On 12 March 2025, the EU announced that it will impose countermeasures in response to new tariffs imposed by the US on steel and aluminium imports. The EU countermeasures are twofold: First, the European Commission will...more
The European Commission has published on the 29th January the “Competitiveness Compass for the EU”, setting out ambitious initiatives aimed at strengthening and protecting the EU’s position on global markets. The Compass...more
On 17 September 2024, European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented to the European Parliament her proposed team of Commissioners-designate together with their portfolios for the next European Commission...more
On 9 April 2024, the European Commission launched its first ex-officio investigation under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, targeting Chinese wind turbines in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria....more
The European Commission presented the European Economic Security Package ("EESP"), a toolkit to ramp-up European action in investment, trade and research in the face of rising geopolitical tensions, geo-economic fragmentation...more
The new EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which appears to mirror the substantive EU State aid principles set out in Article 107 (1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (“TFEU”) and entered into force on 12...more
On 14 September 2022, the European Commission released a proposal for a Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the EU market. The European Commission has taken a comprehensive approach, with the ban...more
9/20/2022
/ China ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exports ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
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
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
The EU CBAM proposal signals a transformation of the European carbon pricing regulations. U.S. businesses with significant European operations, or with operations in emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industry sectors, should...more
Following the release of the European Commission’s proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM Proposal”) on 14 July 2021 as part of the “Fit for 55” legislative package aimed at reducing the EU’s greenhouse gas...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 Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union (EU) reached an agreement on a revised Trade Enforcement Regulation to strengthen the protection of the EU trade interests in World Trade...more
11/3/2020
/ Bilateral Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
WTO
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
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
The Belgian federal agency for medicines and health products (AFMPS or FAGG) provides that Belgium acts as a logistical platform for certain medicinal products....more
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
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
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
THE EU PLANS TO START REVIEWING FOREIGN INVESTMENTS: A MODEST AMBITION?
The past months have witnessed intense discussions at European and national level on the need to review foreign investment flows in sensitive sectors....more