Member News

Steptoe | Senate Passes the Inflation Reduction Act

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) (H.R. 5376) on a party-line vote with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the 50-50 tie on President Biden and Congressional Democrats signature domestic policy legislation focused on energy, climate, health care, and tax provisions. The House of Representatives is expected to take up and pass the IRA without changes on Friday where it will then head to President Biden for his signature. The IRA was unveiled on July 27...

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Member News

EIB | A drive to develop

In developing countries transport drives economic grown and social inclusion. Here’s how transport projects help people live better lives around the world—and fight the emissions that fuel climate change. Transport is key to development. It fosters wealth, equality and well-being and is crucial to any nation, even more so for less-developed countries. In poorer countries, where most people don’t own a car, improving public transport is essential to economic growth and good quality of life. Many developing countries often lack resources...

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Chapter News

Europe’s energy balancing act

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission | HR/VP Blog - Europe is facing a perfect storm: energy prices are up, economic growth is down and winter is coming. The Kremlin is using energy as a political weapon. We must prepare ourselves for a possible gas cut-off, principally through savings, diversification and solidarity among us. At the same time, we must accelerate investments in renewables and wage...

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Chapter News

New rights to improve work-life balance in the EU enter into application today

As of today, all Member States must apply EU-wide rules to improve work-life balance for parents and carers adopted in 2019. These rules set out minimum standards for paternity, parental and carers' leave and establish additional rights, such as the right to request flexible working arrangements, which will help people develop their careers and family life without having to sacrifice either. These rights, which come in addition to existing maternity leave rights, were achieved under the European Pillar of...

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Chapter News

European Commission disburses first tranche of the new €1 billion macro-financial assistance for Ukraine

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has today disbursed the first half (€500 million) of a new €1 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) operation for Ukraine. The second tranche (another €500 million) will be disbursed tomorrow, 2 August. The decision about this new exceptional MFA was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 12 July 2022. This additional MFA of €1 billion is part of the extraordinary effort by the EU, alongside the international community, to help...

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Member News

Littler | Monkeypox: What Does this Mean for Employers?

UPDATE: As of August 4, the Biden administration has declared monkeypox a national health emergency, on the heels of similar announcements by various states and localities as well as the World Health Organization. The latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has barely been contained, yet employers are now being hit with employee inquiries related to monkeypox.  As this virus spreads, states and localities are declaring emergencies while employers are struggling to determine how to respond to this new challenge, including...

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Member News

BNY Mellon | Collateral management: promoting flexibility, connectivity and data utilisation

This article was previously published in Securities Financial Times | Brian Ruane, CEO of BNY Mellon Government Securities Services Corporation and Clearance & Collateral Management, recently met with Justin Lawson to discuss the firm’s growing collateral business and the first phase of the new user interface for their flagship application, AccessEdge This new redesigned user interface will include enhanced inventory and trade management capabilities, and a unified portal that simplifies the client experience. BNY Mellon has invested in, and is focused...

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Member News

Faegre Drinker | UK’s Data Protection Reform Proposals Show Distinct Divergence from EU Rules

The UK government has recently published proposals to amend UK data protection legislation with moves towards divergence from EU rules and regulation following the UK’s decision to leave the EU (“Brexit”). The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (“DPDI Bill”) proposes to make significant changes to existing UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (“DPA”). The proposals include some measures that will result in a significant divergence,...

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Member News

Houthoff | Competition Law Developments in the Netherlands Q1 and Q2 2022

In this News Update, we provide a high-level overview of the most notable competition law developments in the Netherlands during the first half of 2022. Abuse of dominance In the past six months, there have been considerable developments in the area of abuse of economic dominance. Apple dating apps: In the ongoing dispute between Apple and the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets ("ACM"), ACM imposed several orders subject to penalty payments. Apple had initially refused to adjust its allegedly unfair...

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Chapter News

IMF | Soaring Inflation Puts Central Banks on a Difficult Journey

Upside risks to the inflation outlook remain large, and more aggressive tightening may be needed if these risks materialize. Central banks in major economies expected as recently as a few months ago that they could tighten monetary policy very gradually. Inflation seemed to be driven by an unusual mix of supply shocks associated with the pandemic and later Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it was expected to decline rapidly once these pressures eased. Now, with inflation climbing to multi-decade highs and...

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