*Originally distributed on April 1, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic and the exceptional containment and lockdown measures adopted around the world to protect public health and suppress the spread of the virus have had a significant impact on the global economy and have created severe constraints for many businesses. It is clear that collectively many companies … Continued
*Originally distributed on March 31, 2020 Companies are currently dealing with unprecedented challenges, with some facing an existential threat. With new developments occurring daily, we highlight below key points that have emerged in the last week or so that companies should consider in the context of their communications with investors. Financial results and reporting In … Continued
*Originally distributed on March 26, 2020 In these difficult times, directors are expected to adopt a proactive attitude. Amongst other actions, the managing and supervisory directors of Dutch companies should consider taking the following steps from a Dutch corporate governance perspective: Ensuring the health and safety of employees and other relevant stakeholders; Proactively and periodically … Continued
Joint Statement by the European Competition Network on the Application of the EU Competition Laws in the COVID-19 Crisis While public life is almost coming to a stop across the EU, and the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Continent’s economy is becoming ever more apparent, the eyes are turning to the European … Continued
*Originally distributed on March 5, 2020. Introduction: Since the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (“NCP”), China’s provinces, autonomous regions and province-level municipalities have successively launched public health emergency plans in their respective administrative regions and taken actions to contain NCP. Local governments in regions such as Zhejiang, Gansu, Anhui and Shanghai have set out requirements … Continued
The Coming Impact of ESG Recent months have seen institutional investors and other stakeholders, notably BlackRock and State Street, stressing the importance of comparable and decision-useful ESG disclosures by their portfolio companies. Such calls follow in the wake of growing interest among investors and other stakeholders in understanding and assessing the performance of companies based … Continued
*This article was originally distributed on January 21, 2020 In our annual forecast of the year ahead for Canadian competition and foreign investment review law, we evaluate how developments in 2019 will influence these areas of the law in 2020. We discuss below the main issues and trends to watch for this year. Continued Focus … Continued
Cross-Border M&A – 2020 Checklist for Successful Acquisitions in the United States M&A continued its robust pace in 2019, with nearly $3.9 trillion in global deal volume for the year, the third-highest volume of the last decade. The U.S. market was particularly strong, making up for relative weakness in Europe and Asia. The boom was … Continued
On December 31, 2019, the Implementing Regulations of the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “Regulation”), an important administrative regulation facilitating the implementation of the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (“Foreign Investment Law”), was officially published. It came into force on January 1, 2020, together with the … Continued
Crystal Ball Gazing 2020 2020 introduces a new decade, one which already promises to be an exciting one for the legal sector and society in general. In this special newsletter, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek gazes into the crystal ball and highlights some of the more important trends and developments which could very well affect or … Continued
