Public Policy

January 2021

Recapture of Excess COVID-19 Payroll Tax Credits Addressed in New Regs As the legal, regulatory, and commercial implications of coronavirus COVID-19 continue to evolve, our lawyers and advisors are helping clients navigate the complex considerations that companies around the world are facing and develop plans and strategies in response. Reach out to our ...

January 15, 2021, Global Policy Watch

Next week will be plenary week in the European Parliament.  Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels.  Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, MEPs will debate and vote (Tuesday) on a report on strengthening the EU’s capabilities to enforce its rights under...… Continue ...

January 8, 2021, Global Policy Watch

Next week, Members of the European Parliament (“MEPs”) will gather virtually and in person in Brussels for committee meetings.  Several interesting votes and debates are scheduled to take place. On Monday, the Committee on International Trade (“INTA”) is the first Committee to debate on the merits of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), which...… ...

December 29, 2020, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude spoke with CNBC about the economic impacts of the recent Brexit trade deal.

December 28, 2020, Covington Alert

On December 24, 2020, exactly four and a half years after the result of the UK’s EU Referendum, the UK and the EU reached an agreement on their future trade and cooperation arrangements: the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“EUTCA”). The transition period that has run since the UK left the EU in January 2020 will end at midnight Central European Time on ...

December 17, 2020, Covington Alert

In April 2019, the UK Government published its Online Harms White Paper and launched a Consultation. In February 2020, the Government published its initial response to that Consultation. In its 15 December 2020 full response to the Online Harms White Paper Consultation, the Government outlined its vision for tackling harmful content online through a new ...

December 2, 2020, Covington Alert

Seizing a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to work with the Biden-Harris team—potentially the most transatlanticist administration in decades—the European Commission and the European External Action Service today adopted a detailed and comprehensive plan to reinvigorate and reimagine the transatlantic partnership. The proposed strategy will be further debated, ...

November 24, 2020, Covington Alert

On November 20th, the Commons’ Treasury Select Committee launched an Inquiry looking at the future of financial services regulation in the UK after departure from the European Union. In this alert we set out the scope of the Inquiry and how companies can contribute evidence that may influence the Committee’s findings. The Committee is appointed by the House of ...

November 19, 2020, Covington Alert

With the UK due to host the COP 26 climate summit in a year’s time, the UK Government is keen to set out its credentials as a global ‘green‘ leader and demonstrate not only that it can make good on its election promise to level up (with much of the promised Green Industrial Revolution investment being focused in old industrial heartlands in the North of ...

November 16, 2020, Covington Alert

Latest Developments In the latest tit-for-tat action in a long-running trade dispute between the United States (“US”) and the European Union (“EU”), the EU announced that effective November 10, 2020 it would apply a 25% tariff on products found in 136 8-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (“HTS”) numbers ranging from vitamins to video game consoles. (The full list ...

November 3, 2020

LONDON–Ambassador Thomas Reilly has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy Practice in London as the head of the firm’s UK Public Policy team. Ambassador Reilly most recently served as the British Ambassador to Morocco between 2017 and 2020, building deeper political and economic ties between the two countries. During his time as ambassador, he led the ...

October 16, 2020, Politico

Kevin Coates spoke with Politico about a move unveiled by the U.S. Secretary of State demanding greater foreign funding disclosure. Mr. Coates described the move as “Partly right, partly wrong.” Right that “think tanks disclose foreign governments. Wrong that it doesn’t also cover think tanks disclosing all funding, foreign and domestic, state and private. ...

October 16, 2020, Sky News

Francis Maude provided updates on Brexit negotiations in an interview with Sky News.

October 15, 2020, Red Box

Francis Maude recently appeared on The Red Box Politics Podcast to discuss COVID-19, Brexit, and other current issues in the UK.

October 2, 2020, Global Risk Regulator

John Ahern and Francis Maude are quoted in Global Risk Regulator regarding trade deals that will significantly impact the city of London. Mr. Ahern spoke about a UK-Japan trade deal that will improve financial services access. He says, “It is good the UK reached an agreement with Japan, it gives confidence that deals can be concluded elsewhere, but Japan is not ...

October 2, 2020, Global Risk Regulator

John Ahern and Francis Maude are quoted in Global Risk Regulator regarding the European Union’s pursuit to compete with the UK in financial services. Mr. Maude says, “One of the criticisms of the EU generally is that it tends to focus on competition within the EU. The UK focuses on competitiveness globally and the balance is not on lower levels of regulation. ...

September 25, 2020, Politico

Maree Gallagher and Marie Doyle-Rossi are quoted in Politico regarding Brexit’s impact on the U.K. and Irish pharmaceutical industry. Ms. Gallagher explains that as things currently stand, on January 1, the MHRA will be responsible for regulating medicines in Northern Ireland. However, medicines moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland (or indeed, from ...

July 29, 2020, Covington Alert

Last week, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the possible adoption of a new EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”). This consultation is yet another of the initiatives that the Commission is taking to roll out its ambitious European Green Deal (for a recent overview webinar see here). Manufacturers in virtually all industrial ...

July 8, 2020, Covington Alert

In recent years and with increased vigor in recent months, stakeholders and governments, including the United States, have focused on labor-related and other human rights issues concerning the treatment of Uyghur and other minority Muslim groups in the Xinjiang region of China. In this post, we provide an overview of some of these developments and considerations ...

May 17, 2020, Kyiv Post

May 14, 2020, Bruegel

Michael Leigh participated in a webinar with Bruegel entitled, “Democracy in the times of COVID-19 with Věra Jourová,” to discuss how Europe can uphold its democratic values during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

May 5, 2020, Covington Alert

Every new team entering the Berlaymont to head up the European Commission starts out with bold and ambitious plans. Time after time, reality intervenes, and their plans are upended. This was true for the second Barroso Commission in 2010, when the aftershocks of the Global Financial Crisis and the Greek and Euro crisis that followed came to dominate their ...

March 31, 2020

LONDON—James Marshall has joined Covington’s Competition Practice in London as a partner. Mr. Marshall advises on all aspects of competition law and sector regulation and regularly counsels clients on merger control, investigations, commercial deals, abuse of dominance, and compliance. He is recommended by Legal 500 in multiple categories and is recognized as a ...

February 27, 2020, Covington Alert

On February 19, the European Commission laid out its ambitious plans for regulating data, AI, and the digital sphere. These set the stage for the next five years’ work for President von der Leyen’s Commission in this critically important, and ever expanding, domain. Crucially, in its plans the Commission is making a concerted attempt to call on the “Brussels ...

February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington secured a major ruling for Ukraine in an arbitration against the Russian Federation under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ruling, issued today by a five-member arbitral tribunal, rejected the majority of Russia’s jurisdictional objections and permits Ukraine’s case to proceed to the merits. “The Tribunal’s ...

January 13, 2020, Covington Alert

The EU legislation governing genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”) is over 30 years old. It states that an organism is classified as a GMO where its genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The rules around “contained use” of GMOs (essentially in laboratory settings) are relatively straightforward. The “deliberate release” GMO ...

December 23, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the risk and possibility of a Brexit no-deal. Lord Maude says, “The risk of a no-deal Brexit without a withdraw agreement is very unlikely because it is in no one’s interest for that to happen… But there has always been a risk that if both sides get into an absolute standoff that there could be an end to the ...

December 13, 2019, International Financial Law Review

Francis Maude is quoted in the International Financial Law Review regarding the UK election results and its effect on the future of Brexit. Lord Maude says, “It is too early to say for definite what will come next, though I feel that London will continue to be the financial center of Europe. It is where the critical means of capability is. I’m confident that the ...

November 27, 2019, Law360

Atli Stannard is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s claims of European Union banks violating privacy and anti-discrimination laws when they share customer information with the IRS. EU countries may negotiate with the Treasury Department, but only if they receive larger cross-border effort against tax avoidance. Mr. Stannard says, ...

November 8, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington has secured a decisive win for Ukraine in proceedings against the Russian Federation before the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) concerning violations by Russia of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (“ICSFT”) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial ...

September 16, 2019, Covington Alert

Over the summer, Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission since July 16, prepared her 27-member Commission. On September 10, she presented her new team – five years to the day from when Jean Claude Juncker presented the current Commission. If approved by the European Parliament, her new team will take office on November 1, 2019. This ...

August 28, 2019, Bloomberg

Francis Maude participated in a discussion with Bloomberg on the prorogation of the U.K. Parliament and its effect on Brexit. Lord Maude says, “There is nothing radical about [proroguing].  It’s also the case that Parliament always rises for recess in the second part of September…I think, actually, the judgment, that this makes a deal potentially more likely, is ...

May 25, 2019

WASHINGTON—Advised by Covington, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs secured a significant victory against the Russian Federation in a dispute arising under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (“ITLOS”), a 21-judge international tribunal based in Hamburg, ordered Russia to release three Ukrainian naval ...

May 22, 2019, The New York Times

Peter Balas spoke with The New York Times about the effects of populism in Europe on free trade. Mr. Balas says, “The rightist parties will play a bigger role. The Greens will play a bigger role. It will be much more difficult in the Parliament to have a cohesive approach to trade.”  

May 7, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to speak about Brexit’s effect on British markets and the upcoming election.  

April 25, 2019, Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law highlighted Covington's Global Problem Solving team and the efforts of the lawyers who make the capability possible.   Sebastian Vos said the group doesn’t just work on problems for clients, but tries to use its resources to anticipate what problems could arise in the future and craft resolutions for them. “We help unlock a situation where a ...

March 28, 2019, Legal Week

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Legal Week regarding the potential decrease in work for law firms in the UK following Brexit. He says, “A general impression is that small and medium-sized enterprises don’t have enough resources to prepare, while our clients – large worldwide pharmaceutical companies – have invested millions into this. Many have done their homework, ...

March 26, 2019, Risk

Anne Termine is quoted in Risk regarding U.S. margin rules in the event of Brexit. To ensure continued access to the full range of services, EU-based swaps counterparties may wish to move their contracts to affiliates outside of the UK, says Ms. Termine. Swaps dealers may need to move their swaps, for example, to the EU from a UK platform because there is no ...

March 25, 2019, The Law Society Gazette

Sebastian Vos, Francis Maude, and Erika Mann are quoted in The Law Society Gazette regarding Covington’s expansion of public policy work in Europe.   Mr. Vos says, “The firm’s USP is the sheer number of former senior diplomats in our midst, on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in Asia and Africa.” He adds, what clients “value most is the combination of law ...

March 13, 2019, Law360

Carlo Kostka spoke with Law360 about Brexit’s effect on corporate contingency plans. Companies across the services and manufacturing industries have already invested enormous sums to prepare for the unknown, said Mr. Kostka. He added, “They have investment plans and, with some exceptions and caveats, the trigger has been pulled on many of those.”

March 11, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude spoke with CNBC about Article 50 and the possibility of a Brexit extension. On the possibility of an Article 50 extension, Lord Maude says, "I think it's inevitable that we'll ask for one."

December 13, 2018, Covington Alert

The first EU-level rules on the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) are about to be agreed. These do not provide for the direct screening of FDI by the institutions of the Union, but rather create a framework for national initiatives and the exchange of information, and impose certain obligations on Member States to ensure a certain harmonization of any ...

December 3, 2018

BRUSSELS—Alexis Lautenberg has joined Covington’s Public Policy practice as a Senior Advisor. Ambassador Lautenberg is a long-serving Swiss diplomat whose career has been focused on European financial services and trade policy. His forty years of public service included postings as Swiss Ambassador to the EU, Italy and the UK. In 2013, he co-founded the Swiss ...

November 15, 2018

The proposed withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom was published by the European Commission on November 14 (see here). The text runs to 585 pages, and represents a tentative agreement reached between the UK and EU negotiating teams. It is accompanied by an eight-page outline of the proposed political declaration on the future ...

September 10, 2018, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Eric Holder and Craig Pollack are featured in Commercial Dispute Resolution regarding the firm’s ambitions to be at the forefront of international dispute resolution. Mr. Holder and Mr. Pollack discussed managing complex disputes, diplomatic solutions, culture of collaboration, Brexit, and structure and strategy of a case.   Mr. Holder said in the interview, “We ...

September 5, 2018, Irish Examiner

Maree Gallagher is quoted in the Irish Examiner regarding Brexit’s impact on Ireland’s agri-food sector. Ms. Gallagher, also Chair of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Agri-Food Committee, says, “The agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry employing around 250,000 people enabling €12.6bn in exports a year.” Ireland, who is a major source of ...

July 25, 2018, Financial Times

Jean De Ruyt is quoted in the Financial Times regarding EU plans to protect its businesses investing in Iran and mitigate a new wave of U.S. sanctions. Mr. De Ruyt notes, “It’s a European policy that’s totally in contradiction to the American policy: that doesn’t happen very often.”

July 24, 2018, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in The Telegraph regarding an extension of the Brexit deadline. According to Mr. Van Vooren, “For that to happen, Article 50 requires that the European Council decides unanimously on the extension in agreement with the UK.” Mr. Van Vooren added, “An extension is not likely if it will merely extend the painful process of the last 15 ...

June 15, 2018, BBC Two

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC Two's "Daily Politics" show to discuss the latest developments in Brexit negotiations in Westminster and beyond."

June 5, 2018, The Irish Times

Sir Michael Leigh and Lord Francis Maude recently participated in a roundtable with The Irish Times to discuss Brexit developments. Commenting on the status of finding a solution to the Irish Border issue, Leigh and Maude said that they do not envisage a solution to maintain an invisible border being agreed until there is a deal on the future EU-UK trading ...

June 1, 2018, BBC Radio

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC Radio's "Today" programme to discuss new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU.

May 31, 2018, Bloomberg Surveillance

Lord Francis Maude appeared on "Bloomberg Surveillance" to discuss the latest developments related to Brexit.

May 2, 2018, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the UK's future trading relationship with the EU. According to Maude, “It remains the case that it is hugely in the interest of the UK and of the EU 27 for there to be a sensible, pragmatic deal that, with good will on both sides, means that Britain remains in a deep and special partnership with the EU.”

April 23, 2018, The Pink Sheet

Grant Castle is quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding comments from head of the UK BioIndustry Association stating that authorities are jumping the gun by reallocating all UK centralized rapporteurships to other EU member states before it is clear whether there will be some form of continued regulatory relationship between the UK agency, the MHRA, and ...

March 23, 2018, Law360

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the draft treaty signed by European Union leaders to move forward Brexit negotiations, including a 21-month transition deal. As a matter of international law, EU law will apply “in and to” the UK up to and during the transition period, says Van Vooren. But, he adds, “this is not the same as ‘equating’ the ...

March 15, 2018, The Pink Sheet

Bart Van Vooren and Peter Bogaert are quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding the future relationship between the UK and the European Medicines Agency following Brexit. According to Van Vooren, the EU "considers that cherry-picking the benefits of the internal market on a sector-by-sector basis, combined with a request to be able to influence the rules, ...

March 14, 2018, Covington Alert

In our March 9 client alert we outlined the proclamations issued by President Trump announcing tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum in the United States, which will go into effect on March 23. The European Union—which is the second-largest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, after Canada—has expressed concern about the imposition of ...

March 7, 2018, Global Risk Regulator

Lord Francis Maude is quoted in a Global Risk Regulator article regarding the proposed transition period after the UK leaves the EU. "I’m not worried about the transition period if it is for a couple of years,” says Maude. “Typically, when new regulation is introduced, there is at least a two-year implementation period. It is possible some new regulation is ...

2018, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2018, Contributing Editor

2018, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2018, Contributing Editor

December 28, 2017, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the backlash faced by Theresa May as UK Prime Minister and what lies ahead. According to Maude, "It is very easy in the moment to see things as more stark than they are. And if Theresa May gets through this period, which I would expect her to, then I think we will look back and see this as a bit of turbulence. But ...

December 15, 2017, Sky News

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Sky News to discuss phase two of the Brexit negotiation process. "Well it's good news it's progressing," says Maude. He added, however, that it is not going to be easy as there is a lot to discuss, and it will take time. Maude also said that he believes the process can be more cordial now. "I think…in the early days, there was a ...

December 15, 2017, NPR

Jean De Ruyt appeared on NPR following the decision by European leaders to allow Britain to begin negotiating its future trading relationship with the European Union. According to De Ruyt, if European negotiators push too hard, they risk toppling Prime Minister May, who's weak at home. "Honestly, they want to reinforce her. She leads encouragement. Who else ...

December 14, 2017, Bloomberg

Lord Francis Maude appeared on "Bloomberg Surveillance" to discuss the Brexit process and Theresa May's role.

December 3, 2017, Financial Times

Sir Michael Leigh is quoted in a Financial Times article examining which side holds more leverage in the Brexit negotiation talks. "It is asymmetrical. The candidate country has no choice but to accept the basis for negotiations,” says Leigh. “That goes for leaving too.”

September 25, 2017, Bloomberg

Sir Michael Leigh is quoted in a Bloomberg article following Theresa May's speech in which she affirmed that Britain will pay its dues to the European Union through 2020. Commenting on the Brexit negotiations, Leigh says, "Money is the most visible issue, the most sensitive, and the most likely to be the focus of disagreements."

September 15, 2017

BRUSSELS—Sir Michael Leigh has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice as a Senior Advisor. Dr. Leigh was Director-General of DG Enlargement at the European Commission from 2006 to 2011 and as such served as chief European Union negotiator with candidate countries. From 2003 to 2006, he was Deputy Director-General of External ...

September 13, 2017, Politico

Jean De Ruyt is quoted in a Politico article regarding EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s proposal to combine presidencies with Council President Donald Tusk. According to De Ruyt, it is a “logical idea” and has long been discussed in EU circles. The Council president and Commission president “already share around 80 percent of their competences,” De ...

September 13, 2017, BBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC to discuss Jean-Claude Juncker's State of the Union speech and Brexit.

August 24, 2017, Politico

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Politico's "Brussels Playbook" regarding the UK's ECJ Brexit position paper. According to Van Vooren, “Although it reads like a non-committal overview of possible options, there is a clear focus on the most advanced forms of institutional integration currently in existence (other than the EU itself, of course)."

August 23, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding the UK's position paper which dismisses the European Commission’s demand for disputes to be handled by the CJEU. According to Van Vooren, the paper "has the seeds of a compromise on the CJEU."

August 22, 2017, Bloomberg

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Bloomberg's "Brexit Bulletin" regarding a position paper from Theresa May's government on how it sees the post-Brexit relationship with Europe. According to Van Vooren, in the August 21 paper, the UK asked for British drug manufacturers to be able to release medicines to the European market after Brexit. Yet that would only work if ...

August 21, 2017, Bloomberg

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a Bloomberg article regarding the release of UK position papers outlining its goals of a future relationship with Europe. “Without the U.K. making a fundamental choice on its future relationship to the EU, it cannot expect to receive this depth of mutual recognition,” says Van Vooren. “Without making that choice clear now, the ...

August 3, 2017, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Telegraph in an article regarding the legality of Spain's veto over whether the Brexit deal will apply to Gibraltar. According to Van Vooren, "This is actually a complex question of EU constitutional law." He adds, "Could such a legal issue become an obstacle to the withdrawal agreement with the UK? That certainly cannot be ...

July 26, 2017, PaRR

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the UK Government's negotiating position on the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union following the completion of Brexit. According to Van Vooren, the EU was “in a slightly stronger position from an international law perspective” regarding pending cases and that the UK would likely “still be ...

July 17, 2017, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Telegraph in an article regarding the push by EU negotiators to impose fines on Britain for breaking European laws after Brexit. According to Van Vooren, "The way that infringement proceedings are brought is very much under the discretion of the commission…and they are extremely politicised." He adds that there would be a huge ...

June 12, 2017, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC following the UK election where he discussed what the results mean for the upcoming Brexit negotiations and more.

June 8, 2017, Bloomberg

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Bloomberg following the close of the UK election polls. "This was absolutely a good election for [Theresa May] to call, but the absolute rule should have been don't take risks," says Maude when commenting on the exit poll results which showed the Tories falling short of a majority. He adds that, at this point, the outcome is still ...

June 7, 2017, Sky News

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Sky News' Ian King Live ahead of the UK election where he discussed the upcoming Brexit negotiations and the need for Britain to be "outward looking" and as supportive of business as it can be.

May 15, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 2, 2017, the European Commission published a legislative proposal for a Regulation on a Single Market Information Tool. If adopted, the proposed Regulation would empower the Commission to request information from companies and trade associations, from a wide variety of industrial, technological and services sectors, if the Commission finds that serious ...

May 11, 2017, PaRR

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in PaRR's "Brexit Club" column regarding the two-part approach to the Brexit negotiation process, following the publication of draft negotiating directives for “phase one” of the talks. According to Van Vooren, there are real legal problems with this two-part approach, regardless of the parties' up-front negotiating positions. One ...

May 10, 2017, Financial Times

Sebastian Vos is quoted by the Financial Times in an article which examines Brussels' resistance to its EU counterparts' request for the European Commission to create additional hurdles for foreign investment, particularly in China.  Vos indicates that an EU mechanism to monitor foreign investment "would be an interesting tool for the commission to have in ...

April 18, 2017, LexisPSL

Lisa Peets is quoted in a LexisPSL article regarding the Conservative Party's mandate for a hard Brexit. According to Peets, "An increased majority gives the Prime Minister greater flexibility to push for a harder or a softer Brexit, depending on what she actually wants." She adds, "A healthy majority helps May show the EU that she can deliver on her ...

April 7, 2017, Bloomberg

Carl Bildt was interviewed by Bloomberg to discuss the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union after it triggered Article 50. According to Bildt, “[At] the end of the day there has to be some sort of agreement…and I think we are heading towards a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement.” He adds that there will need to be an interim agreement as it’s going ...

March 30, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Government published a White Paper envisaging an initial continuation of EU law in the UK “wherever practical and appropriate” on withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”). Today’s White Paper comes one day after the UK notified the EU of its intention to leave which triggers the two-year Brexit negotiation period. The UK Government intends on achieving ...

March 29, 2017, CNBC

Following the triggering of Article 50, Sebastian Vos was interviewed by CNBC to discuss the Brexit negotiation process. According to Vos, “It’s a very compressed timeline.” He adds, “The aim is to achieve a mutually beneficial post-Brexit relationship between the EU and UK, but…the various member states have to take account of differing national interests.”

March 29, 2017, Bloomberg

Following the triggering of Article 50, Lord Francis Maude was interviewed by Bloomberg to discuss the impact of Brexit on businesses. “I think there’s a deep recognition on both sides that there is a joint self-interest in reaching a sensible, orderly agreement.” He adds that there are “huge numbers of issues affecting lots of different sectors” and businesses ...

March 29, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, formally triggered the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”) by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This is the first time an EU Member State has used the Article 50 mechanism. This marks the beginning of the two-year period in which an arrangement for Brexit must be agreed and ...

February 7, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Péter Balás is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding forthcoming Brexit negotiations and the impact on tax and customs duties. Commenting on Theresa May’s signal of a changed relationship with the EU’s customs union, Balás says that such a relationship made the application of customs controls “unavoidable,” with the United Kingdom aiming ...

January 30, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Lord Francis Maude and Carl Bildt are quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding post-Brexit mutual recognition arrangements. According to Maude, it would be “very surprising if mutual recognition arrangements” could not be sorted out relatively easily. He adds that continuation is likely because the “benefits on both sides” are now ...

January 30, 2017, Covington Alert

As has been widely reported, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“the Order”) on Friday, January 27, 2017, entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which, among other directives, bans individuals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia (the “Covered Countries”) from entering the United States ...

January 6, 2017, Law360

Sebastian Vos is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the launch of a Global Blockchain Business Council at this year’s World Economic Forum by Covington and The Bitfury Group. “Blockchain has the potential to be the next great technological innovation, revolutionizing areas from cross-border payments, trade finance and land registries to government records,” ...

December 12, 2016, The Guardian

Jean De Ruyt is quoted by The Guardian in an article regarding a proposal to allow British nationals to keep EU citizenship after Brexit. According to De Ruyt, “This proposal is absolutely not serious.” He continues, “It is very vague and for the distant future, it is not something which is made for Brexit. Maybe it can be discussed 10 years from now if member ...

November 16, 2016, MLex

Ambassador Jean De Ruyt is quoted in an MLex article regarding the appointment of Didier Seeuws as the leader of the Council of the European Union’s taskforce on Brexit. According to De Ruyt, Seeuws is a “good technician with a political mind.” De Ruyt adds that “[Seeuws is] a fixer; he wants to find solutions.”

November 3, 2016, Covington Alert

Today, the High Court of England and Wales held that the UK Government does not have the power to trigger the process of withdrawal from the EU without first obtaining Parliamentary approval. The High Court’s decision will likely be the subject of an appeal heard by the UK Supreme Court in December this year.

October 10, 2016

LONDON—Lord Francis Maude, the former UK Minister for Trade and Investment in Prime Minister David Cameron’s government, has joined Covington as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. With a political career spanning almost 40 years, Lord Maude has held a number of high profile government positions, including Financial ...

October 10, 2016, PR Week

Timothy Hester and Lord Francis Maude are quoted in a PR Week article regarding Maude’s recent arrival. According to Hester, “The results of the Brexit referendum will continue shaping the commercial and regulatory realities of the global economy for some time to come. As the world’s businesses, diplomats and regulators grapple with the new landscape across ...

October 10, 2016, CDR News

CDR News highlighted the promotion of 13 Covington lawyers to partner, as well as the arrival of Lord Francis Maude in London as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. According to firm chair Timothy Hester, “Our new partners reflect the excellence, strengths, and diversity of the firm and will play important roles in the ...

October 3, 2016, The Guardian

Ambassador Jean de Ruyt is quoted in an article by The Guardian regarding the European Commission’s rejection of Theresa May’s call for preparatory talks on Brexit before the UK’s formal resignation from the EU. de Ruyt suggests there was a “grey area” where informal talks could happen, but governments will not start negotiations with the UK without notification ...

June 30, 2016

BRUSSELS—With the latest addition of Ambassador Péter Balás, Covington has further enhanced its global Antitrust and Competition and Public Policy and Government Affairs practices. The firm’s strategic growth in Europe includes the addition of the following professionals in recent months: Ambassador Péter Balás, the former Deputy Director-General of DG ...

June 6, 2016

BRUSSELS—Ambassador Péter Balás, the former Deputy Director-General of DG Trade at the European Commission between 2005 and 2014, has joined Covington as a Senior Policy Advisor. Recently Ambassador Balás also held the position of Head of the Support Group for Ukraine at the European Commission. He was previously Ambassador and Permanent Representative of ...

May 23, 2016, CDR News

Timothy Hester, Carl Bildt, and Sebastian Vos are quoted in a CDR News article regarding the arrival of Carl Bildt as a Senior Policy Advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. According to Vos, “In ever more complex regulatory regimes, the implementation of such regulation will often be very important. In this context, what the ...

May 19, 2016

BRUSSELS — Carl Bildt, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, has joined Covington as a Senior Policy Advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. Most recently, Mr. Bildt served as Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2006 and 2014. As Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr. Bildt led the government that negotiated and signed ...

February 8, 2016

BRUSSELS — Erika Mann, a former Member of the European Parliament and policymaker with over 20 years of experience, has joined Covington in its Brussels office as a senior European policy advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. Most recently, Ms. Mann served as Managing Director of Public Policy for Facebook in Brussels from ...

February 8, 2016, Louvain University Press

December 17, 2015, Covington Alert

October 2, 2015, The Washington Post

Senior of counsel Gary Guzy is quoted in this Washington Post article discussing new climate action plans released by 51 countries. “What is ground breaking is that, for the first time, all of the major emitting nations of the world are committing to a truly international approach to addressing climate change,” said Guzy. “While perhaps not perfect, the scale of ...

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

September 14, 2015

BRUSSELS, September 14, 2015 — Ambassador Karel Kovanda has joined Covington’s global public policy and government affairs practice as a Senior European Policy Advisor. He will be based in the firm’s Brussels office. Ambassador Kovanda served as Deputy Director General of External Relations (now the European External Action Service) at the European Commission ...

August 25, 2015, Covington Alert

April 22, 2015, GlobalPolicyWatch Blog

January 10, 2015, European Voice

Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat has authored this piece on the transatlantic trade agreement: "We are at an important inflection point in the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the United States and the European Union."  "TTIP has the prospect of being the most economically important trade agreement in ...

September 2014, Money Laundering Bulletin

Peter Flanagan and David Lorello have co-authored this piece on US and EU sanctions targeting Iran: "On 19 July 2014, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China (the “P5+1”) and Iran mutually consented to extend the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), reached by the parties on 24 November 2013, for an additional four-month period, to 24 ...

August 8, 2014, Roll Call

Witney Schneidman writes on how extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act will enable the U.S. to maintain a competitive edge against China in the African market in this op-ed for Roll Call: "In the competition for African opportunities, job creation is the U.S. strategic advantage. We are not going to finance infrastructure the same way that China does, ...

June 16, 2014, Bloomberg

International public policy professional Sebastian Vos is joining Covington & Burling LLP to lead the European division of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice in Brussels. Vos, who works for Fipra International, will focus on competition and technology-related public policy issues and continue his public policy work involving emerging ...

June 12, 2014, Politico

"The law firm Covington & Burling has brought on European public policy expert Sebastian Vos as a partner in the firm’s Brussels office. In his new role, he’ll lead the European division of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice. He’ll lead a team that includes former Ambassador Jean De Ruyt. “It’s a firm that has a very good reputation ...

June 12, 2014, The Lawyer

Sebastian Vos is feautured in this article regarding his recent move to Covington in the firm's Brussels office.

June 4, 2014, Bloomberg TV

Covington's Stuart Eizenstat appeared on Bloomberg TV's Bottom Line to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's goals for Ukraine.

April 1, 2014, Vanity Fair

Stuart Eizenstat, co-chair of Covington’s international trade and finance practice and special adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry on Holocaust issues, is mentioned in this article regarding the 650,000 works of art looted from Europe by the Nazis during World War II, "Stuart Eizenstat, Secretary of State John Kerry’s special adviser on Holocaust issues, ...

March 13, 2014, Law360

Covington partner Marney Cheek is quoted regarding potential economic sanctions targeting Russians and Ukrainians responsible for the unrest in Ukraine: “My sense is that the administration is waiting to see the outcome of any referendum regarding the status of Crimea...Sanctions are an appropriate response in the short term. But an ultimate goal, at least after ...

November-December 2019, Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law