Executive Summary/Highlights: The new Dutch Corporate Governance Code, issued December 8, 2016, provides an interesting analog to The New Paradigm, A Roadmap for an Implicit Corporate Governance Partnership Between Corporations and Investors to Achieve Sustainable Long-Term Investment and Growth, issued September 2, 2016, by the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. The new … Continued
Executive Summary: The European Commission has fined Marine Harvest, a Norwegian seafood company and salmon processor, €20 million for acquiring Morpol without prior clearance and not long before, the Court of Justice rejected an appeal against a General Court judgment which upheld a fine imposed, also €20 million, on Electrabel for its acquisition of Compagnie … Continued
Executive Summary: Poland’s developing economy and entrepreneurial society with investor-friendly government policies create many interesting M&A opportunities. There is a wide variety of companies which are directly or indirectly controlled by the state, or part of global corporations as well as small and medium firms owned by local or European entrepreneurs. Except for privatisations, which … Continued
Executive Summary: Pfizer’s potential bid for AstraZeneca Plc provoked strong debate in the UK on the appropriate political oversight of corporate transactions, including concerns that the deal would result in research jobs and R&D investment being lost. This briefing outlines the main legal routes by which the assurances from Pfizer in respect of the UK … Continued
Executive Summary: Despite formal agreements for and increased emphasis on international cooperation, there are still significant areas of divergence in how different competition authorities review mergers. This article discusses recent examples of mergers requiring review in multiple jurisdictions and the key practical messages arising therefrom. Main Article: Execution of a global deal can involve a … Continued
Executive Summary: The Hungarian Competition Authority (“GVH”) amended the documents – including the merger filing form – related to merger control proceedings in the summer of 2013, with the declared aim of further decreasing the administrative burdens placed on market players. Further to the amendments of the merger documents, amendments to Hungary’s Competition Act (“CA”) … Continued
Highlights: The establishment of a free trade area between the EU and Singapore is expected to have significant benefits for Singapore and EU companies. Annual EU exports to Singapore could rise by EUR 1.4 billion over 10 years and annual exports by Singapore companies (including EU companies based in Singapore) could rise by EUR 3.5 … Continued
Executive summary: In transactions involving the sale of shares in companies in Poland, as well as agreements on sale of enterprises or significant assets, the representations and warranties of sellers are becoming more and more extensive. Main Article: The notion of representations and warranties was adopted from common law systems and has become part of … Continued
Executive Summary: The European Commission approved a proposed acquisition which would create a merged entity that would be the only producer of naphthenic base and process oils in the EEA. The Commission’s investigation found that failure to approve such merger would result in a loss of refinery assets and significantly reduce production capacity in the … Continued
Highlights: Prior to the authorization of a merger by the relevant authorities, the exchange of information between them, while a crucial part of the deal, might be considered in certain circumstances a violation against proceeding with a merger without authorization. Outlined below are some of the precautions to be taken in order to avoid a … Continued
