Chapter News

EU Commission opens infringement procedures against 24 Member States for not transposing new EU telecom rules

Today, the Commission opened infringement procedures against 24 Member States for failing to enact new EU telecom rules. The European Electronic Communications Code modernises the European regulatory framework for electronic communications, to enhance consumers' choices and rights, for example by ensuring clearer contracts, quality of services, and competitive markets. The Code also ensures higher standards of communication services, including more efficient and accessible emergency communications. Furthermore, it allows operators to benefit from rules incentivising investments in very-high capacity networks, as well...

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Member News

Vulcan Insight | European Commission continues to fend off vaccine criticism

From the slow speed of vaccinations across the EU, to its accidental threat of enforcing a hard border on the island of Ireland as part of its new vaccine export transparency mechanism, the European Commission is defending itself from all sides. What started with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s universally celebrated announcement that the Commission had centrally procured more than 2.3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to have everyone in the Union vaccinated by the end of the...

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Member News

Datacolor | Introduces High-Efficiency Benchtop Spectrophotometer Series, Spectro 1000/700

Lawrenceville, NJ – (January 19, 2021) | Datacolor®, a global leader in color management solutions, announced today the launch of the Spectro 1000/700 series, a family of close-tolerance benchtop spectrophotometers designed for high efficiency and confidence in color formulation and quality control in a wide range of industries. The new series features the high inter-instrument agreement Datacolor customers have come to rely on, to ensure uniform color assessments across various instruments and multiple locations throughout the supply chain. The systems are designed...

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Chapter News

SAMIRA Action Plan: Radiological and nuclear technology in support of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

The Commission presented today its SAMIRA Action Plan – the Strategic Agenda for Medical Ionising Radiation Applications. The Plan will improve EU coordination, ensure that radiological and nuclear technologies continue to benefit the health of EU citizens, and contribute to the fight against cancer and other diseases. This Action Plan is the first follow-up to Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, adopted by the Commission on 3 February. Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said: “The current pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of health and the need to...

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Member News

Panitch Law | USPTO Offers Additional Relief to Plant Patent Applicants Due to Pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused significant changes to the manner in which businesses must operate, including patent offices around the world and the businesses and law firms that file patent applications. As a result, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), like many other patent offices around the world, made certain concessions to allow patent examination to continue despite the challenges. Those concessions include some aimed specifically at prosecution of plant patent applications. At the beginning of the pandemic, the USPTO provided relief...

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Chapter News

OECD | A Turning Point for Tax: International co-operation for better regulation of globalisation

This article is part of a series in which OECD experts and thought leaders — from around the world and all parts of society — address the COVID-19 crisis, discussing and developing solutions now and for the future. | Originally delivered as a speech by Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, to open the 11th Meeting of the Inclusive Framework on BEPS, which took place on 27-28 January 2021. | Looking back at the past 15 years, the OECD’s efforts to transform the international landscape stand out as...

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Chapter News, Financing for Development/UN SDG's

Multilateral cooperation for global recovery

In September 2000, 189 countries signed the ‘Millennium Declaration,’ shaping the principles of international cooperation for a new era of progress towards common goals. Emerging from the Cold War, we were confident about our capacity to build a multilateral order capable of tackling the big challenges of the time: hunger and extreme poverty, environmental degradation, diseases, economic shocks and the prevention of conflicts. In September 2015 again, all countries committed to an ambitious agenda on how to tackle global...

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Chapter News

Eurosystem agrees on common stance for climate change-related sustainable investments in non-monetary policy portfolios

Eurosystem agrees on common stance for climate change-related sustainable and responsible investment principles for euro-denominated non-monetary policy portfolios Common stance promotes disclosures and understanding of climate-related risks Eurosystem aims to start climate-related disclosures for these types of portfolios within two years The Eurosystem central banks – the 19 national central banks of the euro area countries and the European Central Bank (ECB) – have defined a common stance for applying sustainable and responsible investment principles in the euro-denominated non-monetary...

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Member News

Marks Paneth | Biden tax proposals: What you should know

With Democrats now in control of Congress, it is increasingly likely that President Biden will be able to get at least some of his tax proposals passed. However, as the details of these proposals are still fluid, it is important to be mindful of the potential changes and to keep up with any new information. Income/Payroll Tax President Biden’s proposals aim to increase tax rates and limit deductions for taxpayers with income above $400,000. It is uncertain whether the $400,000 amount...

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Brexit News, Member News

Arendt | Clarifications on the validity of insurance contracts concluded by UK insurance undertakings in a post-Brexit context

Validity of insurance contracts concluded by UK insurance undertakings in a post-Brexit context – Clarifications by the Luxembourg legislator The Luxembourg legislator recently amended the law of 27 July 1997 on insurance contracts, as amended (the “1997 Law”) in adopting the law of 19 December 2020 on the budget of State revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2021. In particular, this amendment clarifies the post-Brexit validity of insurance contracts concluded by UK insurance undertakings prior to the end of...

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