As one of the safest and most economically stable countries in Europe, Portugal has, for a long time, been a destination of choice for real estate investors. Now with new rules in place which broaden access to include popular islands such as Madeira and Azores, there has never been a better time to explore a Golden Visa. Portugal is not only a country known for its amazing and unique history and cultural heritage. Portugal is also famous for its hospitality,...

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A UK-based trading company specializing in medical scrubs and everyday activewear has received credit facilities for USD 1.2 million from Tradewind Finance. The facility will provide the company with the ability to improve its cash flow and add to its growth plans. It has its headquarters in the fashion-forward city of London, where it oversees key steps in the creation of clothing and makes them ready for retail. This includes designing the goods, arranging production, and ensuring that they are...

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If, and How Complying with Data Sharing Obligations Under REACH May Infringe Obligations Imposed Under the Recently Adopted EU Sanctions | n 1 July 2022, The European Commission has issued guidance on the interaction between the REACH Regulations and the recent EU sanctions imposed under Council Regulations 269/2014 and 833/2014, in particular the sanctions adopted following Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. In summary, the key takeaways are: Data owners cannot engage in data sharing negotiations or other transactions  with a person...

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In this News Update, we discuss the Act on additional remuneration measures for financial enterprises that will enter into force on 1 January 2023, the European Banking Authority's ("EBA") Guidelines on the role and responsibilities of the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism ("AML/CFT") compliance officer and the management body of credit or financial institutions, and EBA's response to the European Commission’s call for advice on the review of the Payment Services Directive ("PSD2"). We further highlight...

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In this week’s Roar: logistics managers feeling the pressure, European supply chains trending the wrong way, disagreement on the competitiveness of ocean markets, and the true cost of green shipping. Logistics managers everywhere should prepare themselves for a tough peak season—tougher than usual, that is. The issues of labor strife, congestion with N. American railroads, and lingering impact of China shutdowns will be an ongoing theme according to CNBC.com as the industry transitions into its most important time of...

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This posting was initially published in Corporate Compliance Insights | Before operationalizing an ESG program, make sure your compliance function is in place. Companies are eager to establish their ESG programs, and it’s not hard to understand why. But as a trio of experts from FTI Consulting detail, there are many reasons why it’s wise to take some measured steps before diving into the deep end. Hardly a day goes by without headlines proclaiming the importance of ESG programs. The pervasive influence...

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Following a trend towards protectionism that seems quite fashionable in many jurisdictions globally those days, the European Commission proposed, on 5 May 2021, a regulation on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market (hereafter “FSR”) intended to ensure a level playing field between companies subject to EU State aid rules and companies which are not. On 30 June 2022, the co-legislators (EU Parliament and Member States) reached a political agreement on the text, meaning that the regulation could be formally adopted...

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All applications with a filing date or international filing date on or after July 1, 2022, MUST file sequence listings in accordance with the new international standard, WIPO Standard ST.26 format. This is implemented internationally starting July 1, 2022, including at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (“USPTO”), and the previous ST.25 format will eventually become obsolete. What are the main differences between ST.25 and ST.26? The main difference between the two standards is that ST.25 is ASCII text format...

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For years, politicians across the EU have been discussing phasing out cars with internal combustion engines within the EU’s borders. On Wednesday, the EU environment ministers were in Luxembourg to discuss big parts of EU’s key climate legislation of the ‘Fit for 55’ package. After wrestling for more than 16 hours, the Council finally agreed: From 2035, new cars in the EU should be emission-free. EU states have now spoken out in favor of reducing the so-called fleet limits for cars to...

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The FTC is increasingly focused on competition in gasoline and fuel markets and has “redoubl its commitment” to “aggressive antitrust enforcement” in these areas. The most recent example of this renewed commitment came earlier this month with the announcement of a consent agreement, requiring the divestiture of petroleum terminals in two states. The proposed transaction involved petroleum terminal and pipeline companies and the acquisition of 26 light petroleum product terminals largely located in the Southeast for approximately $435 million. The...

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