Like various other European Union member states, Poland has taken the first step to passage of a new act intended to screen foreign direct investments in Polish companies. The goal of the legislation is to protect Polish companies against take-over by non-EU/EEA investors. This post is being published for The Trade Practitioner as part of a content partnership with our O-I-CEE! blog (Central and Eastern European legal news and views).…

On June 2, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it would be initiating new Section 301 investigations examining digital services taxes (DSTs) adopted or under consideration by Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.  USTR is requesting comments to inform their investigations into the various DSTs, and their impacts on US-based technology companies.  Stakeholders impacted by the DSTs should submit comments…

On Friday, May 29, President Trump announced several actions related to China and Hong Kong. The President’s delivered remarks and what was left unsaid were equally instructive. While we are still waiting on details for some of these actions, below is an overview of the President’s announcement.…

On May 26, 2020, the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that it would accept comments from the public on the Section 232 exclusion process, including regarding factors considered by agency officials when rendering decisions on exclusion petitions, the efficiency and transparency of the current process, and potential revisions to the current process.  This comment window will provide members of the public with a direct opportunity to engage with agency…

“We are going to win so much” is a staple soundbite from President Donald Trump, and also representative of his administration’s approach to international negotiations. President Trump favors bilateral trade deals and has been optimistically touting the US as the UK’s first FTA partner after Brexit. From the UK’s perspective, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also wants wins, partly due to the desire to uphold certain regulatory standards, and largely to maintain political, economic, and social…

COVID19 brought out to light various vulnerabilities in different realms of our lives. Some business and industry sectors have become especially fragile due to an unexpected, unrelenting and active pandemic. Please join our trade practitioner, José María Viñals, for the FIDIC (international Federation of Consulting Engineers) COVID-19 webinar series focusing on “Clients, investors and developers’ perspectives on the fragility of the construction and infrastructure sector” on May 28, 2020 at noon-1:30 p.m. CET.…

Status:  Clearance Acquirer:  Huatai Securities Co., Ltd. (China); AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc., (US) Acquired:  WBI OBS Financial, LLC (US) Value:  US$18.4 million Industry:  Financial Services On September 30, 2019, AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMK), a “provider of extensive wealth management and technology solutions that power independent financial advisers and their clients,” (AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc., “What We Do” web page), entered into an agreement to acquire WBI OBS Financial, LLC, an…