Chapter News, News

Eurozone countries in favor of Lithuania euro accession

At a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council today the euro area member states adopted a recommendation approving a proposal that would enable Lithuania to become the 19th member of the currency union on 1 January 2015. They agreed with the Commission’s assessment that Lithuania has achieved a high degree of sustainable convergence with the euro area, and that it therefore fulfils the conditions for adopting the euro as its currency. The proposal will be referred to the European...

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Chapter News, News

Albania Becomes EU Candidate Country

The EU promoted Albania from “potential candidate” to full “candidate” status last week, reflecting Albania’s progress toward implementing necessary reforms. The enlargement process is one of the EU’s most powerful policy tools, having helped many countries over the years transform into functioning democracies and prosperous societies. From the fall of the Berlin Wall, the EU has promoted democratic transitions and market-oriented reforms to former communist states in Europe, offering EU access once applicant countries meet the required political and economic...

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Member News, News

Getting your Digital House in Order: A Checklist of Website Legal Requirements

Nearly every business has a website, whether just for information purposes or for selling goods or services. Yet, how many businesses are aware of the legislation which applies to websites and e-commerce transactions? Is your website designed to comply with WEEE, e-commerce, equality and data protection legislation?  It is a criminal offence not to comply with some of this legislation.  The way in which you commission and design your website also has significant implications for your business. Over the next...

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Chapter News, News

New guidelines to help EU businesses use the Cloud

Guidelines to help business users save money and get the most out of cloud computing services are being presented to the European Commission today. Cloud computing allows individuals, businesses and the public sector to store their data and carry out data processing in remote data centres, saving on average 10-20%. The guidelines have been developed by a Cloud Select Industry Group as part of the Commission’s European Cloud Strategy to increase trust in these services. Contributors to the guidelines include...

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Member News, News

US companies invest more in Austria

A survey of top decision makers from more than 100 American companies with a subsidiary in Austria focusing on the current economic situation, their assessment of prospects for the next six months and perspectives of their operations in Austria showed a clearly positive mood among business leaders. The survey was carried out by AmCham Austria, the Austrian office of the US Chamber of Commerce, AmCham Austria. The semi-annual business barometer evaluated the current situation as well as prospects in the coming...

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Member News, News

Equality on the Internet – The US Net Neutrality Debate Rages On

It is notoriously difficult to spot the next big civil rights issue. By the time we realise that rights are breached, it’s usually the case that quite a bit of harm has already been done. But perhaps with net neutrality, things might be different. That, at least, is the aim of the many net neutrality activists pushing for robust legislative measures across the globe. Of late, the US debate around net neutrality has become increasingly heated, with some commentators...

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Member News, News

GRANITO grows

GRANITO is pleased to announce a new partnership with Avv. Maria Calabrese, a former Honorary Public Prosecutor, Professor of Civil Law at the University of Campobasso, expert lawyer qualified at the Highest Supreme Court and a Regional President of the International  Federation of Business and Professional Women. Avv. Calabrese's experince will complement GRANITO's legal arm and will provide support in connection with initiatives relating to the promotion of legal compliance for companies doing business globally. Because of the new partnership, GRANITO has opened an additional office within...

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Member News, News

Guidelines for Foreign Securities Issuers in the United States

This article was published in the June 12, 2014 issue of Westlaw Journal Securities Litigation & Regulation (Volume 20, Issue 3), published biweekly by Thomson Reuters. Can a Foreign Issuer Participate and Present in Meetings with the Investment Community in the United States? As long as a foreign issuer is careful that no activities will constitute an offer or a sale of its securities under U.S. securities laws, it may present to the U.S. investment community. An offer is defined...

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Chapter News, News

Council closes a double non-taxation loophole

At the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting the ministers agreed an amendment to EU tax rules that will close a loophole which had allowed cross-border corporations to profit from double non-taxation. At the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting on 20 June the ministers agreed an amendment to EU tax rules that will close a loophole which had allowed cross-border corporations to profit from double non-taxation. The agreed amendment to the parent-subsidiary directive (2011/96/EU) will put an end to the...

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Member News, News

Myriad – One Year Later

The Supreme Court decision last year on June 13, 2013 in Association of Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics1 may have been a watershed moment for the biotechnology industry. So far the effects have been hard to detect, but don’t be fooled. The storm is still brewing. At the center of the controversy in the Myriad case was Myriad’s so-called gene patents, which the Supreme Court struck down. The Court ruled that the isolation and identification of naturally occurring DNA sequences...

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