On 25 February 2022, the EU adopted a wide package of additional sanctions against Russia targeting key sectors of its economy. New measures include: (1) a complete export ban on dual-use items; (2) export bans on goods in...more
The European Commission intensified its focus on semiconductors by proposing the EU Chips Act on February 8, 2022. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen calls it a "game changer". The proposed Act contains...more
The Court of Justice of the EU has interpreted for the first time the Blocking Regulation. The ruling confirms that it is possible to terminate contracts with a US designated person without providing reasons. However, in...more
In its First Annual Report on the EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Screening Regulation and Member States’ individual screening mechanisms, the European Commission takes stock of the first year of implementation of the new...more
On 22 September 2021, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its legislative proposal (“GSP Proposal”) for the EU new Generalised Scheme of Preferences (“GSP”) which is due to expire on 31 December 2023. The GSP...more
After journey of over four years, the EU adopted Regulation (EU) 2021/821, recasting the Dual-Use Regulation. The new rules will enter into force on 9 September 2021 and will entail stricter catch-all controls on non-listed...more
The European Union and the United Kingdom have each significantly expanded the scope of their sanctions against Belarus in response to the forced Ryanair aircraft landing in May. The new measures adopted target a significant...more
8/17/2021
/ Belarus ,
Belarus Sanctions ,
Dual Use Goods ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
European Investment Bank (EIB) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Military Goods ,
Popular ,
UK
The long-awaited application of the European Union (EU) Regulation on a framework for the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the EU started yesterday, 11 October 2020. It is still early days to anticipate how the...more
On 29 June 2020, the Council of the European Union have included eleven officials in the list of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies subject to asset freezing measures and a travel ban. ...more
The EU has extended the export restrictions on certain items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for a further period of 30 days.
On 24 April, the European Commission (Commission) extended the export controls on PPE...more
Following requests from numerous Member States, on 3 April the European Commission (“Commission“) adopted Commission Decision (EU) 2020/491 (“the Decision“), which provides for relief from import duties and VAT for goods...more
The disruption linked to COVID-19 already affects the global economy significantly, including M&A transactions in Europe and across the globe. On the regulatory side, many deals face challenges caused by national authorities'...more
In response to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the EU and various member states have taken measures to ensure continuity of supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and address shortages of healthcare...more
The EU regime for controlling the exports from the EU of products and/or technology that can be used for both civil and military purposes (dual-use items) is now 10 years old. As a result of the changes in technology and...more
Foreign investment continues to garner a great deal of attention. This trend is expected to continue as the global economy further integrates, the number of cross-border and international transactions keeps increasing, and...more
10/21/2019
/ China ,
Cooperation Initiative ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
Screening Procedures ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Compliance with export control laws is one of the main challenges of a compliance department. Yet significant personal risks for management have put the topic high on the agenda of legal/compliance departments.
...more
8/9/2019
/ Covered Transactions ,
Dual Use Goods ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exports ,
Internal Controls ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Software ,
Strict Compliance ,
Technology ,
Trade Policy
Foreign direct investment (“FDI”) screenings have become a relevant factor for global transactions in recent years. More and more jurisdictions are introducing or ramping up their powers for scrutinising FDI, which parties to...more
Gambia paves the way for the entry into force of the largest free trade zone in the world. On 2 April 2019, Gambia became the 22nd country to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Area ("AfCFTA") Agreement, which is now...more
Read the latest news on antitrust, competition and economic regulation (ACER) in this Winter's edition of our quarterly ACER newsletter.
...more
4/3/2019
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Bid Rigging ,
CFIUS ,
Economic Development ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Government Shutdown ,
Hold-Separate Remedies ,
Merger Controls ,
No-Poaching ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Regulatory Standards ,
South Africa ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The updated version of the EU Blocking Regulation enters into force On 7 August 2018, the EU published: (1) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1100 (Amending Regulation)...more
Driven by concerns of China’s acquisition of advanced U.S. technologies, the U.S. Congress is set to enact the most significant reform to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in over a decade....more
6/29/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Covered Transactions ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
Passive Investments ,
Pending Legislation ,
Trump Administration
On 6 June 2018, the European Commission ("Commission") adopted a draft Delegated Regulation expanding the scope of Council Regulation (EC) No 2271/96 ("EU Blocking Regulation") to include the extra-territorial aspects of the...more
6/8/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Covered Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management