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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By Stephanie De Smedt | Loyens & Loeff On 28 May 2019, the Data Protection Authority (DPA) imposed its first administrative fine under the GDPR . A mayor was fined 2,000 EUR for misusing personal data for electoral campaign purposes. The DPA noted that while the fine is modest, the message is not: all data controllers must take their responsibility, most certainly those who hold a public mandate. The case: sending of personalized e-mail by a government representative The DPA received a...

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On 31 May 2019, the OECD published its programme of work for developing a solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy (Programme of Work). The Programme of Work will explore technical issues in line with the ‘two-pillar’ approach set out in the OECD policy note of 29 January 2019 (see our tax flash here) and the OECD public consultation document of 13 February 2019 (see our tax flash here). Pillar One seeks to develop new profit allocation...

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June 2019 FX Outlook The tariff truce came to an abrupt end via presidential tweets on May 3.  Until those tweets, US officials had been indicating that progress was being made and there was hope that at the sidelines of the G20 meeting that Trump and Xi would agree on a trade deal.  The end of the tariff truce marked a turning point in the markets. Risk appetites were reduced.  Equities and yields fell.   The dollar eased in the first...

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By André Zimmermann and Marianna Karapetyan | Orrick  According to a recent decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) (May 14, 2019 – C‑55/18), the Member States of the EU must oblige employers to systematically record the working time of their employees. Only in this way can it be ensured and enforced that the working time rules are observed and that the intended health protection of the employees is guaranteed. Background The Spanish trade union, Federación de Servicios de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), brought...

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Key Events This Week Race on for the European Commission Presidency The race for the top jobs in the European Institutions has begun. The special summit of the European Council was held in Brussels on Tuesday – the first meeting where leaders tried to push their preferences for the top job in the executive branch of the European Union. Manfred Weber, supported by Angela Merkel, is the Spitzenkandidat for the Conservative European People’s Party (EPP). The self-confessed ‘man of parliament’ does...

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For the second year in a row, ACG Resources has been recognized on the Forbes list of  America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms -2019   Collecting intensive marketing data, Forbes, Inc. set out to identify the most well-respected and productive recruiters throughout the country. Compiling a list of 250 firms, ACG was proudly named among the best recruiting firms based on recommendations from thousands of recruiters, professionals, and hiring managers.   With an industry filled with over 20,000+ firms, this is truly an honor...

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Breakthrough Energy Ventures Europe (BEV-E), a new EUR 100 million investment fund was established by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Ventures during the Fourth Mission Innovation Ministerial meeting in Vancouver, Canada.   The fund will help develop innovative European companies and bring radically new clean energy technologies to the market. It will support Europe’s best clean energy entrepreneurs whose solutions can deliver significant and lasting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The first of its kind, it caters to...

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By Jorge Lopez, Shireen Karcutskie and Elizabeth Whiting | Littler In an announcement on Thursday, May 16, 2019, President Trump unveiled an outline of his new legislative plan to modernize the nation’s immigration framework, promising to “establish a new legal immigration system that protects American wages, promotes American values, and attracts the best and brightest from all around the world.”1 In introducing the plan, President Trump announced, “e are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of...

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