On Thursday 14 November, the final three Commissioner hearings were held in Brussels for the French, Romanian and Hungarian candidates. Thierry Breton (France) and Adina Vălean (Romania) were approved by the relevant European Parliamentary Committees, while Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary) was blocked pending further scrutiny. French Commissioner-Designate Thierry Breton has gained approval from MEPs for the sizable ‘Internal Market’ portfolio. “Investing today for growth tomorrow” was key to Breton’s powerful opening speech which insisted on a vision of protection and transformation...

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Having the right roof over your head is always a key consideration in business (and life!), but is particularly crucial when expanding into a new country. You want to be spending your time driving your expanding business forward and not worrying about whether you are in the right location and space for your business. Things can be very different as you move into different jurisdictions, and so here are some of our top tips and legal considerations when choosing...

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By, Matthew D. Ridings, Norman A. Bloch, and Tom Mason, Partners of Thompson Hine, LLP The United States Department of Justice, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Service, and 13 U.S. Attorneys, announced last week the creation of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), which is designed to step up the government’s efforts to target bid rigging and other collusive behavior in government contracting, procurement, and grant and program funding. The PCSF will lead a...

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By Howard L. Nelson, Kenneth M. Minesinger, and William Garner, Shareholders of Greenberg Traurig, LLP On Nov. 8, 2019, the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) issued DOE/FE Order Nos. 4461 and 4462 (the Orders) authorizing GT client SpotX Energy, LLC (SpotX) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) under its recently enacted “small-scale natural gas export” rule (the Rule). The Rule amended DOE’s regulations to facilitate small-scale exports up to 51.75 billion cubic...

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By Stuart M. Saft, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (HR 2513) by a vote of 249-173, including 25 Republicans, on Oct. 22, 2019. A companion bill is being reviewed by the Senate. The purpose of HR 2513 is to create a national database of the beneficial owners (Beneficial Owners) of corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) in the United States "to assist law enforcement in detecting, preventing, and punishing terrorism,...

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