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BLOG: The Omnibus and the Compass: more details emerge of EU plans to simplify sustainability legislation On 29 January, the European Commission published an official communication on ‘ A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’ (‘the Compass’). While fairly high-level, it gives some early insights into what the EU’s much anticipated sustainability ‘omnibus' ... BLOG: Does antitrust law stand in the way of Net Zero Alliances? At the start of 2025, JP Morgan announced that it was exiting the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a UN- convened group of leading global banks - launched in April 2021 - to align their lending, investment and capital markets activities with net zero gre... BLOG: The EU’s Gender Balance Directive: Balance in the Boardroom The recently transposed EU Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive (the Directive) will require large EU-listed companies to ensure that members of the “underrepresented sex” hold at least 40% of their non-executive director positions, and 33% of the... BLOG: A question of interpretation: the UK Supreme Court’s decision in Royal Bank of Canada All has ended well for the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) following the Supreme Court’s majority decision (4:1) that the UK does not have taxing rights over the “royalty” payments RBC received. The value of these payments was dependant on the price and volume... BLOG: Ramsay reined in? Does the dissent in the UK Supreme Court case of Royal Bank of Canada signal changes to statutory construction principles? What do tax lawyers talk about at lunch? In my case, it’s been the UK Supreme Court's majority decision (4:1) in Royal Bank of Canada. My colleague, Zoe Andrews, has covered the facts and decision in outline here. BLOG: In House Perspectives on Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence and Reporting In early February, the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association brought together lawyers and practitioners from all over the world for a two-day conference on navigating the changes around shifting legal expectations in respect of corporate human rig... BLOG: Time to rethink the UK’s approach to modern slavery? Parliamentary inquiry into forced labour in international supply chains On 21 January, the UK Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (“the Joint Committee”) launched an inquiry into the UK’s legal and voluntary frameworks that address forced labour in international supply chains. The Joint Committee's findings and conc... BLOG: Atomic Modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty: Incremental Change or Fundamental Reform? - Part I The Energy Charter Treaty (‘ECT’) has long served as a cornerstone of cross-border energy investments. However, it has also faced increasing scrutiny, particularly for shielding fossil fuel investments at a time when many states are accelerating their ene... BLOG: Climate Litigation: Scottish Court Quashes Consents For North Sea Oil And Gas Fields The Court of Session in Scotland (Scotland’s supreme civil court) has quashed decisions by the previous UK Government to grant consent for the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea. BLOG: The Commission Work Programme 2025: What’s Next for the Omnibus? Updates in relation to the EU’s proposed sustainability 'omnibus' package seem to be coming thick and fast, although distinguishing between what is rumour and what is actually being planned, whilst we await further details from the Commission, ...