The dispute over the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the UK Withdrawal Agreement is proving hard to implement. The European Parliament Research Service has produced a useful summary. The UK government has even suggested reneging on it but pulled back following howls of objections, not least from within the UK itself.  … Read more

For many years, commercial parties across the globe, and particularly in Europe, have preferred to enforce their English law-governed agreements, and resolve their disputes, in the courts of England. This combination has been selected for many good reasons, including: the independence and expertise of the English judiciary and the efficiency of the court process; and … Read more

The post below was first published on our Litigation blog The European Commission has presented a “note verbale” to the Swiss Federal Council as Depositary of the Lugano Convention regarding the UK’s application to accede to the Convention, submitted on 8 April 2020. This states that: “The European Commission, representing the European Union, would like … Read more

The post below was first published on our Competition blog On 30 June 2021, the UK Government published its much-awaited Subsidy Control Bill.  In this update, we explore the key aspects of the proposed UK subsidy control regime.  We conclude with five key takeaways. Read more

The post below was first published on our Digital TMT and Sourcing blog. At the end of March, the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published the Policy Statement (PS7/21) and the Supervisory Statement (SS2/21) which set out its expectations of PRA-regulated firms regarding outsourcing and third party risk management. The publications are part of the … Read more

The post below was first published on our Litigation blog On 4 May 2021, the European Commission has released its anticipated communication to the European Parliament and the Council confirming the Commission’s view that the EU should not consent to the UK’s application to accede to the Lugano Convention. If this position is reflected in … Read more

The European Parliament has now finally consented to the Council concluding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom clearing the way for its definitive conclusion on 30 April 2021, the day on which the extended period of provisional application will expire. The consent of the European Parliament was never really in doubt but … Read more

The post below was first published on our Energy Notes blog. The end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 brought an end to the UK’s participation in the EU Emissions Trading System (the EU ETS), the bloc’s flagship ‘cap and trade’ scheme for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Having substituted this scheme … Read more