In an attempt to give local governments that are heavily indebted additional money, China’s Ministry of Finance announced that it would extend the Water Tax Interim Measures from ten provinces to the entire country, with effect from December 1. According to the ministry, the actions… Read More »China To Introduce Nationwide Water Resource Tax

The amended Enforcement Order of the Energy Use Rationalization Act was promulgated by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy on August 30, 2024, with the announcement that it will go into effect on September 1st of the same year. In the event… Read More »South Korea revises regulations on surcharges for automakers failing to meet CO2 emission or fuel economy standards

The results of the “Fit-For-55” climate stress test, which assessed how resilient banks, investment funds, the pension and insurance industries, and the overall economy are to the shift to a low-carbon economy, were released by the EU’s financial regulators. Even though transition risks by themselves… Read More »EU Regulators Urge Banks and Investors to Incorporate Climate Risks After “Fit-for-55” Stress Test

On October 2, 2024, the European Commission issued Regulation EU2024/2576, approving the compound 2-methyl-4-oxo-3-(prop-2-ynyl)cyclopent-2-en-1-yl 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropanecarboxylate for use in Type 18 biocidal products under EU Regulation No. 528/2012. Details are provided in the table below.

The new legislation follows the issuance of a letter early 2021, by European markets regulator ESMA to the European Commission, advising that the current unregulated status of the ESG ratings sector and the resulting lack of transparency posed a potential risk to investors. In July… Read More »EU Council Approves Legislation to Regulate ESG Ratings Providers

This initiative aims at establishing a complete list of currently regulated dual-use items, without any adjustments to the specific scope of control. On November 15, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the General Administration of Customs, and the State… Read More »China Issues Export Control List of Dual-use Items

Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted 371 to 240 to a one-year delay and amendments to alter the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a new law aimed at ensuring that products imported to or exported from EU markets no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation… Read More »EU Lawmakers Agree to Delay, Ease Law Banning Deforestation-Linked Products

A new set of guidelines called the ISO ESG Implementation Principles was released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) with the goal of helping businesses all around the world enhance their ESG performance, integration, measurement, and reporting. According to ISO, the new principles are… Read More »ISO Releases ESG Performance and Reporting Guidelines