TTIP: Opportunities and threats for Europe’s power sector and energy-intensive industries
Signing the transatlantic free-trade agreement could increase Europe’s energy security. The trick is how to compete with American companies that are already using cheaper energy and don’t have to comply with the same restrictions on CO2 emissions.
Decarbonisation of EU economies: How does it work?
The issue of decarbonisation of the economies of EU member states, and in particular Poland, generates a lot of heat. Decarbonising the economy was named as one of the EU’s five energy priorities in the Commission communication entitled “A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy.”
Proposal to reform EU’s CO2 emissions trading system
On 15 July 2015 the European Commission published a proposal to amend the current Emissions Trading System Directive (2003/87/EC).
Work on stabilisation reserve for CO2 emissions draws to a close
On 8 July 2015 the European Parliament issued a decision establishing a market stability reserve (MSR) mechanism for CO2 emission allowances. The decision was approved by the Council of the European Union on 18 September 2015.
Lego manikin joins Rubik’s Cube
Lego figures are a toy for all. They develop not only the imagination, but also the line of European case law. Like Rubik’s Cube, they are reversing the tide of refusal to grant trademark protection to the shapes of products.
Waste Act amendment causes problems with EU funding for construction of incinerators
This year’s amendment of the Waste Act is forcing changes in the scheduling of incinerator projects. Target load start-up tests must be postponed until after the integrated permit is issued. This may give rise to claims by contractors for prolonging the project completion period because of a change in the law.
Obtaining decisions and permits: What can be demanded of a FIDIC contractor?
The contractual division of duties to obtain decisions and permits does not change the principle that the investor is basically required to cover the costs of obtaining them. Nor can a division contrary to law be imposed on the contractor.
Criminal law amendments of July 2015: Evolution or revolution?
On 1 July 2015, lawyers and parties to criminal proceedings in Poland entered a new reality. But will adversarial criminal trials truly unburden the courts and speed up the process?
Is a licence really forever?
Software licensing agreements often provide that the licence is granted for an unlimited time. But what does this mean in practice and what legal consequences does it exert?
Three stripes prevail over two
The General Court refused registration of a trademark of two parallel stripes on sports shoes. The difference in the number of stripes did prevent conflict with the adidas trademark of three stripes.
The block chain and the law
Bitcoin opened up a spectrum of possibilities and a legal Pandora’s Box. But block chain—the technology on which Bitcoin is based—generates even greater potential and further legal challenges.
Reprivatisation law must be just
An interview with Krzysztof Wiktor, a partner at Wardyński & Partners who co-heads the Reprivatisation Practice, about the little reprivatisation act, a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, and current trends in the case law.
