Next week will be a committee week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Tuesday, MEPs of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) will have their first debate with … Continue Reading
In coordinated action on 22 March 2021, the EU, US, Canada and the UK imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials accused of complicity in human rights violations in Xinjiang. The Chinese responded by imposing sanctions on a group of MEPs, European academics and think-tanks on 23 March and followed these announcements by imposing retaliatory sanctions … Continue Reading
Next week will be a mixed week with committee meetings and plenary sessions in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Tuesday, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (“ECON”) will have a debate … Continue Reading
Given increasing public and investor focus on ESG disclosures and the growing recognition that managing ESG risks effectively can be effective in creating long-term value, there is significant and growing (internal and external) pressure on companies to make some form of ESG disclosure. Some companies already view voluntary comprehensive ESG disclosure as a way of … Continue Reading
Next week will be a committee week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, during a meeting of the Committee on Environment, Health, and Food Safety (“ENVI”), Commission Deputy Director-General for Health … Continue Reading
In 1962 the then US Secretary of State Dean Acheson famously commented that the UK had ‘lost an Empire and not yet found a role’. EU membership appeared to have created that role – as the US/EU hinge US. But Brexit brings that period to an end, forcing the UK to once again define its … Continue Reading
Next week will be a plenary week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the plenary will debate on the report of MEP Wolters (NL, S&D) on corporate due diligence and corporate … Continue Reading
A heightened focus on green finance and green investments has renewed legislative impetus, culminating in a series of regulatory developments across the European Union and more recently, the UK. Some of these notable developments encompass green efforts by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures; the European Non-Financial Reporting Directive 2014/95/EU; and the European Commission’s … Continue Reading
Next week will be a mixed week of committee and political groups meetings in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Thursday, the MEPs of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (“ECON”) will … Continue Reading
For the European Union, data is a core priority for economic growth, whether to facilitate personalized medicine or autonomous vehicles. Between 2018 and 2025, the value of the data economy in Europe is projected to nearly triple, from €301 billion to €829 billion, and the number of data professionals is expected to nearly double. Given … Continue Reading
Next week will be a committee week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the European Parliament will host an inter-parliamentary conference on economic stability, coordination and governance in the EU. The … Continue Reading
The EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (‘TCA’), signed at the end of last year did not cover financial services. Commentators had been sanguine about the potential impact on the City of London as a global financial centre. Figures showing that only 7,500 jobs had been re-located to the EU (out of the approximately 1.1 million … Continue Reading
On January 21, 2021, the European Commission opened two public consultations on the review of the EU Blood Directive and the EU Tissues and Cells Directive. Both Directives are more than fifteen years old, and their implementation diverges widely across the member states. The rules on human blood and tissue gain increasing importance for companies … Continue Reading
On 27 January 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) confirmed in Goldman Sachs Group Inc. v European Commission that financial investors can be liable where they hold 100% voting rights over an indirect entity that participated in a cartel, even though the investor does not own 100% of the share capital … Continue Reading
Next week will be a plenary week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Tuesday, the Parliament will debate and vote on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (“RFF”), the main pillar of the … Continue Reading
Next week will be a committee week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (“ECON”) will have a structured dialogue with Commissioner for Financial Services … Continue Reading
Next week will be plenary week in the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, MEPs will debate and vote (Tuesday) on a report on strengthening the EU’s capabilities to enforce its rights under … Continue Reading
Next week, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels for committee meetings. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the Committee on International Trade (“INTA”) is the first Committee to debate on the merits of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), which … Continue Reading
We recently presented to DG COMP the findings of the immunity and leniency survey 2020, which was conducted jointly by Covington and the Brussels School of Competition. The survey ran from December 2019 to March 2020 and asked competition law practitioners, enforcers and in-house counsels to share their observations on the perceived decline in immunity … Continue Reading
Next week, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather in person and virtually in Brussels for committee meetings. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the Legal Affairs Committee (“JURI”) will vote on a report that addresses interpretive questions of public international law on the military uses of AI … Continue Reading
On 25 November 2020, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation on European Data Governance (“Data Governance Act”). The proposed Act aims to facilitate data sharing across the EU and between sectors, and is one of the deliverables included in the European Strategy for Data, adopted in February 2020. (See our previous blog … Continue Reading
Next week, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather in person and virtually in Brussels for committee meetings. Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday and Tuesday, MEPs of the Committee on International Trade (“INTA”) will have an exchange of views with Sabine Weyand, Director-General of DG Trade on … Continue Reading
The deadline has already passed for any UK-EU Agreement to be reached in time for translation and consideration by the European Parliament before the end of the Parliamentary term on 16th of December. In a gesture of conciliation, the parliament has indicated it may be prepared to convene on 28 December. However, as the pressure … Continue Reading
Briefings from both the EU and UK sides have been more positive over the last few days, with the Commission President briefing on 20 November that most major issues were now agreed. That adds to the impression that a Deal is close to being signed off (even if some members of the UK’s Cabinet have … Continue Reading
