The German foreign direct investment regime has historically been regarded as market-liberal. Following a series of earlier changes in 2017 and 2018, with a legislative bill for the amendment of the German Foreign Trade Act (Außenwirtschaftsgesetz) put forward by German government in early April 2020, this conclusion may now be (more) difficult to support. Formally on the background of the... >>>

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached the real estate industry. In the week before April 1, 2020, many companies announced that they would not pay rent due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other companies requested deferral or reduction of rent due to the im-pact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many lessees also raised the question of whether the closing down of shops and restaurants by authorities... >>>

The Covid-19 pandemic also has a significant impact in the areas of competition law and State aid. In the current crisis, companies may find it necessary to cooperate or merge with other market participants, to exchange information with competitors (possibly within the framework of associations), to control the resale of products by customers or to take advantage of State aid. This client... >>>

The current developments around the corona virus raise questions of how to deal with court deadlines. In addition to the obvious possibilities of extending and postponing deadlines, the related but more general question about how to design proceedings in the event of crises is coming into focus. This client information first discusses the legal situation regarding court deadlines during... >>>