The start of a New Year is a good time to take stock as to what we can expect in European environmental law and policy over the next 12 months. Unlike previous years, 2020 is already shaping up to be a momentous year at both...more
On 11 December 2019, the new European Commission announced its much-awaited European Green Deal (EGD)1, which sets out a wide range of major policy and legislative proposals to transition Europe to be ‘climate neutral’ by...more
The EU’s key financing restrictions targeting certain Russian sectoral sanctions targets are contained in Article 5 of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (Article 5). Article 5 restricts certain activities involving...more
Should the UK leave the EU without any new deal being put in place, or come to the end of any implementation period following the UK’s exit without further agreement, the UK will look to re-establish all of the EU sanctions...more
An introduction to the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) -
Introduction -
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada that provisionally entered into force...more
The discussions at the recent “G7” summit concerning the fires in the Amazon rainforest highlighted the growing focus on the relationship between trade and sustainability issues....more
On 8 August 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a draft guideline on prescribing cannabis-based medicinal products (the Draft Guideline) for consultation. ...more
The UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the Act) was heralded as the first legislation of its kind globally and is thought to have inspired a number of other governments to introduce their own supply chain transparency and due...more
Reputational concerns and the growing focus of financial regulators on money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) are starting to have an impact on how non-regulated sectors of the economy view and address these...more
On 25th June Ofwat announced that it was seeking to impose its largest ever penalty on Southern Water after a series of failings related to the operational management of a number of its UK wastewater treatment works. In...more
On 5 April 2019, a decision of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Panel in “Russia – Measures Concerning Traffic in Transit” (WT/DS512/R) (the Report) was published. The decision related to restrictions imposed by Russia on...more
The UK Supreme Court has decided that a claim for negligence and breach of statutory duty against a Zambian mining company and its English parent can be heard by the English courts. The much anticipated decision has important...more
In the EU, manufacturers of a wide variety of products can currently demonstrate compliance with essential EU requirements by having a so-called “notified body” carry out a product conformity assessment and affix a conformity...more
In 2014 and 2015 the EU introduced sectoral sanctions against certain Russian and related entities. Those sectoral sanctions are primarily set out in Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 (as amended) (the...more
When the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 was first proposed, the expectation was that it would enable the UK to maintain the status quo after it leaves the EU in the areas of sanctions and anti-money laundering...more
The EU has finally adopted new transparency rules regarding so-called conflicts minerals being imported into the EU. This follows a series of policy initiatives from the European Commission to drive for greater transparency...more
A new regime in the UK for punishing individuals or businesses that breach financial sanctions came into force on 1 April 2017.
In March 2016 the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) was formed, as part of...more
A new regime in place in the UK for punishing individuals or businesses that breach financial sanctions comes into force from 1 April. In March 2016 the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) was formed, as part...more
For many large companies across Europe, 2017 marks the introduction of new non-financial reporting requirements addressing issues such as human rights and corruption for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2017....more
On February 3, 2017, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added 25 persons to its List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (the SDN List, and every person thereon, an SDN) as a result of their...more
In its first public statement since the inauguration, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on February 2, 2017, that it had authorized limited dealings with the Federal Security...more
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s current Brexit inquiry is examining the potential impacts on REACH and the chemicals sector.
This inquiry, which has attracted a wide number of responses from across...more
At the end of last year, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (the Task Force) published its Recommendations Report on climate change related financial disclosures.
The 32-member Task Force was...more
There will soon be a new regime in place in the UK for punishing individuals or businesses that breach financial sanctions. In March 2016 the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) was formed, as part of the...more
The UK’s decision to leave the EU has raised inevitable questions about whether the UK will continue to align itself to European environmental laws and standards or take a divergent path. There is also considerable...more