STATUS QUO (ON MARCH 18, 2020) The Europe-wide spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is now also directly affecting the professional sports sector. As a consequence, there are not only games that are being played without fans and soccer leagues suspended from the Bundesliga all the way down to the 3rddivision, but even entire remaining seasons (including of the German Ice Hockey League and the German Volleyball League) have been canceled ...
A. SHORT-TIME WORK 1. WHAT IS THE LEGAL POSITION? According to the "Act on the temporary crisis-related improvement of the regulations for short-time work compensation" ("Gesetz zur vorüberristeten krisenbedingten Verbesserung der Regelungen für das Kurzarbeitgeld") (see preliminary version of BT publication 19/17893), a company can order short-time work due to the worldwide cases of illness caused by the coronavirus and thus reduce working hours ...
Corona-related sales declines in many industries lead to short-term liquidity bottlenecks for numerous companies. As the third pillar of the protective shield for employees and companies, the German Federal Government has therefore decided on new and unlimited measures to expand liquidity assistance to facilitate companies’ access to cheap loans ...
I. RISK TO COMPANIES FROM THE IMPACTS OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC The corona pandemic leads to a decline in sales revenues worldwide. Demand is plummeting. At the same time, supply chains in the globally networked economy are no longer reliable. Obligations to pay compensation for the inability to supply are impending, particularly in cases of no-fault supply guarantees. The liquidity and therefore the continued existence of many companies are at risk ...
The coronavirus is not only harmful to health but also to our finances, leading to considerable financial losses for many companies and employees. In individual cases, insurance companies may be liable for the loss of sales associated with the virus. We will inform you about this option separately ...
The coronavirus has arrived in Germany. This is the central statement of the press conference held by Chancellor Angela Merkel on March 12, 2020. Ongoing construction projects are therefore also affected by the corona crisis, with considerable construction delays to be expected. Contractual provisions are usually lacking Contracts are reflecting the parties’ experiences and expectations. They provide for conceivable or expected circumstances, aiming to create legal certainty ...
ESMA DECISION The European Securities and Markets Authority („ESMA“) announced today the decision to lower the initial reporting threshold for net short positions under the EU Short Selling Regulation to 0.1 percent (the „ESMA Decision“). The ESMA Decision has entered into force immediately after its publication on ESMA’s website. INITIAL REPORTING THRESHOLD NOW 0.1 PERCENT (PRIOR: 0 ...
The consequences of the coronavirus are omnipresent and felt by everyone. Management Board members and Directors of issuers of securities listed on the open or regulated market are faced with the question whether ad hoc publicity obligations are arising for their companies in connection with the corona crisis. The abstract circumstance of the occurrence of a recession as a result of the spread of the coronavirus does not trigger an ad hoc disclosure obligation ...
Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on the global economy and particularly on the German economy as well: interrupted international supply chains, travel restrictions, or the cancelation of major events and trade shows – all of this poses considerable challenges for the manufacturing, trade, transportation, tourism, and event organizer sectors in Germany ...
Ranging from toilet paper for public institutions to medical consumables for (public) hospitals to the absence of staff in public transport, corona already exhibits a massive impact on companies’ business activities. Supply chains are interrupted, employees are being quarantined. Even public contracts can either not be fulfilled at all, or not on time, or not in their entirety ...
The COVID-19 virus (commonly known as the “coronavirus”) is affecting companies’ commercial activities around the world, with particular impact on supply chains and employment and insurance law. There is also a question around the measures the competent authorities may impose to prevent or contain the spread of the coronavirus. A ...
The coronavirus is currently causing a lot of uproar. Many companies are reviewing their risks in case of infection or are trying to mitigate damage caused by canceled events and trade shows ...
Answers to important questions 1. WHAT INFORMATION OBLIGATIONS DOES THE EMPLOYER HAVE TO INFORM ITS WORKFORCE? As with other highly infectious diseases, employers have a duty to inform their staff about the coronavirus as part of their general duty of care and consideration (Sec. 241, 618 German Civil Code [BGB]). The extent of this duty to inform depends, among other things, on whether a member of staff is suspected of having caught the virus, whether or not this has been confirmed ...
At present, M&A transactions are frequently at least postponed because of uncertainties about the development of the target, the potentially unpredictable situation of the prospective buyer and its financing, and partly also because of practical problems to finalize the transaction. CARRYING OUT THE M&A PROCESS The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are most evident in actually carrying out an M&A transaction ...
