Update: More information on the directive here. Service provided by whistleblowers, combined with strong encouragement and protection of active whistleblowers, has proven to be a vital link between the public interest and enhancement of the public good, away from corruption, negligence, and malfeasance. Despite their protected position encouraging and even enabling them to reveal insider…

Update: Mehr Informationen zur Richtlinie hier. Whistleblower haben sich als wichtiges Bindeglied zwischen dem Gemeinwohl und dessen Schutz vor Korruption, Fahrlässigkeiten und Rechtswidrigkeiten erwiesen. Jedoch schrecken Mitarbeiter und Stakeholder oftmals aus Angst vor Vergeltungsmaßnahmen davor zurück, Rechtsmissbrauch zu melden. Um Hinweisgebern die Information der Öffentlichkeit zu erleichtern, hat die Europäische Kommission eine neue Schutzmaßnahme eingeführt.…

In an M&A dispute, can you stop the target’s subsidiaries from taking measures that threaten to dissipate their assets, thus de-evaluating the parent company? This was a question that was very recently put before the Austrian Supreme Court (6 Ob 142/19d). The Facts The underlying dispute arose after a Brazilian investment company contracted to acquire 100%…

Executive Summary: The Austrian Supreme Court has recently provided guidance on how to structure cash pooling arrangements so that the risk of violation of the strict Austrian capital maintenance rules is minimized. In essence, the decision indicates that if there is sufficient commercial justification; no special default risk that could prove an existential risk to…

EU’s largest trade agreement ever concluded on 28 June 2019: the EU and the Mercosur brought to fruition the long-standing negotiations on a comprehensive trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur (the “Association Agreement”). The Mercosur is an economic block covering Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The largest treaty of its kind for the…