Chapter News, News

EU workers to enjoy fully portable pension rights when moving abroad

EU workers moving to a different EU country will be able to take their full pension rights with them thanks to a draft law passed by Parliament on Tuesday. It still needs to be formally approved by the Council of Ministers. "The text represents a genuine improvement for many workers. It is a big step forwards for the free movement of workers and a boost for a social Europe", said rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten (EPP, NL), adding that "a good pension...

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Member News, News

Dillon Eustace: UCITS Alert – UCITS V Update

Following the trilogue negotiations among the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission, agreement was reached in relation to the European Commission’s set of proposals to strengthen the rules for undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities ("UCITS"). This concluded the negotiations in relation to the draft UCITS V proposals which were originally put forward by the European Commission in July 2012 with the aim of addressing lessons learned from the financial crisis, most notably in connection with...

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Member News, News

New York Grant Company Announcement: International Women’s Enterprise Challenge

If you have a woman-owned small business here in New York, or if you know a woman who owns a small business, we strongly encourage applications to IWEC:  the International Women's Enterprise Challenge.  The New York Grant Company, as an awardee of this program in 2012, knows firsthand how it offers a strong boost to woman-owned businesses.  Initiated and sponsored by the US Department of State, the program awards and recognizes three selected businesses from the US every year. In...

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Chapter News, News

EU Parliament lifts bank bailout burden from taxpayers’ shoulders

  Three measures to ensure that banks shoulder the risks of failure rather than relying on taxpayers to bail them out were approved by Parliament on Tuesday. Two deal with restructuring and winding down troubled banks, and the third ensures that banks, not taxpayers, guarantee deposits under €100,000 in the event of a run on a bank. These measures complement the single bank supervision system, already in place, and take the EU far down the road towards banking union. Parliament...

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Chapter News, News

Thumbs up for Banking Union: EP adopts key texts

The European Parliament, in today’s plenary session, adopted 3 key texts that complete the legislative work underpinning the Banking Union (Single Resolution Mechanism, Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, and Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive). Addressing the EP plenary, representing the Council of the EU, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that “the Banking Union has been created in under two years. It has been a Herculean task, but one that will enable Europe to emerge stronger from the...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble: TTIP is the “most important transatlantic project for the foreseeable future.”

Speech by Wolfgang Schäuble at the Council on Foreign relations in Washington D.C., 11 April 2014. Above and beyond all of the irritations in Germany that the three letters “NSA” stand for, this fact remains true: Like no two other actors on the global stage, the United States and Europe – what we call the Western world – share common values, common strengths, and common interests when it comes to shaping the global order of the 21st century. What conditions do...

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Member News, News

Top 10 Considerations for Trusts & Estate Planning in Light of President Obama’s Proposed 2015 Budget

The President has released his annual 'Greenbook'. This book outlines his budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. Although not all the items in the book make it into the final budget, they provide a clear window to view the policies that he intends to push for the year. The proposals for Estate and Gift Tax contain several items that could significantly affect one's ability to pass assets to loved ones in a tax-efficient manner. Join McManus & Associates on...

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Chapter News, News

Support in Principle for U.S.-EU Trade Pact

But Some Americans and Germans Wary of TTIP Details Survey Report The European Union and the United States are negotiating the most economically significant regional free trade agreement in history: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Publics in Germany and the United States support TTIP and trade expansion in general, especially with each other. But when it comes to specifics, both Americans and Germans oppose many details of this far-reaching initiative. Moreover, they disagree with one another on making transatlantic regulatory...

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Member News, News

Pepper Client Alert: Securities and Exchange Commission Creates New Private Fund Unit Dedicated to Examination of Private Equity and Hedge Funds

On April 7, 2014, it was announced that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has created a new private fund unit dedicated to the examination of private equity and hedge funds. The new group is another example of increased regulatory oversight of the financial services industry following the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), Pub. L. 111-203, H.R. 4173. As a result of Dodd-Frank, many investment advisers, hedge funds, and private equity...

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Member News, News

Record number of international companies in Vienna

133 international companies set up business operations in Vienna in 2013, more than ever before. Total investment volume amounted to about EUR 38 million, creating 700 new jobs. In the past ten years more than 1,000 international firms have established subsidiaries or branch offices in Vienna, creating or safeguarding 9,100 jobs and stimulating investments of EUR 800 million. Functioning city lures companies The soft skills offered by the business location were also among the main reasons explaining the decision of international...

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