Chapter News

ECB | Luis de Guindos: Banking union: achievements and challenges

Speech by Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, at the High-level conference on “Strengthening the EU’s bank crisis management and deposit insurance framework: for a more resilient and efficient banking union” organised by the European Commission | Setting up the banking union was a crucial step in ensuring the stability of the euro area financial system and strengthening Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The global financial crisis and sovereign debt crisis highlighted the need to make faster progress towards...

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Chapter News, COVID-19 News

Coronavirus: EU Commission proposes a Digital Green Certificate

Today the European Commission is proposing to create a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Digital Green Certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. It will be available, free of charge, in digital or paper format. It will include a QR code to ensure security and authenticity of the certificate. The Commission will build a gateway...

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Chapter News

ESMA sees high risk for investors in non-regulated crypto assets

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU securities markets regulator, today publishes its first Trends, Risks and Vulnerabilities (TRV) Report of 2021. The Report analyses the impact of COVID-19 on financial markets during the second half of 2020 and highlights the increasing credit risks linked to significant corporate and public debt overhang, as well as the risks linked with investments in non-regulated crypto-assets. Continued high risk across financial markets Globally, risks in markets under ESMA’s remit remain very high. The...

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Member News

NautaDutilh | New law brings Luxembourg to the forefront of distributed ledger technology

On 22 January 2021 Parliament approved Bill 7637, which modified:  the Law of 5 April 1993 on the financial sector; and the Law of 6 April 2013 on dematerialised securities. The bill entered into force on 26 January 2021.  The bill introduces important modifications with respect to the direct issuance of dematerialised securities using distributed ledger technology (DLT). Further, it widens the central account keeper role by enabling any EU credit institution or investment firm to record and operate DLT issuances...

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Member News

FTI Consulting | Has Your Company Chosen Its Cybersecurity Champions Yet?

Building a culture of cybersecurity through informal advocates and the new role of the “BISO” is a cost-effective strategy for tightening your cyber defenses. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are buffeted from all sides today. With the expansion of remote workforces, technology upgrades seemingly on a daily basis, and brazen cyber actors ranging from teens on Twitter to state-sponsored hackers, the task of keeping company systems secure is like trying to stand still in a hurricane. Adding to the CISO’s...

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Member News

CLA | Unemployment Aid Fraud Skyrocketed in 2020 … Is it Time to Review Your Cyber Risks?

Key insights During the pandemic, there’s been an uptick in fraudulent unemployment claims. The CARES Act introduced changes to unemployment benefits to help those in need during the pandemic, and some criminals have found ways to capitalize on the situation. Consider steps you can take to help protect your organization and your personal identification information. Nationwide, state unemployment agencies have been inundated with fraudulent benefit claims during the pandemic. The CARES Act increased the unemployment benefit amount and expanded opportunities...

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Member News

AlixPartners | 2021 Container Shipping Outlook

Carriers have a chance to break the cycle. Will they take it? For at least 30 years, the container shipping industry has been in a recurring boom-and-bust loop. During times of strong macroeconomic growth, shipping rates skyrocketed. Using these profits, container ship operators would invest in new, ever-larger vessels. With each boom comes a bust, and without fail, the economy would slide into a downturn, demand would plunge, rates would tumble, and operators would find themselves burdened with heavy debt and...

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Chapter News

EU Commission disburses further €9 billion under SURE to seven Member States

The European Commission has disbursed today €9 billion to seven EU Member States in the fifth installment of financial support to Member States under the SURE instrument. This is the second disbursement in 2021. As part of today's operations, Czechia has received €1 billion, Spain €2.87 billion, Croatia €510 million, Italy €3.87 billion, Lithuania €302 million, Malta €123 million and Slovakia €330 million. This is the first time that Czechia has received funding under the instrument. The other six...

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Trade & TTIP Related

USTR Announces Conclusion of WTO Quota Negotiations with the European Union

March 8, 2021 | WASHINGTON – The Acting United States Trade Representative, María Pagán, today announced the conclusion of negotiations with the European Union (EU) on adjustments to the EU’s WTO tariff rate quotas (TRQ) as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.  The agreement, after two years of negotiations under WTO procedures, will determine how to split TRQ quantities between the EU-27 and the United Kingdom (UK). “I am pleased that we have concluded these negotiations with...

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Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

Trade policy: a lever of the EU as a geopolitical global player

HR/VP Josep Borrell Blog Post | Recently, Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis presented a new trade strategy at the College of the European Commission. EU trade policy can be an important foreign policy instrument: we should leverage our trading power to promote EU interests and values and build a fairer and more sustainable form of globalisation. On 17 February, the European Commission approved a new EU trade strategy, prepared by my colleague Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis in charge of trade, in cooperation with the European...

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