The European Commission (EC) released a communication on 17 June 2025 to introduce the “Defence Readiness Omnibus”, the latest in a series of legislative “Omnibus” packages presented by the EC in 2025. The Defence Omnibus...more
7/18/2025
/ Defense Sector ,
EFTA ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Institutions ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Reform
The sustainability regulatory landscape in Europe is reconfiguring at a rapid rate. Amid heightened anti-ESG sentiments emanating from some quarters, the UK and EU are each working to slash businesses’ regulatory burdens by...more
Following the commission’s announcement in March of the first 47 Strategic Projects under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (Act) located within the EU (discussed in our previous article, the commission has confirmed 13...more
KEY CONSIDERATIONS AND PRACTICAL INSIGHTS FOR VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTORS -
Germany’s foreign direct investment (FDI) regime has been expanded considerably in recent years, mirroring a global trend towards increased scrutiny...more
7/7/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Germany ,
Innovative Technology ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Merger Controls ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Startups ,
Technology Sector ,
Venture Capital
Today, the European Commission proposed an amendment to the EU Climate Law reviewing the 2040 climate targets that first enshrined climate neutrality by 2050—and with it, a structural shift in how climate action will be...more
Sectors characterized by massive investments and a limited number of market players—such as defense and semiconductors—are experiencing unprecedented levels of investment as governments and industry seek to secure...more
Last Friday, the European Commission announced its first International Procurement Instrument (IPI) measure, excluding “economic operators” from China from participation in EU public procurement procedures for medical devices...more
A clear trend is emerging: Across the EU, authorities are intensifying the enforcement of EU sanctions, and it is anticipated that the prosecution of related criminal offenses will increase. As a result, the regulatory...more
6/11/2025
/ Compliance ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Member State ,
New Legislation ,
Penalties ,
Risk Management ,
Russia
On May 22, 2025, the Hellenic Parliament passed long-expected legislation to establish Greece’s first national mechanism for the screening of foreign direct investments (FDI) on grounds of national security and public order....more
6/4/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Cybersecurity ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Greece ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements
The first U.K.-EU summit since Brexit was held in London on May 19, 2025 to reset the relationship for greater mutual benefit. An ambitious Strategic Partnership was agreed to drive progress on a renewed agenda for EU-U.K....more
5/23/2025
/ Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Defense Sector ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
International Trade ,
Net Zero ,
Popular ,
Sustainability ,
UK
In accordance with the EU’s plan to achieve full energy independence from Russia, the European Commission (“Commission”) has, on May 6, 2025, unveiled the Repower Roadmap.1Under the terms of this proposal, imports of Russian...more
The EU’s sustainability reporting and due diligence landscape is in flux following the European Commission’s adoption of its highly anticipated Sustainability Omnibus package in late February 2025.
In recent bulletins, we...more
5/16/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainability
A recent announcement by the European Commission of 47 Strategic Projects is set to boost the bloc’s domestic supply of raw materials, strengthening its battery and defense value chains and presenting substantial potential...more
5/13/2025
/ Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Green Deal ,
Investment ,
Mining ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain
After the German federal government break-up in November 2024 and the new elections in February 2025, the political parties – Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)/ Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) and Social...more
4/18/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Wind Power
On April 2, 2025, after weeks of speculation and heightened geopolitical tension, President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on what he dubbed “Liberation Day”. The tariffs included a baseline universal tariff of 10%...more
The European Commission’s Omnibus package, published on February 26, 2025 (the Omnibus Package or the Package), proposes to simplify the EU’s sustainability laws. At the same time, it has generated significant uncertainty for...more
3/31/2025
/ Business Entities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
In the context of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S., EU, and U.K. continue to implement new measures to stifle Russia’s war efforts.
The Biden administration continued to escalate sanctions...more
3/12/2025
/ CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK
Foreign investment (FDI) screening regimes continued to present challenges for dealmakers. We saw tough intervention in key jurisdictions. New and expanding rules added to regulatory burden. Overall, most deals are cleared...more
2/28/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Compliance ,
EU ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Global Market ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
UK
At COP29 in Baku, new rules were adopted for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These rules are meant to increase the transparency of the country-to-country trading of carbon credits under Article 6.2....more
2/28/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
CFTC ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Popular ,
Sustainability
The Swedish Court of Appeal (Court) has requested a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to clarify the effect and scope of Russia-related sanctions. The anticipated ruling by the CJEU...more
On January 15, 2025, the European Commission (EC) issued a Recommendation (the Recommendation) urging European Union (EU) Member States to scrutinize their companies' investments in non-EU countries (also referred to as...more
More competitiveness, more coherence and less administrative burden – these are key political priorities for the new European Commission (the Commission) which took office last December. One of the earliest moves under the...more
1/17/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
This is an update to previous bulletins on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) which we published in June and September 2024.
In a decisive move that marks a new chapter for corporate...more
12/17/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Olaf Scholz has proposed federal elections to take place in March or April 2025. The leader of the opposition, Friedrich Merz, is pushing for federal elections already in January 2025. Considering the more recent outcome of...more
On November 12, 2024, The Hague Court of Appeal found in the case Millieudefensie vs. Shell that the Shell Group has an obligation to counter dangerous climate change. However, the Court was not able to establish that the...more
12/5/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Doing Business ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements