All Legal & Institutional articles
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Article
EU and India conclude negotiations for free trade agreement
The European Union and India have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement, marking the largest such deal ever concluded by either side. “The EU and India make history today, deepening the partnership between the world’s biggest democracies,” commented Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. “We ...
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Trump threatens trade tariffs against Canada
The US President, Donald Trump, has threaten to impose a 100 percent tariff on Canadian imports it its northern neighbor signs a trade agreement with China. “If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a “Drop Off Port” for China to send goods and products into the United ...
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ArticleUS pauses Greenland tariff threat
The US has paused threatened tariff increases against several European allies following talks between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, easing tensions that had escalated over Greenland and transatlantic trade. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said tariff measures previously ...
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ArticleEU parliament delays Mercosur deal
The European Parliament has moved to delay ratification of the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement by requesting a legal opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union. After 25 years of negotiations, the free trade deal was signed on Jan. 17 by the President of the European Commission, Ursula ...
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The owner of the Inside fashion retailer files for bankruptcy protection
Liwe Española, the Spanish group that owns the Inside clothing stores, has filed for bankruptcy protection with a Murcia-based commercial court. The move comes after the same court rejected on Jan.9 a restructuring plan that Liwe had drafted with its advisors. On Jan. 19, Liwe said that filing for ...
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ArticleThe EU and Mercosur sign a free trade agreement
On Jan. 17, the European Union and Mercosur signed a Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and an Interim Trade Agreement (iTA). However, the controversial free trade deal still has to be approved by the European Parliament and single EU member states. When on Jan. 9, a qualified majority of EU ...
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ArticleUS threatens to hike trade tariffs for 8 European countries in Greenland standoff
The US President Donald Trump announced additional tariffs on imports from eight European countries until an agreement is reached for the purchase of Greenland by the US. If applied, duties on exports to the US could increase to 35 percent for the UK and 40 percent for the other six ...
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ArticleSaks Global files for bankruptcy
Saks Global, the US high-end department store group, has filed for bankruptcy and has announced the appointment of a new CEO and a financing commitment of about $1.75 billion to help fund a turnaround. Geoffroy van Raemdonck, the former CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, had been named as the ...
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ArticleEU countries clear the Mercosur trade deal
A qualified majority of European Union member states has given the go-ahead to a free trade deal with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, despite protests of farmers and the opposition of France. Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that the parties had found a “balance” between the interests of ...
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Deichmann loses court battle over waste disposal fees
Deichmann has lost a legal dispute at the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court over waste disposal costs, according to media reports. The Essen-based footwear retailer had sought exemption from Germany’s system participation obligation, or Systembeteiligungspflicht, which requires businesses to pay fees for the recycling and disposal of packaging intended for private consumers. ...
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ArticleEU introduces €3 duty on parcels worth less than €150
The member states of the European Union have agreed to introduce a temporary €3 customs duty per item on e-commerce parcels valued below €150, starting on July 1, 2026. If a parcel has several items of the same product the tax will only apply once. But if it contains different ...
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News briefs
EU scales back corporate sustainability rules
EU lawmakers reached a political agreement on Dec 9 to significantly scale back corporate sustainability and due diligence obligations under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The deal was concluded during a trilogue between the European Commission, Parliament and Council. According to ...
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Thirtheen brands asked to provide supply chain information to the Italian police
The Italian police visited 13 brands and asked them to provide documentation regarding their governance and the control of their supply chains as part of an investigation into alleged worker abuse at subcontractors, the Reuters news agency reported citing judicial documents. The companies concerned are Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Prada, ...
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ArticleTod’s obtains postponement on ruling regarding advertising ban
A Milan-based court has granted a request by Tod’s to postpone a hearing on whether its advertising should be banned for six months due to concerns over alleged labor abuses within its supply chain. A hearing on the matter scheduled for Dec. 3 has been postponed to Feb. 23 after ...
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ArticleIndian labor reform seen cutting red tape but hiking cost of hiring
India’s labor reform should ease the compliance burden for businesses, but the cost of hiring may rise, according to the Japanese brokerage Nomura. On Nov. 21, the country launched four new labor codes, resulting in the largest overhaul of workers’ laws in decades in an effort by the government to ...
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Mexican government to support the local textile and footwear industry
The Mexican government has presented a stimulus plan for the textile and footwear industry in order to recover about half of the 100,000 job the sector has lost to foreign competition. Through an agreement with the Spanish bank BBVA and Mexico’s development bank Nacional Financiera (Nafin), the government aims ...
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Instagram, Facebook to ban Australians under the age of 16 from Dec. 4
Meta announced that it will start banning from Dec. 4 Australian users under the age of 16 accessing Instagram, Facebook and Threads to comply with the country’s new social media rules. The US group started notifying the users concerned “to give them the opportunity to save their contacts and ...
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GermanFashion elects a new president
The trade association GermanFashion has appointed a new president following the biennial election of its board of directors at this year’s general meeting. After 14 years in the role, Gerd Oliver Seidensticker, of Seidensticker Group, has handed the presidency to Justus Lebek, of Lebek International Fashion, who was elected with ...
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US to cut Swiss trade tariffs to 15%
The United States and Switzerland reached trade agreement under which the US will cut import tariffs on Swiss products to 15 percent from 39 percent, while Switzerland will remove a range of tariffs across agriculture and industrial sectors and Swiss companies pledged to invest $200 billion in the US ...
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ArticleBirkenstock wins a copyright lawsuit in the Netherlands against Scapino
Birkenstock said that the District Court of Midden-Nederland, located in the Dutch town of Utrecht, has ruled in its favor a copyright case against the local shoe retailer Scapino. The German company said that the decision ”stands out” because the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled in February ...
