After only 18 months of negotiations, the European Parliament and EU Member States finally reached an agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new set of rules that increases companies’ responsibility for the content that their users upload. The breakthrough was announced by the Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Competition and digital policy, Margrethe Vestager, on Twitter in the early hours of Saturday morning after a final marathon of negotiations. “We have an agreement on DSA: the Digital Services...

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Bern - The USA replaced Germany as Switzerland’s most important export market in 2021 for the first time in 70 years. Exports of Swiss companies to the USA have tripled over the past 20 years. Three quarters of the growth can be traced back to pharma products. Exports of Swiss companies to the USA reached a new record high in 2021 with goods totaling just under 47 billion Swiss francs, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) writes...

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Office of the Future Revisited is focused on the new realities shaping hybrid workplace strategies. In this time of cautious confidence, office space is increasingly in demand. However, the role of the office will be forever changed as we enter the post-pandemic world. The hybrid movement has just begun, and there is no single blueprint for successfully implementing it. Each organization must approach its transition with the question, “What does hybrid mean for us?" Our latest insight establishes three realities that...

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On 6 April 2022, the European Commission published the final regulatory technical standards designed to provide further guidance on the implementation of regulation on sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector On 6 April 2022, the European Commission published the final regulatory technical standards (“RTS”) designed to provide further guidance on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 on sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector (the “SFDR”), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to...

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Our 2022 Container Shipping industry outlook was prepared before the invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022; thus, it does not reflect the impact of the conflict on global supply chains and container liners. While it is too soon to quantify the extent and duration of the disruption, it is already clear that the ripple effects will be immense and long-lasting. How the industry’s many stakeholders adapt to their changing environment will affect not only their own fortunes but...

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The general contours of the business and investment climate are being shaped by three forces.  First, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions boost price pressures and slow growth.  It was a supply shock.  Even before the war, countries had begun stepping back from the powerful monetary and fiscal support provided during the pandemic.  Second, China's response to its Covid outbreak is slowing the world's second-largest economy.  It threatens supply chains but also a demand shock.  The knock-on effect...

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This article is part of Portolano Cavallo’s “INFORM@Digital & IP” Newsletter. Click here to subscribe | The latest ruling of the Court of Milan stated that the commercial success of a fashion item does not automatically entail copyright protection, which requires proof of creativity and artistic value. The protection of fashion designs is a hotly debated issue, and one that Italian and EU courts have often discussed and decided upon. One of the pivotal points of concern is whether, and to what extent,...

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Here’s an assignment: Think of a buzzy tech-industry concept (such as “Big Data”, “Internet of Things”, “Digital Twin”, or “Artificial Intelligence”). Now, imagine an industry most in need of the transformation that buzzword represents. Chances are that marine ports didn’t spring to mind. Shipping bottlenecks remain a major hurdle to returning to business as usual, disrupting the economy. Port activity -- including labor shortages, a surge in demand for imports, container scarcity, and capacity constraints -- disproportionately kink global supply...

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On Wednesday, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, together with EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, presented new proposals for ambitious legal migration. They include legislative, operational and policy initiatives, while also addressing specific measures to facilitate the labour market integration of people fleeing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The point in time – in the middle of the Ukraine crisis with over 5 million having fled the neighbouring EU Member States – certainly shows political courage. However, the Commission’s Migration Pact also...

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