Chapter News

Security Union: Commission proposes a European Travel Information and Authorisation System

Security has been a constant theme since the beginning of the Juncker Commission's mandate – from President Juncker's Political Guidelines of July 2014, to the latest State of the Union address in September 2016. In his speech, President Juncker announced that by November the Commission will propose a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) – an automated system to determine who will be allowed to travel to Europe. The Commission's proposal to establish this system is a first deliverable...

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Chapter News

Towards a Positive Euro Area Fiscal Stance

Supporting public investments that increase economic growth Reducing unemployment, strengthening the euro area’s growth prospects and ensuring the future resilience of the European economy require better tailored fiscal tools at euro area level. Today, the limits of the EU’s fiscal framework mean that the euro area has had to rely excessively on the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) to ensure macroeconomic stability. As these monetary policy tools are increasingly stretched, calls for a more balanced policy mix...

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Member News

Updated Q&A on the application of the UCITS Directive

On 21st November 2016, the European Securities and Markets Authorities updated its Questions & Answers on the application of the UCITS Directive (the “Updated Q&A”).  Article 56(2)(c) and Article 55(1) of the UCITS Directive set out two limits whereby (i) a UCITS may not acquire more than 25% of the units issued by a target fund (control limit) and (ii) a UCITS may not invest that more than 10% of its assets in a target fund (concentration limit), knowing that...

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Member News

European Union Labor and Employment Law Outlook 2017

The EU is still facing a difficult market situation, even though the economic rebound in Europe is proceeding. There is a long way to go to achieve the Commission's European 2020 Agenda to get 75 percent of the working-age population (20-64 years old) into employment. In 2016, some of the main issues regarding employment law that the EU had to deal with were: • the Brexit referendum, • the General Data Protection Regulation, • EU-US Privacy Shield and • the different development of the...

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Member News

The Dutch State Secretary of Finance extends Country-by-Country notification deadline to 1 September 2017

The Dutch State Secretary of Finance declared an extension of the filing period for entities of multinational groups (with a consolidated group revenues of at least EUR 750 million) to 1 September 2017 regarding the following notifications: whether or not these entities are a so-called ‘reporting entity’ under the Dutch Country-by-Country reporting legislation, and; which group entity is the reporting entity. In addition, a special digital application has been developed by the Dutch tax authorities for notifying the identity of the reporting...

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Chapter News

Brexit has raised support for the European Union

The decision made by Britain to leave the EU and the political and economic consequences that will follow have made a measurable impact for citizens of other member states: their support of the European Union has grown.   More Europeans wish to be a part of the European Union. Between March 2016 and August 2016 the support for being a member of the Union grew by five per cent, and is now at 62% across Europe. Notable is the increase in...

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Member News

The Beneficial Ownership Regulations 2016 are in force – What do you need to know?

The European Union (Anti-Money Laundering: Beneficial Ownership of Corporate Entities) Regulations 2016 came into operation on 15 November 2016. These Irish Regulations form part of the Irish implementation of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD) which is due to be transposed throughout the EU by 26 June 2017. Certain Irish Corporates must now: take “all reasonable steps” to obtain and hold “adequate, accurate and current” information in respect of their beneficial owners;   construct and keep a new beneficial ownership register; and   keep the information...

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Chapter News

European Trade Policy at a Crossroads

"I believe in the benefits of trade, for Italy and for Europe. Economic benefits like prosperity, and jobs. But also social benefits – more connections, more opportunities, wider horizons. Trade brings people together, and it is a formidable force for good." Earlier this week, EU trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström met Italian politicians, businessmen, and civil society in Milan to talk about the importance of European trade policy: where it is, and where we need to take it. Malmström further said that...

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Member News

USCIS Unveils New Form I-9 and Allows Time for Employers to Transition

On November 14, 2016 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new Employment Eligibility Verification form, commonly referenced as Form I-9. The new form, which employers must use to establish the employment authorization of employees they hire, features a number of upgrades intended to help reduce errors and facilitate greater efficiency and accuracy in the completion of the form. It is important to note that, while the new Form I-9, dated “11/14/2016 N” in the document’s lower left corner,...

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Member News

The European connected consumer: a life lived online

The world is connected like never before and with growing personal networks of online devices at their fingertips, consumers in Europe are among those driving digital evolution. Our report, written in association with Retail Week, reveals the nuances and divergences in connected consumers’ behaviour and perceptions across Europe If your business interacts with connected consumers in any way, be it in retail, digital health, transport and logistics or emerging innovations, you will appreciate that these differences create great opportunities. Through research...

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