From Dominic Cummings to Nicola Sturgeon, 2023 was a noisy, headline-grabbing year for the UK’s public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. What’s coming in 2024? And what does it mean for businesses? In terms of media exposure, the first full year in the life of the UK’s official Covid-19 Inquiry was a resounding success ...
With climate change continuing to be a topic of concern across the international community, Canada has recently taken another step to support the development of renewable energies and technologies. In the 2023 budget tabled on March 28, 2023, the Canadian federal government unveiled new tax incentives aimed at supporting investments in both renewable energies and certain clean technologies. These incentives can be grouped into five main Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) ...
The case concerns the interpretation of Article 269 of the AHL, which provides that additional or more stringent measures by Member States may be adopted concerning responsibilities for animal health in certain limited areas. (As provided for Articles 10 to 17 AHL ...
As global environmental awareness surges, renewable energy stands at the forefront of sustainable development, playing a vital role in shaping a greener future. In this context, nations are increasingly turning to renewable sources as pivotal elements of their energy strategies. Among these nations, Thailand is notable for its commitment to renewable energy ...
Pension funds: hedging longevity risk Bulk Annuities Market Recent hikes in interest rates have led to huge increases in the funding levels of many UK defined benefit pension schemes (DB Schemes). Now they are in surplus, many DB Schemes are considering a bulk annuity transaction or "buy-in". As a result, the bulk annuity market is booming ...
The year 2023 was marked by the further strengthening of control over transactions involving the sale of Russian assets owned by “unfriendly” foreign entities, as well as over Russian strategic companies. As for antimonopoly regulation, after several years of discussions and revisions, the fifth antimonopoly package was adopted, and a number of precedent-setting cases were considered. Please see below for more details about the key developments and highlights of 2023. 1 ...
The Supreme Court of Texas has issued its much-anticipated opinion on an open attorney’s fees question in the area of First Party Property appraisals. The issue came to the Texas Supreme Court on a certified question from the 5th Circuit and considers the practical effect of the Texas Legislature’s 2017 amendments to the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, Chapter 542, Insurance Code ...
Shoosmiths’ legal experts outline the key legal changes set to impact the UK’s real estate industry in 2024 and beyond. Introduction of biodiversity net gain in England New biodiversity net gain requirements will be introduced for large development sites from 12 February 2024 and are set to also apply to smaller sites from 2 April 2024. Biodiversity net gain aims to create and improve natural habitats by measuring the impact of a development on biodiversity ...
Last week, Shoosmiths hosted an event with leading industry body, Regen on REMA, The UK’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. During this event we heard directly from representatives from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, debating the most important issues for the clean energy sector to consider and discuss the key options for reform with leading developers and investors ...
Yesterday, the Oslo District Court issued its decision in the case. The court determined that all three PDO permits are invalid because the greenhouse gas emissions from the fields have not been adequately assessed for their environmental consequences. This is in violation of procedural rules in the petroleum law, interpreted in light of Article 112, paragraph two, of the Constitution, and the EU Project Directive ...
In recent years, there has been an increase in understanding the impacts of wind power development, which has also led to legislative changes in the sector. To reflect this development, the Finnish Ministry of the Environment is currently updating its Wind Power Guide, which was published in 2016. In this article, our Energy practice's Associates Teemu Huhtala and Janne Helaskoski discuss the key objectives and the main features of the revision of the Wind Power Guide ...
Packaging and packaging waste has been regulated by the European Union (“EU”) since 1994. As consumers, we all know that most goods are sold in packaging, and that there may be various packaging at the several stages of the product’s life. Packaging comes in a diversity of material (glass, paper, cardboard, metal, plastics, wood, corks, textile, ceramics or porcelain…) and items (cans, tubes, boxes, films and bags) ...
After a disappointing outcome at COP28 and a weakening of several key net zero policies by the government in 2023, what does 2024 hold for environmental law and regulation? Here are our top 10 things to watch out for. 1. Extended producer responsibility for packaging 2023 saw the introduction of packaging waste data reporting regulations in England, Scotland and Wales ...
On January 10, 2024, the Government submitted to Congress three billsintroducing significant modifications concerning environmental regulations and sectorial permits. Bill that modifies the Law of General Bases of the Environment Through Presidential Message No. 292-371, the Executive branch presented a bill with the purpose of strengthening the environmental institutional framework and improving its efficiency, introducing amendments to the Law of General Bases of the Environment (Law No ...
James Wood-Robertson, head of the energy & infrastructure sector at Shoosmiths, comments on some of the upcoming trends and developments to expect in 2024 for the sector. Corporate Power Purchase Agreements ("PPAs") Before the conclusion of 2023, the European PPA market had already achieved a ground-breaking record, thanks to a market-driven procurement strategy that played a pivotal role in fostering the much-needed expansion of renewable energy capacity in the region ...
Litigation arising from Winter Storm Uri remains active and ongoing since it began nearly three years ago. It has major implications for the Texas energy and power markets and businesses operating in those sectors ...
Insurance contracts, like any other type of contract, require informed consent by all signatories. This concept is especially relevant considering that an insurance contract is an example of uberrimae fidei, i.e. an agreement requiring the utmost and the most absolute good faith when one party is disclosing facts that could influence the other party?s decision. In other words, policyholders are held to a high degree of honesty when providing their insurers with information ...
