Issue #33 February 2017

The IPBA Secretariat
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Tel +81 3-5786-6796 FAX +82-3-5786-6778
E-mail: ipba@ipba.org

Topics: IPBA Membership News • IPBA Committee News • Auckland 2017  •
IPBA Local and Regional Events • IPBA-Supported Events

IPBA Membership News

• We will soon stop taking payments for 2017 membership dues, so make sure you're up to date now!
• Even if you were a member when you registered for the Annual Meeting and Conference in Auckland, your membership must be valid in 2017 in order to take advantage of the cheaper conference registration rate!
• Contact the IPBA Secretariat if you have any questions about your membership.
• IPBA member benefits include exclusive access to legal reference materials such as Thomson Reuters' Practical Law Guides. Go to the Member Only section of the IPBA web site and access the information you need on a long list of topics, available at your fingertips, 24/7.

IPBA Committee News

This month we have comments on managing risk, if not also harnessing it, following changes in the United States, a new French country of origin labeling program regarding milk and meat products and an update on the new EU-Canada trade agreement.

International Trade, Corey Norton, Chair

From Jeff Snyder, United States:

A view from Washington: Change is in the air, even if not yet in law. With President Trump withdrawing from the TPP, beginning to renegotiate NAFTA, and threatening retaliatory tariffs and border adjustment taxes, global companies are not just in “wait and see” mode, they are planning for disruption in their supply chains and looking for opportunities to manage the risk, if not take advantage of the turbulence. Import sensitivity is a guiding theme: even without key posts filled (Secretary of Commerce, USTR), there are nonetheless growing signals that new enforcement and stricter administration of the antidumping laws is here. In addition to import sensitivity, trade enforcement continues in the area of sanctions (despite the Cuba relaxation and the Iran deal) and export controls. US enforcement continues in the anti-money laundering and terrorist finance areas, as well as anti-corruption and foreign investment (CFIUS). The volume and pace of enforcement is creating increased internal corporate investigations, as global companies look to get and keep their houses in order in the face of the Trump wave of change. Due diligence in M&A deals is ramping up. Buyers are more attune to trade risk nowadays, and in the Trump policy environment, trade risk is that much more important.

From Paolo Vergano, Belgium:

(1) France has started a two-year trial of a mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) scheme, which requires producers of milk, food containing milk products and food containing meat to provide information on the country of origin of the products. Before the end of this trial period, France will provide a report to the European Commission on the impact on the internal market. In view of the report, the Commission may consider implementing such a scheme in all EU Member States. Also other EU Member States are introducing their own COOL measures. When making COOL mandatory, the EU’s international trade obligations under the WTO framework must be taken into account.

(2) On 15 February 2017, the plenary of the European Parliament voted in favour of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada, thereby concluding the ratification process at the EU level. After Canada will also have ratified the CETA, the parts of the CETA under EU-competence will provisionally enter into force. Ratification by the Canadian Parliament is expected to take place within the coming months. The CETA will only apply fully once all EU Member States have ratified the agreement according to their respective domestic requirements.

27th IPBA Annual Meeting and Conference in Auckland:  Connectivity & Convergence April 6-9, 2017

Only 36 days to go until the first day of the conference! 

• If you have any questions or problems with your conference registration or accommodation, please be sure to contact the conference organizer directly!
• It will be autumn in New Zealand at the time of the conference. Be sure to check the weather report just before the conference so that you can bring the appropriate things to wear. Dress codes for the social events can be found here.
• The delegate list is not yet available to everyone just yet, but you can see how many from your jurisdiction are registered on the top page of the conference web site. The delegate list will be provided to delegates just prior to the conference. You can keep up with the number of delegates from each jurisdiction by checking the top page of the conference web site. Right now, Japan is in the lead with 89 delegates. 
• Committee session details can now be found on the conference web site, including session description and list of speakers.
• A Certificate of Attendance will be issued to all delegates after the conference, to be used to apply for CPD/CLE points in one's own respective jurisdiction.

The Silver Fern is a symbol of New Zealand. The plants can grow to up to 10 meters tall, with fronds 4 meters in length. It is said that the silver underside of the fronds reflect the moonlight, helping to guide Maori people through the forest.

IPBA Local and Regional Events 2017

IPBA-Supported Events 2017

The IPBA collaborates with other legal organizations that have the same philosophy as we do. One of those organizations is AIJA (Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats), an association for lawyers aged 45 and under. We support their Annual Congress 2017, which takes place in Tokyo August 28-September 1, 2017.

Check the IPBA web site for more events! IPBA members can enjoy discounted registration rates at most events.