Search Results for: Ireland

European Union (EU) member states are lagging in compliance with a requirement in the fifth anti-money laundering directive (5 AMLD) (1) to create public ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) registers by January 10, 2020. A European Commission webpage (2) on 5AMLD compliance last updated June 2 (2022) shows 12 governments are facing infringement proceedings either because they have not adopted legislation writing the directive fully into national law or because they have implemented it incorrectly.…

Suspicious transaction reports (STRs) often receive bad press in AML circles, experts claiming they are too expensive, numerous and often containing little value for law enforcement investigations. However, the truth is that STRs are widely used to investigate and prosecute money laundering and associated predicate offences, even if the debate continues over their cost effectiveness.…

Continental European and British manufacturers are stepping up to supplement the depleted US infant formula market, but their efforts may be limited by too little supply and too much red tape. “In the short run, major export volumes from the EU [European Union] to the US in these products is not a very realistic expectation,” said Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of Copa-Cogeca, which represents EU farmers and agri-cooperatives.…

Irish accountants are actively helping clients understand the country’s Gender Pay Gap Information Act, in force from May 31 (1), requiring firms to publicly report gender pay gaps – and action to solve them – in their organisations.

Companies and advisors are concerned about the tight June-to-December timescale for reporting pay data, said Aoife Newton who leads KPMG’s gender pay gap (GPG) reporting services: “The timeline for reporting is very limited.…

Growing environmental concerns and rising awareness of sustainable energy resources is driving considerable growth in the global used cooking oil (UCO) market. Production is also being boosted by recent technological advancements in UCO processing, expanding supplies from the rapidly evolving foodservice industry and initiatives by various governments to promote UCO for industrial use.…

IF the UK loses its right to European Research Council (ERC) grants and access to the European Union (EU)’s 9^th Framework Programme (FP), dubbed Horizon Europe (1), a long tradition of cooperation in research and innovation will be put at risk, scientists warn.…

INTRODUCTION 

The connection of information and operational technology through smart factories makes for undeniable improvements in manufacturing efficiencies, in output and cost. But all new technologies spark fresh vulnerabilities for attacks by criminals. Given the latent strength of smart factories is in connectivity, cyber-attacks are their most important illicit threat.…

Halal certification systems are many and varied worldwide, but if they have one uniting feature, it is their use of logos, affixed to products, buildings and publicity, to promote the importance of their guidelines.

These symbols are important to certification bodies, and time and imagination is spent on making them distinct, even if their designs are not universally popular.…

The European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi has called for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to be strengthened with rule changes to make it more independent and effective. Presenting the EPPO’s annual report for 2021 to a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s committees on civil liberties, justice and home affairs and on budgetary control April 20, Kövesi argued for “radical simplification” of the founding EPPO regulation (1) and a shift of competence and budget to the central office in Luxembourg to guarantee the independence of delegated prosecutors in the 22 EPPO countries (2).…