The government has announced the allocation of an additional PLN 30 billion to continue support for entrepreneurs under the new anti-crisis programme in the second quarter of 2021. In April alone, the amounts paid out to entrepreneurs will total PLN 7 billion - by comparison, in March the sum of support amounted to PLN 3 billion. According to the government's announcements, the measures will mainly focus on maintaining jobs, but the new programme is also to be a background of the spring economic rebound that will follow the third wave of the pandemic.
The Spanish parliament has approved the Law amending the Companies Act (Legislative Royal Decree 1/2010, of July 2, 2010) and other pieces of financial legislation, as regards the encouragement of long-term shareholder engagement at listed companies.
The International Bar Association (IBA) approved, on December 17, 2020, the revised IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration (‘IBA Rules 2020’), finally published on February 17, 2021. The revised rules have been updated on matters related to remote hearings, cybersecurity, docent production, witness statements and expert reports, appointment of experts, cross-examination or the admissibility of evidence.
English law, courts and lawyers are a popular option for business transactions in the EU. Brexit could possibly change that, not so much because of obstacles to a valid choice of English law or the enforceability of judgements rendered by English courts but because the UK is now outside the many procedures for judicial cooperation within the EU (summoning, taking of evidence and other forms of judicial cooperation) which are vital for effective cross-border litigation.
The departure of the United Kingdom from the EU will not affect the enforceability of English arbitration awards. Accordingly, in international commercial contracts, arbitration could be a more attractive alternative to litigation as it entails fewer risks to contracting parties in the new post-Brexit legal landscape.
On January 1, 2021, a new law on public procurement, adopted by the Polish Parliament on September 11, 2019, entered into force, (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 2019) . The new regulation aims to organize the public procurement system and further harmonize it with EU law.
The provisions of the CIT Act, which came into force on 1 January 2021, oblige taxpayers with revenues exceeding EUR 50 million and tax capital groups, to prepare and publicly announce a tax strategy report.
On January 21, 2021, the President of the Republic of Poland signed the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Generation in Offshore Wind Farms (Offshore Act), which is expected to give momentum to the Polish renewable energy industry and form part of Poland's energy security system.
