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LexBlog France › Norton Rose Fulbright
58 results for LexBlog France › Norton Rose Fulbright
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Brexit – France clarifies the form and content of the information to be provided by UK insurers to their French insureds and policyholders following Brexit – Update
As mentioned in our previous post published in April 2019, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance passed a decree dated 22 March 2019 (the March 2019 Decree) implementing the provisions of the ordinance n°2019-75 of 6 February 2019, introducing a contingency plan for the financial services sector in connection with the withdrawal of the...
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L’accord national interprofessionnel du 26 novembre 2020 : « soft law » à la française
Le télétravail s’est largement développé en France au fil des années, et naturellement, ce mode de travail a été particulièrement utilisé, bon gré mal gré, par les entreprises au cours de l’année 2020, à la faveur de la crise sanitaire, et des recommandations (plus ou moins liantes) du Gouvernement. Les bases du télétravail ont été...
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Can French employers require their employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine?
Further to the approval by EU authorities of the vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, and further to the recommendations of the French Health authorities on the vaccination programme, the French vaccine campaign against Covid-19 was launched yesterday, at the same time as in all EU countries. In France, the Government established a specific strategy...
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The Financial compensation for a non-compete provision can be invalid if too high says the French Supreme Court!
In France, the rules governing post-termination, non-compete and/or non-solicitation clauses in employment contracts have been established through case law. Restrictive covenants in an employment contract are only considered enforceable by French courts if they meet the following criteria (which are cumulative) : – They do not extend beyond what is reasonably necessary to protect the...
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Digital Taxation – Novel Considerations in M&A Transactions
Digital taxes have become a subject of significant debate in recent years. Following allegations that tech giants have paid very little tax anywhere in the world, some countries have moved to impose new taxes on profits derived from digital services provided by multinational enterprises on a jurisdiction-specific basis. For instance, France recently adopted a digital...
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End of the lockdown in France: what are the precautions for employers operating in France?
On 7 May, the French Prime Minister announced the date chosen for the start of the “de-confinement” phase for France, namely 11 May 2020. The lockdown, which started on 17 March, lasted almost 2 months during which some shops and businesses were closed, and the vast majority of companies operated on the basis of remote...
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La France sort du confinement : Quelles précautions pour les employeurs ?
Le 7 mai dernier, le Premier Ministre a annoncé la date retenue pour le début de la phase de déconfinement des Français dans le cadre du plan de lutte contre le Covid-19, à savoir le 11 mai 2020. Le confinement, qui a commencé le 17 mars dernier, aura duré près de 2 mois durant lesquels...
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How to process employees’ health data in France after lockdown: dos and don’ts for employers
A few weeks ago, we provided you with a summary of the rights and obligations of employers with regard to the personal data of their employees during lockdown. On 11 May, many employees will return to their workplaces. Below you will find answers to the main questions you may have ahead as the end of...
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ECB supports macroprudential policy actions taken in response to coronavirus outbreak
On 14 April 2020, the European Central Bank (ECB) updated its web page concerning the measures taken by macro-prudential authorities in euro area countries since 11 March 2020. Key points in the updated web page include: Countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) – Among the seven euro area countries with positive rates, authorities in France, Ireland and...
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France implements new social measures to face the pandemic
The first COVID-19 cases appeared in France a few weeks ago and French people have been in lockdown since March 17. The repercussions of this pandemic are significant, and the Government has been authorized, by Emergency Act No. 2020-290 of 23 March 2020, to take measures through ordinances (which means that no debate is required...
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La France face à la pandémie : les mesures sociales s’organisent
Le COVID-19 a fait son apparition en France il y a quelques semaines déjà et les Français sont confinés depuis le 17 mars dernier. Les répercussions de cette pandémie sont importantes, et le Gouvernement a été autorisé, par la loi n° 2020-290 du 23 mars 2020 d’urgence pour faire face à l’épidémie de covid-19, à...
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France combats the pandemic
Since January 2020, Coronavirus COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the world, causing massive disruption to business and everyday life as well as thousands of deaths. The French Government has reacted in several stages. After issuing recommendations for barrier measures, it decided to close schools and more recently, it ordered the general confinement of French people...
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Airbus’ Sky High Settlement – Focus on Global Reach and Collaboration in Anti-Corruption Prosecutions
On January 31, 2020, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced a settlement with Airbus SE (“Airbus”), the French aircraft manufacturer, in relation to bribery allegations and, in the US and France, export controls violations. The combined penalties total $3.9 billion, which is the largest anti-corruption settlement in history. The settlement offers insight...
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Airbus’ $4 billion settlement – Key takeaways for business in the Middle East
Airbus’ record US$4 billion (AED 14.6 billion / 15 billion Saudi Riyal) global settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), France’s parquet national financier (PNF), and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for bribery and related offences has dominated the headlines over the past week. The investigation into Airbus uncovered bribery and attempted bribery...
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De nouvelles obligations pour les plateformes de mise en relation
Les plateformes de mise en relation (comme Uber ou Deliveroo), qui sont de plus en plus utilisées en France, font pourtant l’objet de nombreuses critiques, principalement fondées sur les conditions de travail des travailleurs indépendants qu’elles utilisent dans le cadre de leur activité. Le Gouvernement français s’est donné pour mission d’encadrer l’activité de ces plateformes,...
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France: Le harcèlement sexuel susceptible d’être exclu en cas d’attitude ambigüe de la victime
Le harcèlement sexuel est défini, dans le Code du travail, par « des propos ou comportements à connotation sexuelle répétés qui soit portent atteinte à [la] dignité [du salarié] en raison de leur caractère dégradant ou humiliant, soit créent à son encontre une situation intimidante, hostile ou offensante ». Le Code du travail prévoit également une...
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France: Provocative acts do not necessarily fall within the scope of sexual harassment if the victim’s behaviour is ambiguous
The French employment Code defines sexual harassment as “repeated sexual comments or conduct that either violate the [employee’s] dignity because of their degrading or humiliating nature or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive situation against the employee“. The French employment Code also assimilates to sexual harassment “any form of serious pressure, even non-repeated, exercised for...
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PRA Policy Statement 24/19: Large exposures – reciprocation of French measure
On 15 October 2019, the PRA published Policy Statement 24/19: Large exposures – reciprocation of French measure (PS24/19). In PS24/19 the PRA sets out its final rule following Consultation Paper 15/19: Large exposures – reciprocation of French measure (our blog is here). In this consultation the PRA proposed to apply a tighter limit for large...
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France: The complex consequences of the occurrence of gross misconduct during the notice period
The general rule under French law is that when employment contracts are terminated, employees are entitled to a prior notice period, the length of which depends on the status of the employee (executive or non-executive), their length of service, and in some cases their age. The applicable rules are generally set by the sector-wide collective...
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What are an employer’s chances of overcoming an employee’s claim for overtime in France ?
The basic working time arrangement in France is 35 hours per week, and although there are a number of alternative working time arrangements potentially available, this is still the one that applies to the majority of French employees. However, this is not a maximum working week – employees working beyond that amount are entitled to...
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Plafonnement des dommages intérêts en cas de licenciement injustifié : la rébellion se poursuit
La Cour de cassation vient de déclarer conforme aux engagements internationaux de la France, le « barème Macron » qui plafonne les indemnités attribuées par un juge en cas de licenciement sans cause réelle et sérieuse. Avant l’entrée en vigueur du « barème Macron », en cas de licenciement sans cause réelle et sérieuse , il appartenait au juge de fixer...
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Large exposures: Reciprocation of French measure
On 15 July 2019, the PRA published Consultation Paper 15/19: Large exposures: Reciprocation of French measure (CP15/19). In CP15/19 the PRA sets out its proposal to apply a tighter limit for large exposures to certain French non-financial corporations, to reciprocate the same measure imposed by France. The proposed measure applies on a consolidated basis to...
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The strict conditions that must be complied with to pay variable remuneration in France
Whilst an employer is perfectly free to offer variable remuneration to an employee, the validity of such remuneration is subject to compliance with a number of conditions developed by the courts, as follows: – the variation of the remuneration must be based on objectives or targets the accomplishment of which are independent from the employer’s...
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PACTE law : Key provisions in the field of industrial property
PACTE law : Key provisions in the field of industrial property The French law for the growth and transformation of companies, (the PACTE law, from its French acronym), was definitively adopted by the French Parliament on 11 April 2019. The text, the purpose of which is to promote the development and competitiveness of French companies,...
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Global Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Trends for 2019
In this on-demand webinar, members of our Regulatory, Compliance and Investigations team in London, France, the US and Hong Kong give their thoughts on likely regulatory enforcement and sanctions trends for the rest of this year based on recent enforcement cases and forward looking statements from the regulators. Topics discussed include individual accountability, anti-money laundering...
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France clarifies the form and content of the information to be provided by UK insurers to their French insureds and policyholders following Brexit in the event of a no-deal
On 22 March 2019, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance passed a decree (the Decree) implementing the provisions of the ordinance n° 2019-75 of 6 February 2019, introducing a contingency plan for the financial institutions sector in connection with the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) (the Ordinance). As...
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France enacts a new legal regime for insurance contracts entered into before Brexit in the event of a no-deal.
On 7 February 2019, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance passed an Ordinance (No. 2019-75) introducing a contingency plan for the financial institutions sector in connection with the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) (the Ordinance)[1]. The Ordinance amends the provisions of the French Insurance Code (FIC) (among others)...
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France, Germany and UK launch INSTEX to facilitate European trade with Iran
In a joint statement on 31 January 2019, France, Germany and the UK (together, E3) announced the creation of a payment channel SPV (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, INSTEX) to offer European companies a settlement option in relation to their Iranian business activities. INSTEX aims to facilitate legitimate trade between European companies and Iran, focusing...
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Dismissal for misconduct cannot be based (solely) on anonymous reports
Anonymous reports have been mistrusted for a number of years in France, for historical reasons. While anonymity enables individuals to raise their voice more openly, without being the targets of retaliation measures, it can also drift into slander. This explains a specificity of French law under which whistleblowers using ethicals lines are strongly encouraged to...
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Employee rights in France in the event of bereavement
The occurrence of certain events in an employee’s personal life may give rise to authorized leave for family reasons, particularly in case of bereavement. The French labor code provides for a list of events entitling an employee to take leave. These provisions are of Public Order and therefore cannot be derogated from in a way...