On May 25, 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a unanimous decision in favour of our client, Transat Tours Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the Transat A.T. Inc. group, which ranks among the ten largest tourism businesses in the world. This precedent is of crucial importance for Canadian firms carrying on business abroad ...
Some things change, others never change. The choice of procurement route is still governed by three main factors:· Time· Cost· Quality It is hard, if not impossible to achieve the best of all these three but when choosing a procurement route consideration must be given to the list of priorities so that people's expectations are properly managed ...
In accordance with its announcement in its Notice of Intent published on October 21, 2006(1), the federal government, on April 26, published the regulatory framework it favours for greenhouse gases emissions and other air pollutants.The “Regulatory Framework for Air Emissions”, despite its title, is not a restrictive regulation ...
On 15 March 2007, the European Court of Justice confirmed that the European Commission had been correct to fine British Airways £6.8 million for abusing its dominant position by operating loyalty enhancing performance bonus schemes for travel agents since the schemes had the effect of excluding competitors without any objective economic justification ...
The Office of Fair Trading has written to a number of undisclosed companies in the construction industry, in relation to its ongoing investigation into a suspected multi-billion pound bid rigging cartel. It is offering the "late comers" a last chance to mitigate the potential fines which might be ascending upon them in the biggest cartel investigation in UK history ...
British Airways' 14-year long wrangle with Virgin and the European Commission ended yesterday, when Europe's highest court confirmed that the Commission was right in fining BA EUR6.8m. For BA this comes at an inopportune moment, as it is currently under investigation by both the US Federal Trade Commission and the EU Commission for alleged breaches of anti-cartel provisions ...
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that motor vehicle distribution agreements may benefit from the exemption in Regulation 1400/2002 (Block Exemption) even if the supplier can terminate the agreement without notice in certain circumstances. The Block Exemption applies to such agreements provided the supplier gives reasons for the termination which are subject to review by an independent expert or arbitrator ...
When the government and a contractor negotiate a construction contract, they usually stipulate in the contract that, in case of any dispute arising from the contract, such dispute shall be submitted to the engineer or the architect for decision before such dispute is submitted for arbitration. This is what is commonly referred to as a¡§pre-arbitration¡¨ procedure ...
1 When Do We Need a Building Permit?As a rule, the construction of or any structural alterations to any building situated on theRomanian territory requires a building permit. Few are the contexts where this rule is notapplicable. These situations usually refer to the repairing and maintenance works to the existingbuildings, which do not involve changes in the initial features of the buildings ...
Pursuant to the so-called Four Years Act, owners may unilaterally increase the rent for certain apartments during the period of 2007 to 2010 for once a year up to the target value. The calculation method is set forth by law and the target value will be announced by the Ministry for Local Development in the Collection of Laws. The written announcement of the increase must be duly justified. The lessee may file an action in respect of invalidating the increase ...
During the past decade, project financing structures have been actively used in Colombia in connection with the construction and improvement of infrastructure facilities and the expansion of access to basic public services. In particular, private investment has been active in concessions, the privatization and capitalization of public entities, BOT, BOO and BOLT schemes and other financing techniques ...
On 11 July 2006, six Chinese ministries (Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, The People’s Bank of China, State Administration for Industry and Commerce and State Administration of Foreign Exchange) jointly issued a circular “Opinions on Regulating the Entry into and the Administration of Foreign Investment in the Real Estate Market” Jianzhufang [2006] Circular No ...
The removal of the Crown’s immunity from English planning law will make buying and developing such land much easier, says Shoosmiths’ planning law team. Crown Immunity dated back to the 1960s and included government departments such as the MOD, Her Majesty’s private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Crown Estate Commissioners. In the past the Crown had only to consult with local planning authorities before carrying out development ...
Pursuant to the Act on Budget Rules for Public Administration, the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications of the Slovak Republic, by this Ruling, enlarged the scope of persons entitled to subsidies ensuring higher penetration of broadband internet access ...
For many years, parties have created various legal tools to grant others the right to use a portion of their lands. Prior to the imposition of statutory controls on the subdivision and leasing of land, this could simply be accomplished by the property owner granting exclusive possession over a portion of their land to a tenant by way of a lease and everyone was happy. Everyone that is but the local and provincial governments ...
Disputes are the bane of all construction professionals lives, but unfortunately no matter how hard one tries to avoid them (partnering, mediation and the like) there are always some matters which require formal dispute resolution to resolve them. PFI is one area where efforts have been made in the last few years to streamline disputes and where appropriate to consolidate disputes. While such aims are to be applauded they can in themselves lead to difficulties ...
The main legal acts regulating the registration of seagoing ships in Lithuania are the Law on Merchant Shipping, the Rules for Registration of Seagoing Ships in Lithuania approved on 4 July 2005 by order No. 3-301 of the Minister of Transport and Communications, and the Decision of the Government of Lithuania “On the Register of Seagoing Ships of the Republic of Lithuania”. The following ships can be registered at the Register of Seagoing Ships of the Republic of Lithuania (the Register): 1 ...
There are a number of legal mechanisms that can improve the economics and liability of industrial and commercial development projects for developers willing to take advantage of them. This article will explore some of the incentives available to developers that will assist in maximizing profits and freeing-up capital that would otherwise be devoted to conventional construction or permanent loan financing. 1. Tax Incremental Financing Districts (“TIF’s”) ...
Purchasing a yacht should be a pleasurable experience given that the craft in question is most likely to be used for the owner’s leisure pursuits. Yachts, however, whether they are second-hand, new, large or small, have one thing in common. They are expensive. However, many purchasers whether they are paying £10,000 or £1,000,000 are sometimes less cautious than perhaps they should be when buying what is in effect a “toy” ...
The Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006 was published on 16 February 2006 (a pdf version of this Bill is available at the end of this article). The idea of creating a “fast track” planning procedure for major infrastructural projects had been mooted for over three years ...
Captains of private and commercial yachts (and owners) have civil and criminal law duties most of which are concerned with the safe operation of the vessel. As the captain is regarded in law as being the owner’s agent, he is the person unfortunately on the spot. It is the captain who becomes personally liable in the first instance for any fine imposed on the vessel. Owners or charterers have no legal obligation to compensate him even though the offence may have occurred due to their fault ...
The legal concept that one can arrest a vessel and prevent it moving is unusual to say the least. An arrest in the UK (and other jurisdictions) is practically undertaken by serving upon the vessel a “Warrant of Arrest”, a very similar concept to criminal proceedings albeit this form of arrest is a civil law admiralty procedure and for very different reasons ...
Captains of private and commercial yachts (and owners) have civil and criminal law duties most of which are concerned with the safe operation of the vessel. As the captain is regarded in law as being the owner’s agent, he is the person unfortunately on the spot. It is the captain who becomes personally liable in the first instance for any fine imposed on the vessel. Owners or charterers have no legal obligation to compensate him even though the offence may have occurred due to their fault ...
In June 2004 legislation came into force giving Scottish communities a right to purchase land for sustainable development. The legislation is complicated. Even the Scottish Executive's guidance for community bodies states such a purchase is no easy option and requires commitment and patience. It suggests community bodies may wish to consider buying the land by agreement without the use of the legislation ...
In June 2004 legislation came into force giving Scottish communities a right to purchase land for sustainable development. The legislation is complicated. Even the Scottish Executive's guidance for community bodies states such a purchase is no easy option and requires commitment and patience. It suggests community bodies may wish to consider buying the land by agreement without the use of the legislation ...
