Corporate Assignments

E-Commerce – Advising a leading global player in e-commerce. The team established a continuously updated EU Policy & Regulatory Road Map, capturing all the prioritised policy areas of relevance to the client. This ranged from consumer protection issues, payment services, counterfeit products, VAT issues for cross-border sales to the responsibilities for internet and e-commerce service providers. On the basis of the Road Map, strategic advice was provided on EU engagement, in order to ensure that the industry interests were properly registered and understood. High-level and quality-driven/substance-based outreach to the European Commission resulted in the company becoming an appreciated partner and indispensable stakeholder in EU policy-setting and regulation.  

Satellite Communications – Advising a US-based company on EU policies and programmes regarding internet access in remote areas. Internet via Satellite is a swiftly developing solution for internet access in areas that cannot be covered by regular telecoms systems, including copper and optic-fibre connections.  In such cases, internet via satellite could be considered. On the basis of the strategic advice and regulatory screening at EU level and in individual EU Member States, the client was able to develop a pan-European marketing plan and – since it provided high-end technology – could enter into a dialogue with the European Institutions to update policy-makers on innovative technologies.

Innovation in Finance – An EU based company developed an innovative web-based B2B matchmaking platform where companies with investment projects could meet potential investors and financiers. The idea was developed in the aftermath of the financial crisis and aimed at assisting in particular SMEs to increase their access to finance options. Following the strategic advice provided by the team, “web-based SME financing options” were included in various EU policy and regulatory frameworks. The team subsequently ensured that the concept developed by the client was also “exported” to investment organizations with focus on developing countries and emerging economies.   

An international financial services industry association / Payments Services Directive (PSD2). - Our lawyers represented the client in the EU institutions during the legislative process of adopting the new EU Payments Services Directive (PSD2). The services included engagement with the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament; as well as with other European industry associations. We set out a legal analysis of the provisions of the draft Directive and prepared a position paper for the client, demonstrating the risks of the harmful unintended consequences for the client’s industry resulting from the design of the provisions of the draft legislation.

Following effective outreach towards the EU Institutions, the European Parliament and the EU Council introduced and adopted amendments to the draft Directive, significantly clarifying the relevant provisions aimed at preventing the negative discriminatory impact on the client's industry.

International chemical company -  Our lawyers  assisted the client in launching several legal complaints with the European Commission against a number of Member States, regarding potential infringements of EU law by the Member States' newly-adopted national energy legislation. The legal complaints concerned violations of EU state aid, EU energy and public procurement law. An additional case was launched in the EU Court of Justice. In parallel to the legal cases, our team designed and carried out, together with the client, a broad engagement and awareness-raising campaign in Brussels, in order to increase the visibility of the legal cases and to gain support from a wider group of stakeholders for the client's position. The campaign involved meetings with Members of the European Parliament, senior EU Commission officials and EU Council officials to present the client's position, as well as engaging with European industry associations and leading Brussels-based media.

Multinational telecom and tech firms: We are providing monitoring services to a wide range of clients including the largest, overseas trade promotion agencies and government bodies and the biggest public policy firms operating globally. 

Leading US social network operator: We provided complex public policy, governmental affairs and regulatory consultancy services in the CEE region for the client. Our activities included in depth analysis of the Hungarian and Romanian political systems, regulatory mapping and setting up meetings with decision makers. The service included monitoring of political and legal developments in the wider CEE region and selected countries in the Balkans.