Date Title Group Language 16/5/2012 UK consultation on a new regime for private damages actions Antitrust, competition and trade English Businesses that breach competition law will face significantly increased litigation exposure if government proposals published on 24 April 2012 to facilitate access to the UK courts are adopted. The UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has launched a consultation on a new litigation regime to compensate victims of competition law breaches. The proposals substantially depart from the present regime and would, if adopted, stimulate growth of the claimant bar, with the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) likely to become a magnet for competition litigation within Europe. The UK wants to take the lead in Europe to promote private enforcement of competition law. (May 2012)
14/5/2012 Investing in high-growth jurisdictions:
Vodafone and India budget 2012 Tax; Corporate English Recent tax developments in India highlight the need for focused legal advice when transacting in high-growth markets. Careful planning may be necessary to minimise exposure to tax risks and protect the profitability of such transactions. (May 2012)
11/5/2012 New double tax treaty between Germany and the Netherlands Tax English Germany and the Netherlands have signed a new double tax treaty, which is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2014. The treaty inter alia changes treaty procisions for dividends, hybrid financings, capital gains from real estate companies and anti-abuse measures. Dutch-German and German-Dutch investments should be reviewed carefully in light of the changes that are summarised in this briefing. (May 2012)
11/5/2012 New Germany-Luxembourg tax treaty Tax English How it will affect inbound-investments
11/5/2012 New Germany-Luxembourg tax treaty signed Tax English How German outbound-investments might be affected
8/5/2012 Italian real estate funds – the liquidation wave Real Estate English Several Italian real estate funds reserved to qualified investors have been placed into liquidation in an illiquid market, while a number of listed real estate funds will achieve their maturity in the next three years.
In this briefing we look at the implications this has for the market. (May 2012)
4/5/2012 A new era for merger control in Brazil: revised regime from 29 May 2012 Antitrust, competition and trade English Brazil’s new competition legislation enters into force on 29 May 2012. Companies that expect to do business in Brazil must prepare for far-reaching changes to the merger control regime. The introduction of a pre-merger suspensory regime coupled with a lengthy review period will move Brazil up the list of priority jurisdictions when assessing multi‑jurisdictional merger filing requirements and risks. This briefing provides
an overview of the main changes to Brazil’s merger control regime. (May 2012)
30/4/2012 Pensions EU white paper An Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions Employment, pensions and benefits English In February, the European Commission issued a white paper, An Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions . This puts forward policy initiatives that are designed to support EU member states in the reform of their pension systems. Following on from proposals in a green paper published in July 2010, the measures aim to allow employees to work longer and save more for their retirement. Among other matters, the white paper addresses issues such as raising the average retirement age, the portability of pensions and the protection of pension rights in the event of insolvency. In this briefing we look at the practical implications of the proposals. (April 2012)
27/4/2012 Parent company liable for health and safety breaches of subsidiary Dispute Resolution English On 25 April 2012 the Court of Appeal, in Cape v Chandler [2012] EWCA Civ 525, upheld a High Court decision that a parent company can owe a direct duty of care to the employees of its subsidiaries when its knowledge of potential risks means that it has assumed responsibility for their welfare. (April 2012)
17/4/2012 Tax; Tax - External publication English The double taxation treaty between Spain and Hong Kong came into force in April 2012.
One of the main consequences of the Treaty is that Hong Kong ceases to be considered a tax haven
by the Spanish legislation.
We highlight the major aspects of this Treaty. (April 2012)
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