By David Dodge, Richard Dion, Serge Dupont, John Weekes, Michael Horgan, Valerie Hughes | Bennett Jones  The Bennett Jones Governmental Affairs and Public Policy group are pleased to present the Spring 2019 edition of the Bennett Jones Economic Outlook. This report provides unique insights on the current and future state of the Canadian and global economies, with a focus on the following key themes: Global Growth to 2021: Annual growth has slowed to a moderate and sustainable 3.3%. Headwinds are not severe enough...

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By Michael J. Werner & Sara M. Klock | Holland & Knight Agency Holds Public Hearing on Cannabis to Gather Input from Stakeholders, Consumers With the dramatic expansion of CBD products in the market, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing whether its current regulatory framework is appropriate, and if not, what modifications are needed. The FDA held a public hearing on May 31, 2019, to gather scientific data and information from various industry stakeholders and consumers about...

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The Moleskine Foundation opened in New York City this May, accompanied by the ‘I had a dream’ exhibition at The Africa Center on 5th Avenue’s Museum Mile.   Design Group Italia is proud to have created the exhibit design concept and space, the graphics, and custom 3D-printed notebook holders for the non-profit.   “The Moleskine Foundation works to unlock creative potential and help foster critical thinking, creative doing and above all, life-long learning. We’re happy to contribute to that mission with the tools that...

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Finland Pledges Carbon Neutrality Ahead of EU Presidency As Finland prepares to take over the rotating EU presidency from next month, the country’s new left leaning government said on Monday that it will aim to cut its carbon emissions completely by 2035. After lengthy talks following April’s general election, Finland agreed on a new five-party government which has pledged to increase public spending by €1.23bn a year and spend another €3bn on one-off investments, notably in the rail network, over...

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By Daniel Giuliano, Portolano Cavallo Studio Legale  Law Decree no. 34 published on April 30, 2019 (the “Decree”) establishes a new corporate vehicle named “Simple Investment Company” (“Società di investimento Semplice”) (“SIC”), to facilitate fundraising by early stage small and medium-sized companies. SiCs are defined as Italian alternative investment funds (FIA) that are targeted at professional investors, incorporated in the form of an Investment Company with Fixed Capital (“Società d’Investimento a Capitale Fisso”) that directly manages its assets. SiCs’ main features, as...

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By Mark Overmann, Vice President of External Affairs | InterExchange Last week in Washington, DC, our new program, Sustainable Action Costa Rica, was named GoAbroad’s best New Program for Study Abroad Innovation! Sustainable Action Costa Rica is an exploration of 21st century development concerns in a local context. Participants learn through visits with local NGOs and group activities, with outdoor adventures along the way. My colleague Tanya Burovtseva and I were thrilled to be on hand at the 2019 NAFSA Conference to proudly...

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On May 30, 2019, President Trump announced that effective June 10, 2019, all goods imported into the U.S. from Mexico will be subject to an additional duty of 5% ad valorem. This is in addition to the regular duties which are normally applicable to the goods. The President invoked his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the tariff, stating that the measure was necessary to address the “illegal migration crisis” at the U.S. southern border....

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By Andy Baldwin, Hanne Jesca Bax & Marc Lhermitte | EY The EY Europe Attractiveness Survey 2019 examines the region’s attractiveness as a foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, bringing priorities for Europe into sharp focus. Our report analyzes the level of foreign investment into Europe and gathers the views of over 500 international business leaders on the most important factors that will improve Europe’s attractiveness for investment prospects. Our findings reveal that, relative to other regions around the world, Western...

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The Toy Association opposes President Trump’s plan to impose escalating tariffs, starting at 5 percent, on all U.S. imports from Mexico as a retaliation against the country’s immigration enforcement actions. “While Congress and the administration together must act to fix our broken immigration system, a further misuse of tariffs now focused on Mexico is the wrong approach,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association. “As with China Section 301 tariffs, this amounts to nothing more than a tax with...

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