An employer did not breach its duty to make reasonable adjustments for an employee with a stammer when it held internal promotion interviews via video conference. The employee’s stammer made him curtail his answers in the interview, which negatively affected his assessment. However, he had not told his employer that his stammer might have this effect and, on the facts of this case, the employer was reasonable in not realizing it.
On 27 January 2024, Law No. 2 of 2024 was issued (“Law”), providing green hydrogen and derivatives projects with certain incentives. These incentives are extended not only to green hydrogen and derivatives projects (such as green ammonia and green methanol), but also to the upstream and midstream facilities, of which 95% of the output is to service green hydrogen and derivatives projects and projects exclusively carrying out transportation, storage and distribution of green hydrogen and its derivatives in Egypt. The incentives also extend to projects that directly and exclusively manufacture production input and supplies for the midstream and downstream facilities for which a cabinet decree has been issued. The Law also applies to future expansions of suchprojects.
The autonomous region’s tranche of the Special Tax on Hydrocarbons in force in Spain between 2013 and 2018 was contrary to the EU Energy Taxation Directive and should therefore be declared unlawful, as concluded by the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Athanasios Rantos.
Among other renewable power sources, rooftop solar (RTS) power has increasingly become an important power supply source in Vietnam in recent years. However, the implementation of the PDP8 demands some changes to policies and regulations on the development of RTS power. In this update, we provide an overview of the RTS power development in Vietnam from a regulatory and legal perspective, along with an analysis of key legal considerations for the development of new RTS power projects in Vietnam.
On 25 January 2024, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China promulgated the Interim Regulations on Administration of Carbon Emissions Trading (“Regulations”), which will come into force on 1 May 2024.
The Regulations set out the regulatory regime over carbon emission allowance (CEA) in the mandatory carbon market, while the Administrative Measures for Voluntary Trading of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction (Trial), effective from 19 October 2023, regulate the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) in the voluntary carbon market.
We are pleased to share with you our annual briefing looking at financial services regulation and enforcement in 2024, “What does 2024 hold? Key upcoming developments and enforcement trends”.
With Brexit and the pandemic firmly in the rear-view mirror, and the geopolitical ebb-and-flow settling into a somewhat more stable – if preciously perched – pattern, regulators around the world have turned their attention to less reactive, more forward-looking actions. Our London Financial Institutions Regulatory and Enforcement experts explore the key developments and trends expected to dominate the regulatory landscape this year.
On 1 April 2024 new provisions contained in the Financial Code for the State of Mexico will become effective, with regard to the following taxes:
- Ecological Tax on Waste Disposal, Confinement and Storage (“The Waste Tax”);
- Tax on Pollutant Emissions to Water (“Water Tax”).
There are also new rates applicable to the Tax on Pollutant Air Emissions (“Air Emissions Tax”), in force since 2022.
Investigations are an essential tool for ensuring a company’s ethical standards are being followed by employees, business partners, and any others with whom the company interacts. However, investigations are also an essential tool for demonstrating and maintaining strong corporate governance – an integral part of a company’s ESG commitments and strategy. It is also a good time to set yourself some goals and resolutions. To help you on your way, we are pleased to share our top 5 Lunar New Year Resolutions for handling Internal or Government Investigations
The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES)) has informed financial institutions of the extension of the prohibition on contracting rural credit operations and the suspension of the release of funds to clients with current embargoes registered in IBAMA’s Register of Environmental Charges and Embargoes and who have not taken effective measures to regularize them. SUP/ADIG Circular No. 76/2023-BNDES included this prohibition in SUP/AIDIG Circular No. 13/2022-BNDES, which sets out guidelines and general orientations for Accredited Financial Institutions. The Circular was published on 11 December 2023, and will come into effect on 10 March 2024.
On 29 January 2024, the UK’s Better Buildings Partnership launched a radically updated Green Lease Toolkit to inform and normalize green lease thinking between landlords and tenants, and to facilitate a more seamless incorporation of sustainability-focused provisions within commercial leases.