During the Commission’s summer break we bring together some developments on the EU antitrust scene, which have the potential to affect the way companies do business in the EU. The first concerns the Coty case, which reopened the discussion around possible harmful free-riding effects of selling over through third party platforms. Second, given the press…
Brexit Perspective – Deal or no deal?
The first substantial week of negotiations between the UK and the EU on Brexit concluded today. But is anyone any clearer as to whether a deal can be reached, and what the details of such an agreement would look like? Most people would answer with a ‘no’. Deal, no deal or what kind of deal?…
The politicisation of toxicology
“In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” ― Galileo Galilei Scientific progress requires scientific debate. Ideas come from questioning the status quo, technologies develop when innovative solutions are sought, and science advances when flaws are dissected, discussed and ironed out. But there is…
Life Sciences and Brexit – Intensive Care Needed?
On 12 July 2017, the Healthcare and Life Sciences team of FTI Consulting’s Brussels office hosted an event entitled, “Brexit and Life Sciences: Intensive Care Needed?”, bringing together experts from the UK and Brussels to discuss the impact of Brexit on the healthcare sector and what it means for businesses on both sides of the…
Revising the audiovisual rules – the final twist?
In Brussels, it doesn’t get any more exciting this: today, the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament start the final part of the legislative process to hash out line by line and article by article how to revise the existing EU audiovisual rules. Think Django Unchained but with pen and paper. At stake…
Brexit Bowl – Views from China
July is usually when the thoughts of politicians and officials from across Europe begin to turn to sun, sea and sangria, and dreams about strengthening the Union (the European Union) are put on the back burner for a month or two. But for the Brexit negotiators holed up on both sides of the Channel, there…
PARIS AGREEMENT – US COPING OUT
The Paris Climate Agreement has been a diplomatic success story, giving rise to the hope that the world finally unites in the fight against climate change. In 2015, 196 countries signed the international compromise and formally committed to finding solutions in order to mitigate climate change. Trump’s announcement on 1 June to withdraw from the…
Brexit, Energy and Ireland
One year on from the UK’s vote to leave the EU, FTI Consulting hosted a high-level panel discussion in Dublin on Thursday 22 June 2017 on the impact of Brexit on Ireland’s energy markets and security. The panel comprised Colin Spain, who established and leads Gaelectric’s Energy Trading and Markets Services team and is responsible…
Our event on Autonomous Vehicles: Who will win the global race?
On 15 June we held a lunch briefing on the global competition towards autonomous vehicles. Speakers from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the EU Commission, Ford, Bosch and Allianz SE discussed the issue, on which we also published a white paper. What added a new dimension to the event were the experts from the…
Strasbourg blog # 5: Europe’s getting its act together?
As always, last week was a busy week in Strasbourg. While MEPs and the European Commission celebrated the end of roaming charges (but forgot to mention the many exceptions), discussions on the future of Europe and its place in the world continued in the plenary. Among the many topics raised, discussions on the euro, global…