On December 31, 2019, the French government issued decree nº 2019-1590 (the 2019 Decree), together with an administrative order of the same date (the Order), that comprehensively reshaped French foreign investment rules (as...more
On March 18, 2020, the French government published a legislative package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the COVID-19 crisis. It includes an Amending Finance Act for 2020 (which includes a state guarantee of up to...more
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout France, the government has adopted lockdown measures limiting the movement of individuals throughout the country, as well as ordering the temporary closure of certain businesses. The...more
On March 19, 2019, the European Union adopted a regulation for the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU (the Regulation). The Regulation sets forth national security factors that EU member states (Member...more
7/1/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Member State ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Screening Procedures ,
Sensitive Business Information ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
UK Brexit
The geopolitical environment continues to drive reform of foreign investment rules in Europe, with government proposals clarifying and tightening such rules in the interest of national security. Recent foreign state-backed...more
1/18/2019
/ Anti-Monopoly ,
CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
Russia ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Strategic Enterprise Laws ,
UK
In large part as a response to China’s national industrial goals and subsequent Chinese acquisitions of U.S. and European companies that are technology leaders in key industries, the U.S. government and a number of European...more
In large part as a response to China’s national industrial goals and subsequent Chinese acquisitions of U.S. and European companies that are technology leaders in key industries, the U.S. government and a number of European...more
Despite a year of continued global political uncertainty and increasing enforcement, shareholder activism and foreign investment control activity, the 2018 outlook for Europe is positive overall. Skadden partners in the U.K.,...more
1/26/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Antitrust Injuries ,
BaFin ,
Capital Markets ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cybersecurity ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
EU ,
EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU MAR) ,
European Commission ,
Executive Compensation ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Fraud ,
Germany ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Money Laundering ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Russia ,
Sapin II ,
Securities ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Votes ,
Takeover Code ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Bribery Act ,
UK Criminal Finances Act 2017 ,
Virtual Currency ,
White Collar Crimes
Danny Tricot (London, capital markets): Capital markets in Europe were generally positive in 2017, recovering from a mixed year in 2016. The first half of the year was particularly strong for high-yield issuances in Europe,...more
1/26/2018
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Debt Financing ,
Debt Market ,
Equity Markets ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
France ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
UK
Katja Kaulamo (Frankfurt, capital markets): With structural and political change in Europe in 2017, the European capital markets industry was left in a state of uncertainty pending the final outcome of the Brexit...more
1/26/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Mergers ,
Multinationals ,
Private Equity ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
Skadden attorneys James A. McDonald, Elizabeth Robertson and Robert W. Stirling in London; Pascal Bine and Olivier Diaz in Paris; and Matthias Horbach and Stephan Hutter in Frankfurt provide insights on the developments...more
2/1/2017
/ Acquisitions ,
Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) ,
Capital Markets ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Customs Unions ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
EU Single Market ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Global Economy ,
Global Market ,
Mergers ,
Passporting ,
Presidential Elections ,
Sapin II ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Bribery Act
A new French law titled “Transparency, the Fight Against Corruption and Modernization of the Economy,” which was published in the French Official Journal on December 10, 2016 (known as Sapin II, as it was named after the...more
12/21/2016
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Code of Conduct ,
Compliance ,
Data Protection Authority ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
France ,
Remediation ,
Risk Assessment ,
Sanctions ,
Sapin II ,
Transparency ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
This report offers an overview of the state of activism in Europe, as well as country-specific profiles for the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, including information and commentary on noteworthy...more
10/19/2016
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Board of Directors ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
EU ,
France ,
Germany ,
Italy ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Proxy Contests ,
Say-on-Pay ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Switzerland ,
UK ,
Unions ,
Voting Rights
On May 15, 2014, the French government published a decree extending its veto rights over foreign investments in French strategic sectors (the New Decree). The New Decree has been dubbed the “Alstom Decree” by the media, as it...more
Shareholder activism has risen significantly since the start of the financial crisis, with global shareholder campaigns increasing by 62 percent since 2010. This growth is partially driven by activist hedge funds, reaping...more