The Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) promulgated the Supplementary Regulations Regarding the Establishment of Holding Companies by Foreign Investors on 26 May 2006. The Supplementary Regulations amend and supplement the Regulations on the Investment in and Establishment of Holding Companies by Foreign Business Entities, which became effective on 17 December 2004 (the “Holding Company Regulations”) (as discussed in the 2004.4 issue of China Legal Update) ...
The Central Government of the People’s Republic of China (“Mainland”) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”) reached a further understanding regarding the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between the Mainland and Hong Kong (“CEPA”) (as discussed in the July 2003 issue of China Legal Update) on 27 June 2006. This supplement, referred to as CEPA IV, further liberalises PRC market access for qualified Hong Kong service suppliers ...
The Government of Hong Kong and the Central Government of the People’s Republic of China (“Mainland”) signed An Arrangement on Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region pursuant to Choice of Court Agreements between Parties Concerned on 14 July 2006 ...
The Ministry of Commerce issued the Notice on Further Improving the Work of Attracting Foreign Investment into the Logistics Sector on 20 April 2006. The Notice, which became effective on 31 March 2006, is the first major liberalisation in the PRC logistics sector since the 2002 Notice on Relevant Issues in the Work of Launching Pilot Projects for the Establishment of Logistics Enterprises with Foreign Investment (“Pilot Notice”) ...
The Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, the People’s Bank of China, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the Opinions on Regulating the Entry into and the Administration of Foreign Investment in the Real Estate Market on 11 July 2006 ...
Amendment (6) to the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted at the 22nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on 19 June 2006 and promulgated by President Hu Jintao on 29 June 2006. The Amendment, which entered into effect on the date it was promulgated, introduces penalties for a range of economic crimes ...
The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued the Notice on Adjustment of the Scope of the Tax Refund Policies for the Purchase of Domestically Manufactured Equipment by Foreign Investment Projects on 10 May 2006. The Notice revises the value-added tax (“VAT”) refund policy for the purchase of domestically manufactured equipment (“domestic equipment”), which is available to certain foreign investment projects ...
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange ("SAFE") issued the Notice on Adjusting the Policies on Foreign Exchange Control for Current Account Items on 14 April 2006. The Notice, which became effective on 1 May 2006, further relaxes foreign exchange control over current account items ...
The Ministry of Finance and State Intellectual Property Office jointly issued the Notice of on Several Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration on Asset Valuation in Connection with Intellectual Property Rights on 19 April 2006. Mandatory valuation The Notice clarifies the circumstances in which an assets valuation of intellectual property rights (“IP rights”) is to be conducted ...
On May 19, 2006, Act No. 214/2006, Coll. was announced in the Collection of Laws, which amends Act No. 455/1991, Coll., the Trade Licensing Act, as amended, and certain other acts; this act became effective on August 1, 2006 ...
As concerns the contents of the Act, we can say primarily that certain proven principle and institutes reappeared known from original Act No. 199/1994, Coll., on Public Procurement which Act No. 40/2004, Coll ...
So-called black collective investmentThe legal regulation of collective investment was based on the fact the Collective Investment Act, similar to its predecessor, the Act on Investment Funds and Investment Companies, exclusively regulated the activities of investment funds and investment companies. The new amendment brings fundamental changes in this respect ...
The Sappier Decision: Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes Aboriginal Right to Timber for Domestic Purposes and Clarifies Requirements for Establishing an Aboriginal RightOn December 7, 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down its decision in the cases of Gray v. R and R. v. Sappier and Polchies ...
The Jebel Ali Free Zone (the "Free Zone") has authorized for the first time the incorporation of a commercial entity in the Free Zone owned by multiple parties. Dubai Implementing Regulation No. 1/99 (the "Implementing Regulation"), permits the incorporation in the Free Zone of "free zone companies" (a "FZCO") to be regulated by a new FZCO Department, which will have the responsibility for the formation, registration and regulation of FZCOs ...
The Emirates’ first stock exchange, the Dubai Financial Market, has been trading since mid 2000. A stock exchange was subsequently established in Abu Dhabi. Although the two markets are not presently linked, they are both subject to regulation under the UAE Securities & Commodities Exchange Law (the “Law”), which is a Federal legislation ...
On 8 September 2006, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (‘the CAT’) gave judgment in favour of London Metal Exchange (‘LME’) to recover costs in respect of its appeal against an interim measures direction (‘IMD’) issued (and then withdrawn) by the Office of Fair Trading (‘the OFT’). The OFT’s first IMD(FN1) arose from a complaint against, inter alia, LME’s plan to extend its opening hours for its non-ferrous base metals trading platform, LME Select, to capture the Asian markets ...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven Emirates that was formed by Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain following the end of the British protectorate over the ‘Trucial States’ in 1971. The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah joined the federation the following year ...
The legal systems of the nations that comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- have undergone dramatic, radical and progressive change and development in the past 25 years, which is continuing ...
The European Regional Development Fund (“ERDF”) appears to be one of theappropriate means allowing Romania to reach, within the following years, the level of economicand social cohesion requested within the European Union (ERDF representing along with theEuropean Social Fund the new generation of Structural Funds)1 ...
On 4 December 2006 the Disability Equality Duty will come into force. It will join the broadly similar Race Equality Duty, which has existed under the race relations legislation since 2001. Meanwhile, an analogous Gender Equality Duty is due to come into force in April 2007.The intention behind the creation of these new duties is to ensure that bodies which exercise public functions “mainstream” equality issues when exercising those functions ...
On 8 September 2006, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (‘the CAT’) gave judgment in favour of London Metal Exchange (‘LME’) to recover costs in respect of its appeal against an interim measures direction (‘IMD’) issued (and then withdrawn) by the Office of Fair Trading (‘the OFT’). The OFT’s first IMD arose from a complaint against, inter alia, LME’s plan to extend its opening hours for its non-ferrous base metals trading platform, LME Select, to capture the Asian markets ...
In short, yes! The Companies Bill is due to come into force in 2007 and contains the most drastic changes that company law has seen in the last ten years. Once implemented it is intended to simplify and improve the existing regulations. The Bill is designed to try and reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and in particular small enterprises ...
After nearly eight years in the offing, the Companies Bill looks likely to become law in November of this year, although it is likely that most of its provisions will not take effect until autumn 2007.Despite being a massive piece of legislation, for the most parts its provisions have not been controversial and have generally been welcomed ...
Within the European Union the issue of taking evidence in another member state has been regulated uniformly by the Council regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001 on cooperation between the courts of the Member States in the taking of evidence in civil or commercial matters. However some general rules relating to the procedure of taking evidence abroad were developed and established long before the adoption of the regulation ...
The article was first published in Invest Romania, November 2006 issue.The Bill for amending Company Law no. 31/1990 as subsequently modified,supplemented and republished (the “Company Law Bill”) was approved by the Senate on 30August 2006 and is currently at the Chamber of Deputies commissions undergoing a fast-trackapproval process ...
