withdrawal deal on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Johnson saying that the UK had ‘crossed the Brexit finish line’. The House of Commons rejected all five amendments to the Withdrawal Bill proposed by the House of Lords, with the government winning by large majorities. In one of its first significant acts of business since returning earlier this month, Northern Ireland’s Assembly voted overwhelmingly...

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Member News

Key Tech Trends in 2020

Keeping up to date with evolving trends in the technology space helps organisations stay competitive. While many are focussing on areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and cyber-security, we look at some of the other evolving trends that organisations should be aware of in 2020. 5G Mobile Networks We expect the fifth generation of mobile network technology (5G) to become mainstream in 2020. The 5G roll out is exciting businesses and consumers alike as it has the potential to facilitate a...

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Chapter News

Brexit: the Withdrawal Agreement Passes the First European Parliament Test

The Constitutional Affairs Committee agreed on Thursday to recommend that the EP plenary should approve the UK withdrawal terms. After parliamentary ratification in the UK was concluded earlier today, with Royal Assent granted for the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, Constitutional Affairs Committee MEPs voted in favour of a positive recommendation regarding the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, with 23 votes for, three against and no abstentions. The vote took place after a statement by Committee Chair Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT) and a discussion between the Parliament’s...

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Chapter News

Christine Lagarde, Luis de Guindos: Introductory Statement to the Press Conference

Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, Frankfurt am Main, 23 January 2020 Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice-President and I are very pleased to welcome you to our press conference. We will now report on the outcome of today’s meeting of the Governing Council. Based on our regular economic and monetary analyses, we decided to keep the key ECB interest rates unchanged. We expect them to remain at their present or lower levels until we have seen the inflation...

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Chapter News

Shaping the Conference on the Future of Europe

Today, the European Commission set out its ideas for shaping the Conference on the Future of Europe, which should be launched on Europe Day, 9 May 2020 and run for two years. The Communication adopted is the Commission's contribution to the already lively debate around the Conference on the Future of Europe – a project announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in her Political Guidelines, to give Europeans a greater say on what the European Union does and how it works for them....

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Chapter News

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald J. Trump Meet in Davos

Today in Davos, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with U.S. President Donald Trump. This friendly exchange of views between allies at the World Economic Forum was a first opportunity to meet in person and to compare notes and positions on a number of topical issues, notably on trade, technology and energy. This was a first get-to-know-each-other meeting. Both sides agreed to meet soon in Washington to move the common transatlantic agenda forward. Ursula von...

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Member News

Food and Ag Industry: Know Your Visa Options and Immigration Strategies

The food and agriculture industry includes farms, restaurants and food manufacturing, processing and storage facilities. Companies within the food and ag industry seek to employ talented professionals, such as scientists, veterinarians and engineers, to bring food to the table in a changing world. With a focus on talent, food and ag companies must understand the employment-based immigration factors that affect their U.S. workforces, as talented job candidates come from all over the world. Especially in periods of low unemployment,...

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Member News

Holland & Knight Announces Phillip Durham as leader of Asset Finance Group

Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that Phillip Durham has been named practice group leader of the firm's Asset Finance Group. "Phil is a natural fit as leader of our Asset Finance Group," said James McDermott, leader of Holland & Knight's Business Section. "His reputation in the industry is unsurpassed, and he brings a wealth of experience and demonstrated leadership to guide our team in the ever-changing global financial market." Mr. Durham focuses his practice on domestic and cross-border asset...

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Member News

New CFIUS Rules – Eight Key Points

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") issued final regulations on January 13, 2020 to comprehensively implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 ("FIRRMA") (the "Regulations"). The Regulations will become effective on February 13, 2020. CFIUS's existing regulations will continue to apply to transactions that close, or for which a definitive written agreement is signed, before February 13. CFIUS issued proposed rules to implement FIRRMA (the "Proposed Rules") in September 2019 (see our September 2019 alert),...

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