Recent Articles

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  04/07/2024

  International

  Russia sanctions: Non-EU subsidiaries to comply with EU law

  On 24 June 2024, the EU adopted the 14th package of sanctions against Russia, introducing new restrictions on goods and services and listing more individuals and legal persons. In practice, more relevant may be the novel provisions that target "circumventions" and introduce new compliance requirements and liabilities for EU operators, especially concerning the conduct of their non-EU subsidiaries.In addition to these new compliance obligations on which we focus in this article, other relevant changes brought about by the 14th package include:Sectoral sanctions targeting Russia's LNG sector, including...

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  04/07/2024

  China

  SPC Promulgated Judicial Interpretation on the Temporal Scope of Application of the Revised PRC Company Law

  On 29 June 2024, the Supreme People's Court of the PRC promulgated the Several Provisions of the Supreme People's Court on the Temporal Scope of Application of the Company Law of the People's Republic of China (the "Interpretation"). The Interpretation entered into effect on the same day as the revised PRC Company Law, i.e. on 1 July 2024. Please click to read our newsletter with a brief on the major contents of the Interpretation.

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  03/07/2024

  United Kingdom

  Automated Vehicles Act 2024: A deeper dive into its key implications for the automotive sector

  The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (the “Act”) received Royal Assent on 20 May 2024. The Act is intended to provide a legal framework for the safe deployment and operation of self-driving vehicles on public roads in Great Britain. It forms part of the UK Government’s 2025 vision for connected and automated mobility known as CAM 2025 and is based on the recommendations of the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission following their joint four-year review into the law relating to automated vehicles. The Government hopes the Act will position the UK as a world-leader...

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  03/07/2024

  England and Wales

  Court of Appeal confirms that preventing a condition from being fulfilled will not assist a debtor

  Overview  The Court of Appeal has confirmed that the “Mackay v Dick Principle”, a principle that originates from the speech of Lord Watson in the Scottish case of Mackay v Dick & Stevenson (1881) 6 App Cas 251, forms part of English law. In accordance with this principle, if a party’s obligation to pay a debt is subject to a condition and the debtor wrongfully prevents that condition from being fulfilled, the condition is treated as either dispensed with or fulfilled, with the result that the debt accrues.The opposing view advanced in this case, and the view accepted...

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  03/07/2024

  Belgium

  Belgium ends merger control in the hospital sector

  Following a long arm wrestling with the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA), the Belgian legislator adopted on 28 March 2024 a law, which finally excludes hospitals from merger control under the Belgian Code of Economic Law. This act comes after a period of turmoil between the BCA and the Belgian legislator on the application of merger control in the hospital sector.Previously, hospitals were not considered undertakings under competition law. However, following the evolution of European jurisprudence, Belgian Competition law became theoretically applicable to mergers and acquisitions in the hospital...

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  02/07/2024

  United Kingdom

  The UK has ratified the Hague 2019 Judgments Convention

  On 27 June 2024, the UK ratified the Hague Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (the “Convention”). The Convention will come into force in the UK on 1 July 2025, filling a lacuna in recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments that arose after Brexit.In addition to the UK, EU member states (except Denmark), Ukraine and Uruguay are also Contracting States to the Convention. It is expected that the Convention will be signed and ratified by other states in the near future. To date, it has been signed, but not...

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