Equal opportunity in the job market is not yet a given for everyone in the Netherlands; discrimination when recruiting and selecting new employees still occurs. The bill to oversee equal opportunities for recruitment and selection (Wetsvoorstel toezicht gelijke kansen voor werving en selectie) seeks to change this. The bill aims to create equal opportunities in the recruitment and selection process and to prevent discrimination in the labor market. The most important part of this bill is that employers and...

On Thursday, the leaders of the 27 member states gathered in Brussels for the European Council summit where the most high-profile topic undoubtedly was the potential candidate status to the large, war-torn Ukraine and its small neighbor Moldova. As expected, history was indeed made at the summit when EU leaders granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status in the late evening of Thursday, leaving Western Balkan leaders in an intense fury and disappointment. The rapid decisions on Ukraine and Moldova have consequently increased...

The week of June 12, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released two important guidance documents to prepare the public for the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) on June 21, 2022. (For more information, see our previous client alert on the UFLPA.) In brief, the UFLPA requires CBP to apply a rebuttable presumption that any imported goods mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part in China’s...

In this News Update, we discuss the European Commission's consultations on the PSD2 review, open finance and data sharing; the bill amending the Trust Offices Supervision Act 2018 concerning measures to prohibit trust services in cases involving high integrity risks; and the consultation on the Recovery and Resolution Insurers Amendment Act. We further highlight some other financial regulatory publications issued since our last News Update was published. European Commission | Consultations on the PSD2 review, open finance and data sharing On...

Summer Business Activities That May Require Liability Coverage The summer is a wonderful time to be outside enjoying the weather and possibly taking some well deserved time off.  Many businesses open their doors and engage in fun activities that include water sports, barbeques and more. Accidents happen anytime, anywhere, and no matter what type of business you’re running. With that, we’d like to emphasize the need and importance of having liability insurance for summertime business and activities.  You should consider having, or at...

On 10 May 2022, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an ambitious Guarantee Agreement through which the European Commission will support up to €26.7 billion of EIB financial operations to enable crucial public investments in sectors like clean energy, digital and transport infrastructure, health and education over the next seven years, rolling out Global Gateway worldwide. Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said: “Today’s landmark guarantee agreement with the European Investment Bank will enable to finance the...

On June 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA), bipartisan legislation aimed at providing relief to U.S. importers, exporters, freight carriers, port operators and other companies experiencing sharp spikes in shipping costs and supply chain disruptions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A focal point of the legislation is to curb rising demurrage and detention (D&D) charges imposed on importers and exporters, which have soared, globally, at unprecedented rates over the last year,...