Ireland looks set to impose some of the most significant changes to its waste and circular policy in recent decades following the publication of the General Scheme of the Circular Economy Bill 2021. Seeking to transform the country’s approach to consumption and production, the Bill seeks to give the Government powers to impose product levies and bans on products which disrupt the circular economy.

This power will apply not only to the products listed in the draft General Scheme, but may apply to any product consumed in the Irish State which has implications for the circular economy.

The big legislative push of the von der Leyen Commission on reducing carbon emissions, the Fit for 55 package, is approaching fast. Together with the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy published at the end of last year, they set the tone for what will be an ambitious and, above all, very busy policy agenda for anyone interested in Europe’s transport policy in the next 2-3 years.

Despite most of us not knowing what a cryptocurrency was ten years ago, there is no denying their presence in global markets today, with the total market cap of cryptocurrency surpassing US$2 trillion by April 2021. With the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies comes the inevitable debate around regulation and transparency, and interestingly, what role could and should Central Banks play in: helping to regulate the sector; ensuring transparency in the market; protecting consumers; and ensuring Banks remain competitive in an increasingly digital landscape.

Over 24,000 businesses will fall within scope of the Online Safety Bill (UK), with significant costs of compliance and punitive fines for non-compliance. The Bill should be at the top of the boardroom agenda.

Join Hume Brophy and Chartwell Strategy for a timely panel discussion addressing these questions on Sustainable Finance from a transatlantic perspective on Wednesday, 19 May at 10 ET/ 16 CEST.

After a long weekend of counting the dust has settled on one of the most interesting series of local and regional elections in Great Britain.

Hume Brophy’s UK Public Affairs expert Mark MacGregor shares his insights with input from Kevin Pringle, a partner at Edinburgh’s Charlotte Street Partners on the Scottish Parliament elections results.

Typically many public relations companies will discuss reputation in the context of crisis comms. As if reputation is only something to be considered or strategised for in the event of a crisis.  And of course, it goes without saying (almost) that it is wise to have a crisis comms strategy in place to deal with the worst should it arise.  But in truth, public relations IS reputation.  Everything a company does, from CSR, to consumer activations, to corporate comms, is in aid of the ultimate goal of conveying a “good” reputation.  The other big piece of public relations is letting people know that a person, product or service exists, but that awareness-raising still carries the communication of the message of good reputation.  Reputation, you see, is “everything” as one of the Kardashians might say.

The European Commission has published its proposal for a new, dedicated Regulation on Artificial Intelligence. At the core of the proposal lies a risk-based regulatory approach, whereby certain AI practices are to be prohibited, others are to be labelled “high-risk” with correspondingly strict requirements, while other AI systems which pose “limited risk” and “minimal risk” will have to adhere to basic transparency requirements or can operate without facing additional rules, respectively.

A little bit more than one month after the beginning of its implementation, the regulation has raised some serious questions and concerns from asset managers, with some struggling to precisely identify which of their ESG and sustainable funds are eligible as article 8 or 9 products under the new requirements. The complications increase when we begin to consider the cross-border element of regulatory expectations asset managers might have to satisfy when operating across multiple different jurisdictions. The Hume Brophy team reflects on the impact the SFDR regulation has had on the industry and the complications that need to be overcome if the regulation is to be a success.