Last month, the Dutch competition authority (ACM) cleared a joint agreement among soft-drink suppliers including Coca-Cola to discontinue plastic handles on multipacks to make the packaging more recyclable and reduce plastic. Applying its draft sustainability guidelines, the ACM found that the arrangements did not harm competition given that evidence showed the handles did not play a role in the competitive process and participants remained free to decide on, e.g ...
A new licensing scheme is coming into force in Scotland to regulate short-term lets. The scheme requires hosts of self-catering accommodation to have a licence in place to accept bookings and welcome guests. This article explains who needs to apply for a licence, when the deadlines are, and how to apply ...
What is driving the imperative for ESG alignment? There has been a cultural shift in society as more and more individuals commit to leading sustainable lives. Those individuals – whether as consumers, employees or other stakeholders in industry – now expect the businesses operating in their communities to function in a more sustainable manner too ...
“A lot going on” was a very apt phrase used in the opening session of the Onshore Wind Conference 2022 in Glasgow. And it’s clear to see why: onshore wind is generating cheap and reliable energy, creating high-skilled and sustainable jobs, contributing positively to the Scottish economy and enjoying a groundswell of popular support, with the latest poll commissioned by RenewableUK showing 76% of people are in favour of renewable projects being developed in their local area ...
As the licencing scheme for short-term lets comes into force in Scotland on 1 October 2022, hosts will need to understand the various conditions they must meet to obtain a licence. This article explains when planning permission may be necessary and details the series of conditions that hosts must meet to obtain a licence. If you are wondering if you need to apply for a licence, when the deadlines are, and how to apply, read the first article in our series to find out more ...
One of the proposals set out in the Green Paper concerns an investment obligation for streaming services. According to the proposal, streaming services are required to either invest directly in Norwegian films and series, or, if the services do not invest sufficiently in Norwegian content, contribute to the financing of such productions through financial contributions to the Norwegian Film Fund ...
“Government efforts to manipulate markets and prices on consumer goods never work as intended, and in this case, would be counterproductive.” The waning days of summer signal the approaching midterm election season. Amid inflation, recession and voter discontent, it’s understandable that a group of congress members are anxious to put points on the board with a price-control scheme that they wrongly believe will lower prescription drug prices ...
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) updated its "frequently asked questions" (FAQs) Tuesday, providing guidance relating to the sanctions against Tornado Cash, the Ethereum “mixer” it blacklisted in August, following allegations that North Korea used Tornado Cash to launder stolen digital assets ...
The UAE introduced the Economic Substance Regulations in April 2019 (later amended by Cabinet Resolution 57 of 2020 (ESR) and Ministerial Decision 100 of 2020). The relatively new regulations have imposed a number of reporting requirements for virtually all private companies in the UAE. Despite this relative infancy, the Ministry of Finance has already started issuing heavy fines for companies which are not compliant with the regulations ...
On August 31, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the "CAC") issued the Application Guidelines for Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer (1st Edition) (the "Application Guidelines"), which specify and implement the provisions on cross-border data transfer security assessments ("security assessments") in the Measures for Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfers (the "Assessment Measures") ...
On 1 September 2020, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)’s new regulations regarding the advertisements of digital asset business operators became effective. Prior to the issuance, the SEC observed that digital asset business operators heavily advertised their digital asset services on various platforms, such as digital media and billboards ...
Many are still of the belief that business income tax (also called corporate income tax (CT)) is only under discussion and its introduction uncertain. That is certainly not the case. The UAE federal government has announced the application of income tax for business activities as of 1 June 2023. Although the law for CT has not yet been issued, we know that the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) (which also administers the VAT) is busy preparing for the introduction of CT ...
We are pleased to announce that Andrew Muscat, Michael Psaila and Katya Tua have been recognised as leading lawyers in the 32nd edition of the IFLR1000 – the most detailed analysis of lawyers working in corporate finance IFLR have ever conducted. Andrew is a Senior Partner at Mamo TCV Advocates and co-heads the Corporate, Capital Markets, Insolvency and Banking practice groups ...
Law 31/22 - which approved the Angolan Code of Administrative Procedure (“new CPA”) - was published in the Official Gazette on 30 August last. This law has repealed Decree-Law 16-A/95 of 15 December, which, in turn, approved the Rules of Administrative Procedure (“former CPA”). The previous CPA, came into force in January 1996 and was only amended in 2016 by Law 9/16 of 16 June ...
Most employers know that they have a legal obligation to protect employees from harassment at work and to prevent it from recurring. Many employers assume that this obligation relates to harassment by employees and managers; however, it actually extends to harassment by third parties, including customers or vendors. Several recent cases brought by the U.S ...
In late June 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which had previously recognized a woman’s constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability. After Dobbs, many states sought to protect a woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy ...
The Ohio Department of Health (“ODH”) has released the applications for both skilled and non-medical home healthcare licenses, which are now required pursuant to H.B. 110, now codified as R.C. 3740 et. sec. Agencies providing skilled home health care, nonmedical home health/personal care services, and non-agency providers of nonmedical home health/personal care services will be required to be licensed starting October 1, 2022 ...
The strategy for the application of Portugal 2030 was designed around five main objectives of the European Union1: a smarter, greener, more connected, more social Europe that is closer to its citizens. At the national level, these strategic objectives of the European Union are embodied in four thematic agendas of the Portugal 2030 strategy2 ...
On September 1st. 2022, amendments to the Federal Law 'On Advertising' of 13.03.2006 N 38-FZ (the 'Advertising Law') came into force. Now, advertisements on the Internet are subject to mandatory labeling and registration, which significantly complicates such advertising on the Internet, in Russia ('online advertisement'). In this regard, we present you an overview of the key changes, that companies need to take into account, when distributing online advertisements. Download the overview ...
September 6, 2022 By: Michael Flynn* Continuing a recent trend, the CFPB has asserted that its oversight authority regarding unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices (UDAAP) to assert that certain digital marketers, including what it refers to as “Big Tech,” face potential UDAAP liability and oversight from the CFPB ...
What is the intention of the new regime? By replicating and improving upon successful asset holding structures adopted by fund managers in jurisdictions like Luxembourg, the QAHC regime is intended to bolster the UK funds industry by facilitating greater UK-based fund activities, amending certain aspects of the UK tax system which have hitherto made UK vehicles unattractive as asset holding companies ("AHCs") ...
