08 Dec
Chapter News

EU strengthens protection against economic coercion

The European Commission has today proposed a new tool to counter the use of economic coercion by third countries. This legal instrument is in response to the EU and its Member States becoming the target of deliberate economic pressure in recent years. It strengthens the EU's toolbox and will allow the EU to better defend itself on the global stage. The aim is to deter countries from restricting or threatening to restrict trade or investment to bring about a change of policy...

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08 Dec
Chapter News

IMF | Metals Demand From Energy Transition May Top Current Global Supply

Firm, market, and country level factors may weigh on metals production under a net-zero scenario. The clean energy transition needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change could unleash unprecedented metals demand in coming decades, requiring as much as 3 billion tons. A typical electric vehicle battery pack, for example, needs around 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of lithium, 35 kilograms of nickel, 20 kilograms of manganese and 14 kilograms of cobalt, while charging stations require substantial amounts of copper. For...

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08 Dec
Member News

Stibbe | Back to the future – EU Commission publishes roadmap for green and digital challenges

The Commission’s Communication “A competition policy fit for new challenges” (link) (the “Communication”) identifies key areas in which competition law and policy can support European efforts in dealing with the challenges of the green and digital transitions. The document covers all areas of competition law (antitrust, merger control, and State aid) and identifies various ways in which new and existing tools can contribute to addressing these challenges. While the document does not break new ground, it provides a comprehensive overview...

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08 Dec
Member News

Houthoff | Financial Regulatory News Update: Crowdfunding, climate risks and more

In this News Update, we discuss new European regulations on crowdfunding and regulatory publications on climate risks. We further highlight some other financial regulatory publications issued last month. EUROPEAN REGULATIONS ON CROWDFUNDING SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR BUSINESS On 10 November 2021, Regulation (EU) 2020/1503 on European Crowdfunding Service Providers ("ECSP") for business started applying across the EU. The ECSP lays down uniform rules for the provision of investment-based and lending-based crowdfunding services related to business financing. Compared to the existing regulations in the Financial...

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08 Dec
Member News

Cushman Wakefield | COP26 Glasgow Climate Summit: Implications for Real Estate

World leaders representing governments and industry came together in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26 to address how to achieve targets set as part of the Paris Climate Agreement 20151.  The Paris targets—using pre-industrial temperature levels as a baseline—aim to limit the rise in global temperature this century below 2deg Celsius, and to pursue efforts to limit the rise even further to 1.5deg Celsius. Three years after the Paris Agreement, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on 1.5C...

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07 Dec
Member News

Panitch Law | How to Avoid Being Sued for Patent Infringement

Patent infringement litigation is expensive. It is typical to see legal fees in the seven-figure range to defend a patent litigation all the way to a jury trial. Facing the prospect of an injunction and damages can cripple a company’s cash flow or market power.  It also can take you away from focusing on running your business resulting in collateral damage to your business. The best and most inexpensive way to defend against a complaint for patent infringement is to...

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07 Dec
Chapter News

New rules on VAT rates offer Member States more flexibility while supporting the EU’s green, digital and public health priorities

The Commission welcomes the agreement reached by EU finance ministers today to update the current rules governing value-added tax (VAT) rates for goods and services. These new rules will provide governments with more flexibility in the rates they can apply and ensure equal treatment between EU Member States. At the same time, the updated legislation will bring VAT rules into line with common EU priorities such as fighting climate change, supporting digitalisation and protecting public health. The European Parliament...

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07 Dec
Chapter News

IMF | The G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments Must Be Stepped Up

With the debt service suspension initiative expiring and interest rates poised to rise, low-income countries will find it increasingly difficult to service their debts. Despite significant relief measures brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, about 60 percent of low-income countries are at high risk or already in debt distress. In 2015 that number was below 30 percent. 'With policy space tightening for highly indebted countries, the framework can and must deliver more quickly.' For many of these countries, the challenges are mounting....

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06 Dec
Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

EU and WTO members strike major deal to simplify trade in services

A group of 67 World Trade Organization (WTO) members, including the EU, have today concluded negotiations on a landmark agreement to cut red tape in services trade. The so-called Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation will simplify unnecessarily complicated regulations and ease procedural hurdles faced by SMEs in particular. This agreement will help reduce the costs of global services trade by more than USD 150 billion every year. This is the first WTO deliverable in the area of trade in...

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06 Dec
Brexit News, Member News

Jaguar Freight | Weather Disruptions, Labor Talks, and Supply Chain Data Searches

In this week’s Roar, we have the latest on the Port of Vancouver’s building ship queue, prolonged LA-LB congestion, 2022 labor talks, the FTC’s search for supply chain data, and Brexit’s impact on Ireland-Europe services.  You know things are bad for a port when it’s mentioned ahead of LA/ Long Beach in a story about congestion. The backup is relative, of course, but the Pacific Northwest ports have had their fair share of nature-caused challenges this year. Following a recent...

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