Responding to a Supreme Court mandate, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or “the Agency”) yesterday published a final supplemental finding that it is necessary and appropriate to regulate hazardous air pollutants emitted from coal- and oil-fired power plants under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act. 81 Fed. Reg. 24,420.Read the full alert ...
Entities that file disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) should be aware of recent actions by regulators and shareholders questioning the sufficiency of opinion statements made in environmental-related disclosures. Most recently, on March 31, 2016, the SEC announced a settlement with Navistar International Corp ...
SyCipLaw Partners Rose Marie M. King-Dominguez and Franco Aristotle G. Larcina, with support from Senior Associate Ruben P. Acebedo II, participated in the World Bank Group’s Enabling the Business of Agriculture 2016: Comparing regulatory good practices. The report examines regulations that impact private enterprise in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors ...
2015 was a record year in the Hungarian M&A market. Both in terms of value and number of transactions, 2015 was the best year since 2008, with approximately 160 closed transactions and an aggregate value of approximately EUR 2 billion. Although the acceleration follows global trends, the Hungarian market has a few specifics that will further enhance a growing M&A market in 2016 as well ...
It won’t be long before Malaysia becomes a party to the Madrid Protocol with strong indicationspointing towards Malaysia acceding to this treaty by 2013. The Madrid Protocol system, which is a global trademark registration system is administered centrally by the International Bureau of the WorldIntellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), located in Geneva, Switzerland ...
ANGOLA: Budget Law 2016 published Law No. 28/15 (“Budget Law 2016”), which had been adopted on 31 December 2015, was published on 30 January 2016 and applies with effect from 1 January 2016. The Budget Law 2016 provides for: · the introduction of a Special Contribution on Banking Operations, to be levied at the rate of 0.1% on all financial operations by banking and non-banking financial institutions governed by the Financial Institutions Framework Law (Law 12/15 of 27 June 2015) ...
The word ‘radical’ has been used by both supporters and critics alike when commenting on the various proposals set out by the Scottish Government in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. This gives a flavour of the tone of the debate. Both sides have also been particularly vocal on the previously little discussed topic of succession and assignation of secure agricultural tenancies. The implications of the proposals are discussed in this briefing ...
The High Court has delivered judgment in the case of Minch v The Commissioner of Environmental Information (CEI) (16 February 2016) concerning the scope of access to environmental information ...
The February 2016 issue of the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) included an international briefing article entitled “Conversion of agricultural land.” The article was contributed by SyCipLaw partner Benedicto P. Panigbatan. Read the article online at the IFLR website ...
The United States has announced that it has signed with Cuba a new agreement covering air services between the two countries. The new agreement, which replaces a suspended accord dating back to the 1950s, authorizes up to 110 daily round trip scheduled flights between the two countries by airlines of each respective country. The agreement permits twenty (20) scheduled non-stop flights between the U.S ...
On January 27, 2016, the Obama Administration took the latest in its continuing steps to ease restrictions on trade and travel between the United States and Cuba. Amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (“CACR”) administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) will authorize additional U.S ...
The European Court of Justice ruled last October that the data sharing framework between the EU and US, referred to as Safe Harbor, is no longer valid. On 2 February 2016, the EU and US authorities agreed in principle on a 'new' arrangement, known as the 'EU-US Privacy Shield', which is intended to replace 'Safe Harbor' ...
Special Economic Zones (“SEZs”) are geographically designated areas within a country that are set aside for specifically targeted economic activities, supported through special arrangements (that may include laws) and systems to promote industrial development. An SEZ is meant to be an economic development tool to promote rapid economic growth by using various support measures to attract targeted foreign and domestic investments and technology ...
ANGOLA: Budget Law 2016 adopted by National Assembly The Angolan National Assembly adopted the final version of Budget Law 2016 on 11 December 2015, following its approval of the Program of Economic Diversification on 7 December 2015. The Program includes the introduction of the Special Contribution on Banking Transactions (“SCBT”) and the Special Contribution levied on transfers for the payment of technical assistance or management fees. The SCBT is to be levied at a rate of 0 ...
The TSX Venture Exchange reaches out to the VC communityThe TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSX-V”) has released a white paper which describes how it intends to become an attractive public market for early-stage companies from fast-growing sectors such as technology, clean technology, renewable energy and life sciences (the “high-growth sectors”) and how it intends to ensure that private equity firms, venture capital (“VC”) funds and angel investors consider the TSX-V as an effective stra
In a continued effort to implementthe policy change announced by President Obama on December 17, 2014 to engage and empower the Cubanpeople, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the Bureau of Industryand Security (“BIS”) have announced additional amendments to the Cuban AssetsControl Regulations (“CACR”) and the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”),respectively, which will be published and effective in the upcoming days ...
On December 18th was enacted the Organic Law of Incentives for Public Private Partnerships and Foreign Investment. This law is intended to promote synergies between the private and the public sector. It is based in the principles of fiscal sustainability, Risk allocation, Value for money, respect to interests and rights of the users, property rights and social inclusion ...
One year ago, on December 17, 2014, President Obama announced a policy to increase contact and engagement with the people of Cuba with an ultimate goal of normalizing relations between the US and Cuba. The announcement generated immense press coverage of and commercial interest in Cuba. Since then, the US has removed Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and the two countries have reopened their respective embassies, thereby formally re-establishing diplomatic relations ...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. After 7 years of negotiations, which began in February 2008, an agreement was reached on October 5, 2015, and the text was published in English on November 5, 2015 ...
The Obama Administration recently released the signed text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”), which represents an important advancement in trading relations among 12 Pacific countries: Australia Brunei Darussalam Canada Chile Japan Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Peru
We are pleased to announce that ENSafrica has joined forces with prominent Ghanaian law firm Oxford & Beaumont Solicitors to form ENSafrica Ghana, reinforcing its position as Africa’s largest law firm. The firm believes that the addition of ENSafrica Ghana will bolster its already strong offering on the continent ...
The amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) since January 16, 2015 have expanded the scope of transactions that persons subject to the jurisdiction of the United States may undertake in relation to Cuba ...
Italy and Turkey have had a strong and well-established economic partnership for decades, with a turnover of about USD 20 billion in 2014 and investment by Italian companies in Turkey in 2014 of around USD 4.5 billion ...
The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is embarking on a compliance initiative to ensure that sources that handle hazardous waste are complying with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) requirements, particularly that sources are operating within their correct generator status, disclosing certain hazardous waste activities, and submitting required reports ...
After a marathon weekend negotiating session in Atlanta, trade ministers from the United States and eleven other countries reached a final agreement on the terms and text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a multi-faceted trade agreement among Pacific Rim nations that account for approximately 40 percent of world GDP ...
