Brexit News, Chapter News

Can Brexit Take Place Without Either Major Trade Disruption, or Serious Dilution of the EU Legal Order?

BY JOHN BRUTON Brexit is a British decision. It means that Britain is seeking to withdraw from a contract it made with the other EU members, on the basis of which those countries opened their markets to British business, in a way it was not opened to other countries. That was the deal. In business, if one unilaterally withdraws from a contract, one does not normally expect to continue to enjoy all the benefits of the contract, afterwards.  One expects to have...

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Member News

Tradewind Provides Export Factoring Facility and Purchase Order Facility for Leading Pipe Producer in Bulgaria

Tradewind has funded a producer of metal pipes based in Bulgaria with both an export factoring facility of €340,000 and a purchase order facility of €425,000. The company, whose pipes are used in furniture, sells to buyers in Europe, including the iconic furniture giant IKEA. Proceeds from the facilities will be used to finance growing sales with new buyers, including Amazon, on open account payment terms as well as for the diversification of its product line and the purchase...

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Chapter News

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2018 Article IV Consultation with Kingdom of the Netherlands

On May 23, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Netherlands.  The Netherland’s economic recovery has taken hold. Real growth is forecast to reach 3.1 percent in 2018 owing to robust domestic demand. Private consumption has been supported by rising disposable income and positive wealth effects from increasing house prices. Net exports have proven resilient to global uncertainties, pushing up the already large current account surplus. Unemployment has continued to decline rapidly,...

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Member News

What is Competitive Intelligence? We Asked a Top Investigator…

By Elliot Rysenbry  Tl;DR Competitive Intelligence is the practice of gathering information about the external business environment, including consumers, the market, and competitors, to formulate business strategies and tactics. What is Competitive Intelligence? According to Karl Swope, a private investigator in Trustify’s network, competitive intelligence (CI) is “a highly complex undertaking... the intelligence process involves not only the collection of data, but the interpretation of the data… to use as a strategic business component.” In simpler terms, CI is strategic information gathering that...

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Member News

Reavis Page Jump LLP announces the opening of a Stamford office

Reavis Page Jump LLP is pleased to announce the opening of a new office  in Stamford, Connecticut. RPJ Partner Deena R. Merlen has been appointed to head the Connecticut practice. Ms. Merlen counsels clients of the firm in both our Manhattan and Stamford offices. Ms. Merlen is a Stamford native and member of the Fairfield County Bar Association. She was previously Co-Chair of its Employment Law Committee (2015-2018) and presently Co-Chairs the Association's Entertainment, Media and Intellectual Property Law Committee. Our Stamford office is located at:1234...

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Chapter News

IMF Executive Board Concludes 2018 Article IV Consultation with France

On July 25, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation  with France. Near-term growth prospects remain favorable, although less buoyant than in 2017. Real GDP growth is projected to reach 1.8 percent this year and 1.7 percent in 2019, supported by robust investment and solid consumption. While the contribution of net exports turned slightly positive in 2017 and the current account deficit shrunk, France’s external position is assessed to be moderately weaker than...

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Member News

CJEU confirms Commission Decision on Spanish tax lease system in shipping sector

By Greetje van Heezik | Houthoff On 25 July 2018, the CJEU set aside a judgment of the General Court (GC) that annulled a Commission Decision declaring a Spanish tax lease system to constitute incompatible State aid. The relevant tax system allowed shipping companies to acquire vessels via a specific contractual and financial structure. Under this structure, an Economic Interest Grouping (EIG) (formed by a bank and investors who purchased shares in the EIG) would take a lease out on a ship...

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Member News

EIB and Bankia provide EUR 150 million to finance investment by small Spanish businesses

Firms accessing this credit line will benefit from favourable terms of EIB financing The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing financing for SME and mid-cap projects with a EUR 75m loan to Bankia. Under the agreement signed in Madrid, Bankia will match the loan with the same amount, meaning that a total of EUR 150m will be made available by the two institutions for financing Spanish businesses. This EIB loan to Bankia is being provided under the EU programme for SMEs and mid-caps....

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Member News

2018 Global Anticorruption Survey: Business Impediments and Elements of Effective Compliance Programs

By Guenter Degitz | Sean Dowd | Cameron Gibbs | Charlie Laurence  AlixPartners’ sixth annual global anticorruption survey polled more than 275 corporate counsel, legal and compliance officers representing more than 20 major industries globally. This year, businesses continued to face strong FCPA enforcement activity due to increased international cooperation, data challenges from legislation like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the emergence of new regions of concern. Our report examines the impact of these issues on organizations and effective compliance tools.  At a...

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Member News

International interns contribute $662 million to U.S. economy

By Mark Overmann | Vice President of External Affairs | InterExchange   International interns and trainees contributed $662 million to the U.S. economy in 2017, a just-released study indicates. The study, conducted by the research firm Eureka Facts, examines the Department of State's Intern and Trainee international exchange programs.    The major findings of the report include:    Intern and Trainee programs are valuable tools for U.S. diplomacy, fostering positive attitudes towards the United States: 95% of international interns and trainees reported a positive experience in the...

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