On 20 July 2021, the UK Government announced that the National Security and Investment Act will enter into full force on 4 January 2022. The NSI Act creates a new, self-standing UK investment screening regime on national security grounds, comparable to CFIUS in the US.

On 30 June 2021, the Government outlined its main legislative proposals for a new UK subsidy control regime. It introduced its long-awaited Subsidy Control Bill (the Bill) to Parliament, published a number of policy papers and provided a response to the public consultation that ran from 3 February to 31 March this year.

Episode 3: Foreign Direct Investments in France – Samantha Mobley (Partner, Baker McKenzie, London) talks to Marie Anne Lavergne, Head of the unit for Foreign Direct Investment in France, as well as Nataf Guillaume (Partner, Baker McKenzie Paris) on foreign investments screening in France.

Executive Summary The European Commission (Commission) has issued new guidance on when it will accept referrals of merger control reviews from EU national competition authorities. The new guidance was published on 26 March 2021 with immediate effect. In a change of policy, the Commission will accept merger control referrals from…

Countries around the globe are facing unprecedented and rapid change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government Intervention Schemes Guide provides a summary of key government intervention measures across jurisdictions around the globe in relation to: 

Foreign Investment Restrictions
Debt
Equity
Taxation
Insolvency
EU State Aid Approvals, where relevant

Four and a half years after the UK voted to leave the EU, a deal between the UK and EU was finally reached. The expiry of the transition period on 31 December 2020 marks the start of a new relationship between the UK and the EU. We have identified the…

As negotiations between the European Union (EU) and UK enter their final stages, the outcome of Brexit rests on a knife’s edge. The expiry of the transition period on 31 December 2020 (“Transition Period”) is fast approaching and, with that, the risk that the UK will leave with a so-called “Australia-style” relationship, that is to say, a trading relationship based on standard WTO rules.

What is certain, regardless of the negotiations, is that companies will have to navigate a competition landscape that has the UK as a standalone regime in all respects — even if with a heavy EU influence. Dealing with both the EU and UK competition authorities on the same merger or behavioural investigation will be routine, adding costs and complexity.

Countries around the globe are facing unprecedented and rapid change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government Intervention Schemes Guide provides a summary of key government intervention measures across jurisdictions around the globe in relation to: 

Foreign Investment Restrictions
Debt
Equity
Taxation
Insolvency
EU State Aid Approvals, where relevant

With global foreign investment scrutiny on the rise, not least in the current COVID-19 environment, staying fully informed and ahead of the curve has never been more important. For the latest developments and updates, please visit our new Foreign Investment and National Security blog (see here). This blog will keep users up-to-date in…

On 11 November 2020, the UK Government introduced the long-anticipated National Security & Investment Bill before Parliament. The new law will significantly expand the Government’s existing powers to review the national security implications of transactions and has been timed to coincide with the end of the Brexit Transition Period. The reforms follow concerns globally about foreign control of national businesses active in sensitive sectors, which have further intensified due to the COVID-19 crisis.