Member News

Updating the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism is Critical for Canadian Business

By Valerie Hughes | Senior Counsel The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system has been a remarkably good tool for resolving disputes, but it is not perfect and like any mechanism that has been in use for some time, it needs updating. The last 23 years have shown that a well-functioning WTO dispute settlement mechanism is critically important to Canadian business. On October 24–25, 2018, Canadian International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr hosted a meeting in Ottawa of 13 trade ministers from...

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Member News

Bannockburn Global Forex Update: November 2018 FX Outlook

November 2018 FX OutlookThe US dollar has been resilient in recent weeks despite the increased volatility in equities and the decline in yields. Two considerations remain dominant.  The widening interest rate differentials and the policy mix can continue to underpin the dollar.  With fiscal stimulus still in the pipeline, and talk of a further reduction in middle class income taxes, the US economy is still the best positioned to weather the headwinds of trade tensions and equity weakness.  Europe...

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Member News

Houlihan Lokey Advises DogBuddy

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Rover.com® has acquired a majority share in DogBuddy. The transaction closed on October 30, 2018.   DogBuddy was founded in 2013 and has grown exponentially to become Europe's leading online dog sitting community, with more than one million dog lovers already registered. With over 25,000 approved dog sitters using the service, DogBuddy helps to match dog owners with local and reliable dog sitters who provide home dog boarding, doggy day care, and dog walking across...

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Member News

Current Air Freight Market and the Challenges Ahead

The air freight market is heating up fast as the peak season gets into its stride. Forwarders have a three-day wait to fly cargo out of key hubs in Asia, he added. Emirates is thought to be full already for the rest of the week, ex-Hong Kong. Shanghai is also seeing strong demand, and there has been a rise in charter flights to the US, with charter rates increasing apace, and some destinations now not available. Crucially, November 11, singles day,...

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Member News

Opening Celebration of Finland’s New Office Premises in New York

Consulate General of Finland and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN hosted a celebration for their new office premises on Wednesday, September 26th 2018. In addition to the employees, dignitaries and representatives from companies and associations joined the celebration. Consulate General of Finland and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN moved to their new, shared office premises in July 2018. New premises were officially opened during the UN General Assembly Week at the end of September. Dignitaries...

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Brexit News, Member News

The Weekly Vulcan View for the 29th of October to the 2nd of November featuring analysis of the latest EU developments

VULCAN VIEW - KEY EVENTS THIS WEEK: BREXIT  Brexit talks on financial services reveal continued divisions on tradeReports emerged this week that Brussels and London reached an agreement on financial services trading, causing the pound to rise significantly on Thursday. The question of the UK’s financial services sector’s access to the EU market has been a key issue in negotiations, as UK-based banks have pushed for close alignment with the EU. The EU’s existing “Equivalence” regime for third countries allows non-EU financial...

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Brexit News, Member News

BREXIT: Will a Second Referendum Provide Greater Certainty For Business?

Following the recent Salzburg summit where the EU rebuffed Theresa May’s Chequers Plan, business across the UK are grappling with the possibilities of Brexit, and what the UK’s departure from the EU will look like on a practical level. Whilst many SMEs, including participants  in our recent Brexit survey, are approaching the break with a cautious optimism, they are also busy with contingency planning in the event of a no-deal scenario. What businesses and employees alike are craving is certainty...

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Chapter News

LIFE Programme: Member States to benefit from quarter of a billion euros of investments in environment, nature and climate action

The European Commission has approved an investment package of €243 million from the EU budget for projects under the LIFE programme supporting nature, the environment and quality of life in Europe's transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon future. The EU funding under the LIFE programme for the Environment and Climate Action will mobilise additional investments leading to a total of €430.7 million going towards 142 new projects. With numerous trans-national projects funded, LIFE will have an impact in every EU Member State. Funds of...

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Member News

European Court of Justice clarifies the application of choice of forum clauses in competition damages claims

By Jeroen Kortmann | Partner Amsterdam On 24 October 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that a choice of forum clause in a contract between Apple and eBizcuss, a former reseller of Apple products, may apply to abuse of dominance claims, even when the clause does not explicitly refer to disputes relating to liability resulting from a competition law infringement. In 2012, eBizcuss brought damages proceedings against Apple in France claiming that Apple had abused its dominant position. Apple, however, argued that the French...

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Member News

Update on Property Tax Issues: October 2018

The EACC, in partnership with the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI), wants  to keep  its members up to date with the latest developments in property taxes in the USA and Europe. IPTI has put together a selection of brief reports from articles contained in IPTI Xtracts which can be found on its website (www.ipti.org). As far as Europe is concerned, this month’s report includes articles on France, Greece, Luxembourg, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. In the USA, articles include California and...

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