Labor Law, Mexico, NAFTA, USA

(International and Comparative Labor Law Scholar, Washington, D.C.)/ /Leave a comment

On 30 June 2020, the Mexican ministry of labor Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social (STPS – Secretary of Labor and Social Protection) issued its report on Public Communication No. MEX 2016-1 under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). Better known as the NAFTA labor side agreement, the NAALC was in effect in…

Competition Law, EU, EU Law, Sustainability

, , (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer)/ /1 Comment

A welcome initiative  Pressure has been increasing on businesses to contribute proactively to achieving climate and broader sustainability objectives. Companies consider that such initiatives often require cooperation with others, in order to get such projects successfully off the ground (for example, due to a minimum scale being required and/or due to a first mover disadvantage)….

Covid-19, EU, Labor Law

(Maynooth University (Ireland)), (Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome ), and (WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business))/ /Leave a comment
Mural at the International Labour Organization (Geneva)

Covid-19: Long-term vs short-term Assessing the effect of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 on work and employment will be a long-term endeavour. While much of the emphasis has been on when and how economies may safely re-open, we draw attention to the undervalued workplace considerations therein. We have produced an early assessment of measures taken…

Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), Trade Law, WTO

(Philippine Ambassador to the WTO)/ /Leave a comment

Recent events, most notably the Covid-19 pandemic, have brought home the point as never before how inter-connected and inter-dependent the world that we live in has become, and how vulnerable humans are to nature and natural phenomena, and how fragile human societies and enterprises are in the face of forces and science that are beyond…

Covid-19, EU

(Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin)/ /Leave a comment

During the lockdown, many workers unexpectedly found their normal place of work closed and they were required to start working from home (WFH). As lockdown restrictions are eased, a new scenario arises where employers and workers have to navigate the gradual resumption of activities in the workplace. This blog explores the need for employers to…

India, Trade Law

(Symbiosis Law School, Pune)/ /Leave a comment

On May 12, 2020, the Indian Directorate General of Trade Remedies (‘DGTR’) initiated a new anti-dumping investigation against a specific exporter from Vietnam,  Kim Tin MDF Joint Stock Company, for alleged dumping of ‘Plain Medium Density Fibre Boards’. Because  this product is already subject to anti-dumping duties in India, the second case is of interest. …

China, Trade Law, USA

(Sciences Po Law School, Paris) and (World Trade Institute)/ /Leave a comment

Although politics surrounding the US-China Trade deal are now a bit unstable , the intellectual property (IP) chapter in particular reflects some important principles that may well guide US-China relations regardless; they are important for what they do, and do not, include. Unlike other US trade agreements, the ‘IP Chapter’ appears as the first chapter…

Covid-19, EU Contract Law, EU Law, Force majeure, Hardship, Regulating, Single Market

(University of Bologna)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction: The Hardship Clause The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had (and is still having) a major impact on long term contracts, both at national and supranational level. In Italy, for instance, the emergency has ignited a lively debate on the most appropriate remedy to restore fairness in a contractual relationship where one of…

GDPR, Labor Law, Privacy

(KU Leuven, Institute for Labor Law), (Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome ), and (Maynooth University (Ireland))/ /Leave a comment

Introduction The field of digitalisation and privacy at work has received two major European Union initiatives over the last few days. First, on 24 June 2020, the European Commission issued its first report on the evaluation and review of the General Data Protection Regulation (the ‘GDPR’). It officially takes the form of a Communication from…

Covid-19, General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS), India, Trade Law, USA, WTO

, (Centre for Trade and Investment Law, New Delhi)/ /Leave a comment

On 22 April 2020, the U.S. President, Donald Trump, announced a “Proclamation  suspending entry of immigrants who present risk to the U.S. Labour Market during the economic recovery following the COVID-19 Outbreak” (“Proclamation”). Is the Proclamation compatible with the United States’ WTO obligations?  Specifically, is in line with obligations relating to the supply of services…

Regulating

(KPMG Italy)/ /Leave a comment

Today, global competition obliges companies dealing in international trade to modernize their procedures of delivery to minimize the customs burden and simplify the relationship with customs authorities. Customs planning is as important as ever, to be effective in the worldwide marketplace. Especially after the Covid19 sanitary emergency, there is a strong need to upgrade the…

India, Trade Law, WTO

(National Law University Odisha)/ /1 Comment

In a recent US WTO challenge, the Panel decided that certain Indian export incentive schemes were prohibited export subsidies. The Panel Report demands that these schemes be phased out, despite the fact that it will adversely affect exporters and India’s large current account deficit.[1]  Developing nations, like India, resort to export subsidies to stimulate industrial…

Multiparty Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), Trade Law, WTO

(University of Sharjah)/ /Leave a comment

Between a rock (trade wars) and a hard place (U.S. critiques), the WTO Appellate Body has been passing through some turbulent times. Due to the paralysis of the Appellate Body, the European Union (EU) and some other twenty countries have agreed on an arrangement, known as the Multiparty Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which allows…

Covid-19, EU, Labor Law, Regulating

(European Trade Union Institute & KU Leuven, Institute for Labor Law)/ /Leave a comment

From an EU social and labour policy perspective, 2020 started off on the right foot. In mid-January, the Commission presented its Communication on “A Strong Social Europe for A Just Transition”. In the Communication, the Commission’s priorities (the European Green Deal and the digitalization agenda) appeared to be intertwined with the commitment to promote fairness…

Japan, Trade Law

(Mori Hamada & Matsumoto)/ /Leave a comment

1. New Classification List of Public Companies for Foreign Investment Review On May 8, the Japanese authorities published a list of publicly-listed companies that are subject to prior examination for direct investments by foreign investors under the newly amended Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (the “FEFTA”).  The subject companies are classified into three categories:…

Brexit, Covid-19, EU, Labor Law, UK

(University of Nottingham)/ /Leave a comment

As the COVID-19 pandemic engulfs the world, requiring an unprecedented and, as of yet, unforthcoming global response, the idea of Brexit, the sheer self-indulgence and chicanery of Brexit, has quickly become remote from the minds of policy makers and peoples alike. Nevertheless, with negotiations on ‘forging a new partnership’ between the EU and the UK…

Case Law, Trade Law, UNCITRAL, United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)

(International University of Sarajevo)/ /Leave a comment

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (‘CISG’) epitomises the UNCITRAL’s endeavour to progressively unify and harmonise commercial law across the boundaries of nation-states. While the mere adoption and wide acceptance of the CISG are milestones in and of themselves, we should also not overlook the rich body of the…

Canada, Case Law, Covid-19, ILO, Labor Law, Trade Union

(Maynooth University (Ireland))/ /Leave a comment

Foodora Leaves Canada The pandemic of 2020 is a demarcation point that will take some time to understand. In the midst of such profound changes to daily life, labour law remains one background to these challenges. After its riders in the Canadian province of Ontario won a challenge to their union certification on 28 February…

Data protection, General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS), India, Trade Law

(National Law University, Orissa) and (National Law University, Jodhpur)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction The landmark decision in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India paved the way for protection of privacy including informational privacy by granting fundamental rights status to privacy rights. The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 (“PDPB”) aims to protect privacy by establishing a mechanism to regulate and control the processing of personal data. The…