The European Commission’s Omnibus package, published on February 26, 2025 (the Omnibus Package or the Package), proposes to simplify the EU’s sustainability laws. At the same time, it has generated significant uncertainty for...more
3/31/2025
/ Business Entities ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
The European Commission formally adopted its proposals for amending the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) in late February 2025, as part of its highly anticipated sustainability Omnibus package. In this...more
3/10/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
At COP29 in Baku, new rules were adopted for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These rules are meant to increase the transparency of the country-to-country trading of carbon credits under Article 6.2....more
2/28/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
CFTC ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Popular ,
Sustainability
More competitiveness, more coherence and less administrative burden – these are key political priorities for the new European Commission (the Commission) which took office last December. One of the earliest moves under the...more
1/17/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
This is an update to previous bulletins on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) which we published in June and September 2024.
In a decisive move that marks a new chapter for corporate...more
12/17/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
In this article, we provide an overview of country-led and private sector-driven key developments surrounding the recent United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16). The world is progressively recognizing that biodiversity...more
11/15/2024
/ Biodiversity ,
Climate Change ,
Contaminated Properties ,
COP ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
United Nations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently took two significant actions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
First, it issued final National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) for six PFAS...more
With Parliamentary elections and a series of national votes in 2024, the EU is entering a pivotal period in its history. In this study, ‘Global business in a changing Europe’, we speak to corporate leaders across the world to...more
3/22/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Asset Management ,
Capital Markets ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Global Market ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability
Are regulations across the lifecycle of a low-carbon infrastructure project helping or hindering the transition? What structures helping the route to Net Zero have been introduced so far? In which fields is work still to be...more
3/11/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Projects ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Net Zero ,
New Legislation ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform
With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluding that it will be difficult (and in some cases impossible) to reduce emissions to zero in certain sectors, several hundred million tonnes of CO2 will need to...more
Creating an effective regulatory framework will be critical to deliver Net Zero. But does that mean more – or less – regulation?
From trade agreements to taxonomies, carbon adjustment mechanisms to corporate sustainability...more
3/7/2024
/ Asia Pacific ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Global Economy ,
Global Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Middle East ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
United States
The EU Regulation establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is designed to drive businesses to achieve a true global reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions instead of relocating carbon-intensive production...more
10/3/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Importers ,
International Trade ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Taxation
Until now, however, no comprehensive estimate existed of the of that opportunity, (or, to put it another way, the size of the financing gap between committed spending and the investment needed to deliver Net Zero by 2050...more
9/25/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
Net Zero ,
Paris Agreement ,
Private Investment Funds ,
Renewable Energy ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
There are useful takeaways for EU and non-EU firms arising from the European Supervisory Authorities’ (ESA) latest thinking on greenwashing. In June 2023, the ESAs issued progress reports examining greenwashing risks and...more
7/27/2023
/ EIOPA ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Greenwashing ,
Insurance Industry ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
The Belgian subsidy regime in support of offshore wind developments is undergoing some important changes.
Very recently, through Royal Decrees of 23 May and 26 May 2023 and an amendment of the Electricity Act soon to be...more
On 17 May 2023, the EU Regulation establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (the CBAM Regulation) came into force. The CBAM Regulation will become applicable in phases, with provisions applying from 1 October 2023, 31...more
It’s not easy being green: the European Commission has published its long-awaited proposal for the Green Claims Directive to enhance consumer protection against greenwashing....more
Recent policy and regulatory developments have shown that governments and businesses around the world are increasingly focused on consolidating their competitive positions in the green industrial revolution. Significant...more
The EU emissions trading system (the EU ETS) is one of the key pillars of the EU’s policy to combat climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from regulated sectors....more
Impact on public procurement procedures.
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) was published on 23 December 2022. It will take effect on 12 July 2023 and provides for mandatory notification requirements from 12...more
We recently welcomed a stellar panel of guests to discuss how to drive more private investment in decarbonisation. Ambassador Patricia Espinosa, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,...more
Operators and traders of commodities such as coffee, cocoa and wood should start preparing for the new EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. The new Regulation requires detailed due diligence to be undertaken to...more
More than 50% of global economic output depends in some way on biodiversity. Frameworks are emerging to measure the impact of business on nature, but the science needs work if they are to succeed....more
Quick reference guide enabling side-by-side comparison of local insights, including legislation and main environmental regulations; regulation of hazardous activities and substances; environmental aspects in M&A, public...more
Quick reference guide enabling side-by-side comparison of local insights, including the main climate regulations, policies and authorities; national emission levels, limits and emission reduction projects; emission allowances...more