Member News

Undertaking M&A? Don’t make these 3 common mistakes

Companies undertaking M&A transactions come up against three key financial compliance challenges. In TMF Group’s work with companies undertaking merger or acquisition transactions across the globe, we see the same three financial compliance mistakes time and time again.  1. Not putting the right deal structure in place The structure of your M&A deal is an important one to get right, because it influences a myriad of factors from the type of setup you need to put in place, to the type of entities...

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Member News

Retail viewpoint: 10 predictions for the industry in 2019

By David Bassuk & Joel Bines | AlixPartners The consumer has never been more important, or opinionated, than now. Not only are there unending buying choices available, but the explosion of digitally native business models, unprecedented speed of delivery, and personalized experiences have changed the game. Meanwhile, retailers are also trying to navigate a tricky political and economic climate. Here is our annual crystal ball on the state of the industry: 1. Digital natives continue to win share from traditional retailers Brands that were born on the...

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Chapter News

Congressman Gregory Meeks on EU-US relations: “The relationship with the EU is probably the most important one that we have, by any measure”

Congressman Gregory Meeks on EU-US relations under the 116th Congress. Two weeks after the inauguration of the 116th US Congress and a day after the reception celebrating the relaunch of the bipartisan Congressional European Union Caucus, Senior Communications Officer Martin Caudron sat down with Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) to talk about the state of the EU-US relationship, the priorities of the EU Caucus, and the nature of his dialogue with EU counterparts. Listen the interview HERE Compliments of the E.U. Delegation...

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Brexit News, Chapter News

The problem is Brexit itself, not the backstop.

BY JOHN BRUTON  Brexit, of its nature, means hard barriers between the UK and the EU. This is because it means the UK having different standards, and, sooner or later, different trade arrangements and tariffs than the EU.   Whether these barriers are at the geographic boundary, or a few miles away, makes little difference. These new barriers will bring delays, extra bureaucracy, and eventually bankruptcies, in their wake.This is what Brexit means, and was always going to mean. Taking back control, by its...

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Chapter News

World Economic Forum recognises European Commission as champion in the circular economy

Yesterday evening in Davos, the European Commission was awarded the 2019 Circular Economy prize by the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders as recognition of the work done to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy that protects the environment and reduces greenhouse gas emissions while delivering opportunities for jobs, growth and investment. In 2015, the Commission established a unique comprehensive strategy, the Circular Economy Package, aiming to close the resource loop by introducing measures covering the whole lifecycle of products...

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Brexit News, Member News

Brexit and broadcasting: Luxembourg as the ideal gateway to provide audiovisual media services throughout the EU (without a major impact on operations in the UK!)

By Vincent Wellens | Carmen Schellekens | Mickaël Abbou |Jolize Lautenbach  Since the UK Parliament has rejected the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the UK on 15 January 2019, a so-called "no deal" scenario becomes a bit more likely. It goes without saying that this has a tremendous impact on the broadcasting sector as it is one of the sectors to typically benefit from the "country of origin"-principle under EU law. A broadcasting company having an establishment in one EU/EEA Member State can, by virtue of Article 3 of...

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Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

EU-U.S. Trade Talks: European Commission presents draft negotiating mandates

The European Commission has today adopted proposals for negotiating directives for its trade talks with the United States: one on conformity assessment, and one on the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods. These negotiations follow the Joint Statement agreed by President Juncker and President Trump last July.  As part of its commitment to transparency, the European Commission is publishing the draft mandates at the same time as submitting them to the EU Member States. The Member States must now give their green light...

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Brexit News, Member News

The Weekly Vulcan View For The 14th Of January To The 18th Of January Featuring Analysis Of The Latest EU Developments

VULCAN VIEW- KEY EVENTS THIS WEEK: AfD decides on party strategy for EU electionsDuring a special AfD party convention last weekend in which the party decided on its campaign and strategic goals for the upcoming EU election in May of this year, hardliners demanded the immediate exit of Germany from the EU. Calling for “Dexit” did not gain enough momentum within the party. A proposed exit by 2024 ended up being watered down as party leader Alexander Gauland said leaving the...

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Brexit News, Member News

What bad choices are left for Theresa May after the devastating Brexit defeat?

By Sam Natapoff, President of Empire Global Ventures LLC  Confused by what just happened with Brexit and what happens next? You're not alone. Here's the way forward At 7pm Tuesday night in London, UK Prime Minister Theresa May lost a 432-202 vote in the House of Commons, on the Brexit deal she had personally negotiated. 118 MPs from her Conservative party voted against her, sending her to the worst defeat of any Prime Minister in Britain’s modern era and the worst rebellion in the history of...

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Brexit News, Chapter News

Brexit: EU officials ask the UK to clarify its position

In the debate following the UK House of Commons’ meaningful vote, MEPs underlined that Europeans will remain united and that citizens’ rights are still the EP’s priority. Following the rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration in the UK’s House of Commons yesterday evening, it is now up to the UK government and UK Parliament to let the EU know where a positive majority lies and what type of relationship they want with the European Union, MEPs stressed. The...

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