News

The registration for the 2023 Internship Programme is officially open!

Member Firms that want to host and assign interns in 2023 can register their firms as Participating Members in the Programme.
Go to the website of the Internship Programme to register your firm as Participating Member Firm.

The internship period has been extended to the entire year 2023 to give interns and hosting firms more flexibility to find a suitable date for a placement.
The application forms for interns will open as soon as more firms have signed up to the programme.

We are excited to announce that the application process for the 2022 Internship Programme is officially open!

Staff members of Member Firms participating in the Programme can submit applications until 9 September 2022 for the first round of internships taking place between September and November 2022.
Go to the website of the Internship Programme to fill in the Application Form

We will contact applicants and potential hosting member firms after the application process is closed to discuss possible placements.

At the Paris Meeting, we presented the idea of setting up an Internship Programme within EuropeFides that would enable staff members of our member firms to work and live in a different country for a short period of time. We were delighted to receive so much positive feedback and that many of our members expressed an interest in participating in the programme.

We are now happy to present to you the new website for the Internship Programme!
www.europefidesinternship.eu

As a first step, the website contains information about the Programme and next steps, a first draft of FAQs and Registration Form for firms to join the Programme.

A big thanks to Siebelt Habben and his team at HCSM Steuerberatung, who worked hard on getting this project off the ground.

As we further develop the Programme together with the Participating Member Firms, we will also flesh out the content of the website. E.g. we will add a list of the all the participating firms and an application form for prospective interns.
In the next step, we ask Member Firms that are interested in participating in the Internship Programme (i.e., hosting and sending interns) to officially register. We will then organize a Workshop for all Participating Members to discuss open questions about the framework.

What are the Next Steps?

• Register to take part in the Internship Programme:
  Member Firms that are interested in joining the Programme should fill in the Registration Form before 14 July 2022
• Workshop on 14 July 2022, 10.00am - 11.00am CEST:
  During this 1-hour Workshop, Participating Member Firms will be able to discuss open questions and their feedback. The Zoom details for the call will be circulated among all Member Firms that register for the Programme.
  
• Late Summer and Autumn 2022: First start of Internship Application Process
• 23 - 24 September 2022: General Meeting London:
  Report and Feedback on the first round of internships

We are excited to develop this project further with our members.

 

The following press release was first published here by Morrisons Solicitors, United Kingdom

Wheelers Solicitors, part of the Morrisons Group, expands into new Farnborough office

 Leading regional law firm, Wheelers Solicitors, which became part of the Morrisons Group in January 2020 is delighted to announce the opening of their new Farnborough office location. Over the last year or so, the Farnborough team has been growing and expanding the services that they offer to commercial clients in the region. As such, they have outgrown their previous offices and are now moving to new, larger offices in The Hub at Farnborough Business Park. The new office will serve as the Group’s regional base from which they will support commercial clients across west Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, as well as providing a convenient location for continuing to support private clients in the region.

With Morrisons Solicitors’ acquisition of Wheelers in January 2020, the firm has strengthened its presence in the region, building upon Wheelers’ excellent reputation. The Morrisons Group now has offices in Farnborough, Camberley, Fleet, and Ash Vale, as well as offices in Teddington, Wimbledon, Redhill and Oxted. This has consolidated the Morrisons Group as one of the leading firms across the South East and has given clients access to a greater depth of resources and legal expertise.

 Wheelers Partner Mel McCrum, said:

 “Since joining the Morrisons Group we have been able to offer an even broader range of legal services, which has allowed us to continue providing outstanding service and expertise to all our clients. This move to our new Farnborough location is the next exciting step in strengthening our position in the region, particularly for our corporate and commercial teams.”

Whilst the new office location will serve as a central hub for both business clients and private individuals, the Farnborough team will focus on the firm’s corporate and commercial service offering as the Morrisons Group continues to strengthen their comprehensive legal services for businesses, which includes corporate and commercial services, commercial property, employment and dispute resolution.

 Paul Harvey, Managing Partner of the Morrisons Group, commented:

 “We knew at the time of merging with Wheelers Solicitors that there was great opportunity for development in the region with the combined ambitions and expertise of both firms. Despite the uncertain circumstances faced by most businesses over the last year and half, we have been delighted to see continued growth, which has led us to expanding our team and the space from which they operate. I am excited about the great things the team will achieve from our new base in the region.”

The teams have been busy behind the scenes in preparation for the move and the office opening date of Monday 21st June, and they look forward to welcoming their clients and contacts to the new offices as soon as the easing of restrictions allows.

 

 To find out more about our member firm, visit the profile of Morrisons Solicitors.

We are delighted to welcome our newest member firm Harvest Avocats from Belgium to EuropeFides.

Harvest Avocats is a Belgian law firm based in Brussels. The firm is focused on business law – in particular in the fields of corporate law, tax, financial services, stock options and real estate.

We look forward to working with our new colleagues and wish them a warm welcome to our association.

We look forward to the next sessions of our technical working groups: 

•  8 June 2021: Tax & VAT Group
  The New EU VAT Rules for E-Commerce and Distance Sales asof 1st July 2021
• 22 June 2021: Audit & Accounting Group
  Excel Procedures for Auditing Purposes
• 29 June 2021: Legal Working Group
  The Legal Landscape Under Transformation

Check out the Events pages to find out more about these sessions.

About our Working Groups:
Our technical working groups provide a forum for members to meet regularly and discuss practical cases and business opportunities.

Participation in the technical groups is open to all EuropeFides member firms and their staff members.

The registration link has been shared with members. If you are interested in attending this webinar but did not receive the link, please contact Nina Fischer (office@europefides.eu).

EuropeFides is delighted to welcome KAYNEX LAW OFFICE as its newest member.

The firm is located in Tokyo, Japan and has a strong focus on corporate law and project financing.

We would like to wish our new members a warm welcome to our association and look forward to working together.

Registration is now open for our Virtual General Meeting on Friday, 11 September 2020.

Go to our Event Page to REGISTER and see the complete Programme.

The event is free and open to EuropeFides members, staff of our member firms and invited guests.
We therefore encourage our members to share the registration link with your teams.

Note: Each attendee needs to register individually with their own Email address (the address is needed to sign in on the day of the conference). 

We look forward to a full day of programme with keynote speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions and networking opportunities online.

If you have any questions about registration or the event, please reach out to us by Email via virtualmeeting@europefides.eu

We are thrilled to have you join our first Virtual General Meeting on 11 September 2020.

While we are sad that we will not get to see each other face-to-face in London this year, we are delighted to invite you to our one-day virtual event on Friday, 11 September 2020.

We look forward to a full day of webinar sessions and networking opportunities online.
As our attendees are joining from all over the globe and different timezones, there will be sessions in the morning and in the afternoon so that everyone can at least join part of the programme. Many sessions will also be available for re-watching after the event.

Programme

10.00am - 1.30pm CEST	Morning Sessions
1.30pm - 2.00pm CEST	Break
2.00pm - 4.00pm CEST	Afternoon Sessions: Breakout Sessions & Closing Session
4.00pm - 5.00pm CEST	Cocktail Hour - Networking

The event will be free for members and invited guests and is open for staff members of our member firms to join.

The event page for registration will open shortly with the full programme.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we venture into new territory in the virtual world.

We look forward to seeing you online!

We regret to annouce that our Half-Year General Meeting in London on 11-12 September 2020 will not go ahead as planned due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Go to the events page to read the full announcement:  Half-Year General Meeting London 2020

We are delighted to welcome three new member firms that joined EuropeFides after our Annual General Meeting in Málaga:

• First Advisory Group, Liechtenstein

• Ohmann Notariat, the Netherlands

• Rycx Legal Consulting, Dubai, UAE

We would like to wish these new members a warm welcome to our association and look forward to working together.

Morrisons Solicitors LLP has completed the acquisition of Wheelers Solicitors, one of the largest solicitors practices in the Blackwater Valley area. This is Morrisons’ second acquisition in 12 months, following the addition of Oxted-based Harrops & Hepburn Solicitors in December 2018.

Wheelers provides expert advice and a highly personalised service to individuals and businesses in Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire and beyond. Joint Managing Partners Mel McCrum and James Palmer, said:

“We are delighted to be joining The Morrisons Group. Morrisons is one of the leading firms in the South East and joining them provides us with a solid platform upon which we can continue to grow in the region. The team at Morrisons gives our teams greater depth, allows us to provide a broader range of services to all of our clients and gives us more resources across the board, so, as we grow, we can continue to be focused on providing the same outstanding service to all our clients.”

Paul Harvey, Managing Partner of The Morrisons Group, commented:

“Wheelers has been one of the leading firms in the Surrey/Hampshire borders for many years and I am thrilled to bring them into the Morrisons Group. Wheelers is a very well-run firm at an exciting stage of its development. Mel and James’ ambitions match ours and this adds further strength and depth to our presence in the region. Following on from the acquisition of Harrops & Hepburn last December, this demonstrates our ambition and commitment to our clients across the South East.”

Morrisons Solicitors LLP will continue to trade as Wheelers, or Wheelers Solicitors, in the region from the Ash Vale, Farnborough and Fleet offices.

Release date: January 2020

With the ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement between the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone and bdp Management Consulting (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. on October 23rd, 2019, increased cooperation in the promotion of investment and the settlement of European companies in Tianjin (China) has now been officially sealed.

bdp China took part in an extensive tender project of the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone from August 2019 and prevailed in a field of strong international competitors. The many years of expertise and the many projects successfully implemented by bdp China were decisive factors. bdp is thus the official investment representative of the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone in Germany and Europe.

Ms. Xiaoshuang Kou, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Port Free Trade Zone Tianjin and Deputy Director of the Management Board, Mr. Luca Gao, Director of Lingang Hi-Tech Investment Promotion Bureau in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, Mr. Nan Zhou, Deputy Director of Lingang Hi-Tech Investment Promotion Bureau, Mr. Jian Zheng, Director of Sino-Europe Industrial Park (Sino-Italian Small and Medium Enterprises Park) in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, Mr. Jack Gao, Manager of the European Office of Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, Mr. Xu Chen, Sino-European office of Lingang Hi-Tech Investment Promotion Bureau in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, and Dr. Michael Bormann, bdp founding partner, Ms. Fang Fang, Partner of bdp China, Ms. Jennifer Lv, Partner of bdp China, Ms. Qian Li, Business Development attended the signing ceremony.

Ms. Xiaoshuang Kou and Dr. Michael Bormann commented on important cornerstones of the cooperation project. In this regard, bdp will be responsible for clearly communicating Chinese investment requirements to European investors, for conducting site visits, for cooperating with European industry associations, chambers of commerce and business development agencies in China and, last but not least, for supporting companies from Tianjin in investing in Europe. The Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone Government welcomes and supports this project very much. Dr. Michael Bormann promised to contribute bdp's extensive experience to a successful project cooperation.

Release: Octobee 2020

EuropeFides is pleased to announce that Yasuyoshi Goto Law Office from Tokyo, Japan has joined our association.

Yasuyoshi Goto Law Office is an office of Yasuyoshi Goto established in February 2018. Yasuyoshi Goto is qualified to practice law in Japan with over 29 years of experience as a partner of a global law firm (Baker McKenzie), senior in-house legal counsel of multinational corporations (GE, IBM), and General Counsel of a Japan-headquartered global company (MODEC).The primary area of practice includes supporting Japan-headquartered companies' global legal and compliance functions, and acting as a (part-time) in-house legal counsel of the Japanese subsidiaries of multinational corporations. The firm also supports clients in the IT industry and the Energy industry.

We are delighted to be joined by his firm and look forward to working with our newest member.

We are delighted to welcome two new member firms to our association:

• MN Blum LLC from the United States
• Babalakin & Co from Nigeria

We are pleased have them join EuropeFides and look forward to working with them and their colleagues.

With the addition of these new member firms, EuropeFides further expands its representation in Africa and is now also represented in North America.

Pascal Ngatsing of GGV Avocats-Rechtsanwälte (www.gg-v.fr) is participating in the third Edition of the International VAT Summit from 23 to 24 May 2019 in Hamburg.

Tax experts from 12 Members States including France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, the UK, Poland… will be addressing VAT issues in relation to complex transactions such as supply after installation or maintenance, reverse charge rules.

The panelists will also be discussing the recent EU reforms aimed at harmonizing rules VAT regarding chain transactions, call-off-stocks and the conditions of the VAT exemption of intra community supplies. Specific emphasis will this year be put on new « Quick fixes » rules that will be effective starting on 1st January 2020.

To access the event, please go to : https://www.awa-seminare.com/seminare/international-vat-summit-2019/

We would like to wish a warm welcome to three new member firms that are joining EuropeFides:

• Morrisons Solicitors LLP, with offices in Surrey (Redhill, Woking, Camberley) and London (Wimbledon, Teddington), United Kingdom
• Bouvy & Avocats SàRL from Luxembourg
• Sousa Guedes, Oilveira Couto & Associados, from Porto/Lisbon, Portugal

We look forward to close collaboration with them and their colleagues in the future.

We are delighted that our association continues to grow and is consolidating its presence in Europe by covering legal services in the UK, Luxembourg and Portugal.

EuropeFides brings together tax, accounting, audit and legal professionals from independent 43 member firms in 23 jurisdictions and actively looks to expand its representation to further countries.

Through their membership of EuropeFides, member firms always have direct access to local experts all over Europe and beyond, allowing them to provide the best possible advice to their clients.

We are delighted to welcome another new member firms to our association:

• KAP Soejatna, Mulyana & Rekan from Jakarta, Indonesia

We are pleased have the new colleagues as members of our Association and look forward to working with them.

In addition, three more firms are expected to be admitted to our association shortly.

The next General Meeting will take place on 22 - 23 June 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic and will be hosted by our members Pavelka s.r.o.

The event will take place at

• Novotel / Ibis Praha Wenceslas Square
• Katerinska 38
• 120 00 Prague 2

Further details will be announced soon.

We are delighted to welcome two new member firms to our association:

• GRUPO ALCAZAR from Spain
• Law Offices of Naoum Farah from Lebanon.

We are plea look forward to working with them and their colleagues.

With the addition of these new member firms, EuropeFides further expands its representation in Spain (Malaga, Madrid, Zaragoza and Granada) as well as in the Middle East.

We are also pleased to report that three more firms (KAP Soejatna, Mulyana & Rekan from Indonesia, SGOC Sousa Guedes, Oliveira Couto & Associados from Portugal, and Morrisons Solicitors from the UK) have submitted their formal membership applications in the meantime and are expected to be admitted to our association shortly.

Author: ACT Advisory Services Limited, Malta

Date: 19th February 2018

Malta: Legislative Framework relative to Distributed Ledger Technology

On 16th February 2018, the Government of Malta launched a consultation period on the establishment of an Authority to be known as the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) and the framework for the certification of Distributed Ledger Technology Platforms (DLTPs) and related service providers. The scope of the proposed legislative enactments is to create legal certainty in a space that is currently unregulated.

Malta has always been on the forefront of technology and innovation. In the past months, a number of initiatives have been launched, aimed at establishing an innovative and attractive regulatory framework for entities operating in blockchain (and distributed ledger technologies), virtual currencies, cryptocurrencies, and for those entities interested in raising finance through an ‘Initial Coin Offering’ (ICO). An Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is an innovative way of raising finance from the public by issuing ‘coins’ or ‘tokens’, usually in exchange for other digital tokens such as Bitcoin or Ethereum’s Ether.

The Consultation document presents a conceptual framework through which DLTP will be subject to certification in Malta. This framework also takes into account the need to oversee the principal service providers to DLTPs. The framework also extends to issuers of ICOs and certain service provides dealing in virtual currencies. In the wake of the surge in the number and popularity of ICOs, the Maltese regulator is also proposing an efficient regulatory framework which will provide investor protection and market integrity without stifling technological innovation.

The consultation period is open until 9th March 2018.

For further information, you may contact the ACT Advisory Services Limited's tax and corporate services partner Stephen Balzan on sbalzan@act.com.mt.
For a copy of the consultation document, please click on the following link http://opm.gov.mt/en/Documents/FSDEI%20-%20DLT%20Regulation%20Document.pdf.

Apart from its offices in St. Julian’s Malta, ACT operates from a second office in Gozo, which is situated in the capital city of Victoria.
For an appointment in our Gozo office, please call on 00356 21378672 or send us an email on info@act.com.mt.

The EuropeFides Annual General Meeting took place in St. Julian’s, Malta this past weekend (26 and 27 January 2018).

Our General Meetings are an opportunity for professionals from small and medium-sized tax, accounting, audit and legal firms to exchange technical expertise, network with fellow experts from Europe, Asia and Africa and for potential new members to introduce their companies.

Our hosts of ACT Advisory Services Limited had put together a packed programme with plenty of possibilities for the members and guests from 22 countries and 38 firms to discuss business developments and network.

For further impressions of our event, go to the photo gallery of the Malta Meeting.

Seminar: Cryptocurrencies and blockchainm, data protection and private real property investment

Our Friday Seminar began with an insightful talk on the future of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies by our keynote speakers, Steve Tendon of TameFlow Consulting and Dr. Karl Sammut of Sammut.legal. With the potential for cryptocurrencies, blockchain and smart contracts to obliterate intermediaries in transactions (such as the big players like Google, Facebook, Ebay, etc), it is expected that these technologies will lead to a paradigm shift that will be bigger than the invention of the internet. In a lively discussion with members and guests, the speakers highlighted the potentials and challenges as well as the likely socioeconomic, political and business consequences thereof. Participants were particularly interested in the question how these developments will affect the role of business advisors in the future.

Maria Lancri of GGV Avocats à la Cour – Rechtsanwälte Paris gave a presentation on the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR will officially enter into force on 25 May 2018 and applies to all organizations that handle personal details of EU citizens. Given the nature of the data that tax advisors, accountants, auditors and lawyers collect of their clients, members and guests were keen to discuss the rules that apply to their firms. Participants also discussed how they can assist their clients in compliance with the GDPR.

In light of the approaching deadline, which is less than 4 months away, and the fact that many businesses and organisations will not be able to implement the required regulations in time, data protection authorities have already announced that they will not immediately sanction firms that are not complying, but will give them more time.

The Workshop on cross-border private real property investments led to a lively exchange among panelists and participants about tax and legal aspects in their different jurisdictions. The panel was led by Pascal Ngatsing of GGV Avocats à la Cour – Rechtsanwälte Paris, Stephen Balzan of ACT Advisory Services Limited, Alessandro Atzeni & Stefano Meani of ATAX –Associazione Professionale and Sandra Gomes Pinto of Sandra Gomes Pinto & Associados, who illustrated aspects to consider when buying, holding and selling or inheriting property in France, Malta, Italy and Portugal. The discussion with members and guests showed that criteria such as wealth tax, VAT rates vary significantly in the different jurisdictions.

Amir Boukhari of Cabinet d’audit et de conseil Boukhari gave a presentation on outsourcing or off-shoring accountancy services in Algeria. Considering the increasing pressure on productivity and decreasing cost efficiency, outsourcing accountancy may be one strategy to lower costs and maximize efficiency. With considerably cheaper labour and an accounting system that is heavily influenced by IFRS and close to the French system, Algeria is interesting for firms considering outsourcing their accounting.

Stefano Meani & Alessandro Atzeni of ATAX – Associazione Professionale informed about their recent extension of international services which now also include business consulting for companies interested in getting involved in the Arab markets (in particular Dubai, UAE).

General Assembly

During the formal General Assembly Miquel Masramon, the EuropeFides President of 2017, officially passed on the torch to Cesare Zanotto, who will be heading the Management Committee for 2018.

We would like to thank Miquel for his dedication as President and Board member in the past three years.

New Management Committee for 2018:

In addition, 4 new members of the Management Committee were appointed, who will join the President and two Vice-Presidents for 2018:

• Cesare Zanotto, EpYon Consulting - President
• Pascal Ngatsing, GGV Avocats à la Cour – Rechtsanwälte Paris - First Vice-President
• Heinz Zillgens, SERF EuropeFides SAS - Second Vice-President
• Dr. Michael Bormann, bdp Bormann, Demant & Partner and bdp Management Consulting (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. - Member of the Board
• Günter Handl, Aureal GmbH Wirtchaftsprüfungsgesellschaft - Member of the Board
• Dr. Erwin Herresthal, HCSM Steuerberatung GmbH - Member of the Board
• Fokko Jolles, Jolles & Ko Accountants B.V. and Vatko B.V. - Member of the Board

Growing membership in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

We are particularly pleased to report that our association continues to grow rapidly and attract new members, especially from regions where EuropeFides is not yet represented. In addition to the 11 new firms that have joined the association since January 2017, we were delighted to have 8 new firms that are interested in becoming members introduce themselves to at our General Meeting in Malta:

• Sajic Law Firm – Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina
• Sandra Gomes Pinto & Associados – Lisbon, Portugal
• Bouvy & Avocats – Luxembourg
• Naoum Farah Law Office – Beirut, Lebanon
• KAP Soejatna Mulyana & Rekan – Jakarta, Indonesia
• Babalakin & Co Legal Practitioners– Lagos, Abuja, Nigeria
• AlcazarAbogados y Consultores – Malaga, Granada, Zaragoza, Spain
• SGOC Sousa Guedes, Oliveira Couto & Associados – Porto, Lisbon, Portugal
• Belluzzo & Partners – Verona, Milan, London, Singapore, Lugano

We would like to thank all new firms for coming to Malta and look forward to welcoming them as fully-fledged members of our association soon.

As usual, the Malta Meeting also provided ample opportunity for participants to catch up with each other and network, during the many coffee breaks, lunches and dinners.

Our hosts of ACT Advisory Services Limited were also keen to show us the most beautiful sides of the island and had organized a sightseeing tour on Saturday afternoon with visits to the fishing village Marsaxlokk, the Blue Grotto and a guided tour through the old town of Valletta. The event ended with a lovely dinner at one of Malta’s finest restaurants in Mdina.

We would like to thank all members, guests and speakers for making our event such a success.

Our special thanks go to the colleagues of ACT Advisory Services Limited for putting together a fantastic meeting and being lovely hosts.

We look forward to our next General Meeting in summer 2018, which will be hosted in Prague, Czech Republic, by our members of Pavelka Law Office.

In July and November 2017, Pyrgou Vakis (Cyprus) held a seminar series on the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Read the press release of Pyrgou Vakis on their event below:

GDPR Seminar - New Updates and Action Plans - 23 November 2017

Summarizing our GDPR seminar series in Nicosia and Limassol last July, and our latest seminar of 23^rd November at Chateau Status in Nicosia, we feel proud to have had such a great participation, facing such interest and eagerness to understand and reach full compliance for the new EU Regulation before 25th May 2018.

Our latest GDPR seminar, third in row, co-organised with PhoenixPro, at Chateau Status in Nicosia on 23^rd November 2017 on the latest GDPR updates and action plans, was equally successful and beneficial to more than sixty participants, who listened and contributed to the discussion around personal data protection and action plans for reaching full compliance. The agenda wrapped around Data Protection, security and technology, procedures and other control mechanisms. The sharing of personal experience helped in achieving an even richer knowledge of the subject.

We are available for cooperation on GDPR Compliance projects and any other legal service or advice. Review our list of GDPR services here.

• We are delighted to announce that three new member firms have joined EuropeFides in October 2017:

• IIL Bilans Plus DOO from Serbia
• R & T Corporate Services Limited from Hong Kong
• R & T Consulting (Shanghai) Limited from Shanghai

We wish all new member firms a warm welcome to our association.

We are pleased that EuropeFides is now represented in Serbia and is furhter consolidating its representation in Asia. EuropeFides is now represented in 20 countries and regions with trusted experts from 39 member firms.

We are pleased to announce that four new member firms have joined EuropeFides in July 2017:

• ALMT Legal from India
• Jolles & Ko Accountants B.V. from the Netherlands
• Cabinet d'audit et de conseil Boukhari from Algeria
• Shenton Law Practice LLP from Singapore

We are delighted to have them join EuropeFides and wish them a warm welcome.

We are pleased to consolidate our representation in Europe and Asia with these newest additions to our association and are excited that EuropeFides now also has its first member in Africa.

The EuropeFides Summer General Meeting this year took place on 23 and 24 June in Cologne, Germany.

Our hosting members of GTK GINSTER THEIS KLEIN & PARTNER mbB had put together an interesting programme with plenty of opportunities to exchange business expertise and network with colleagues from fellow advisory firms. With over 70 participants from 36 firms and 18 countries, the Cologne Meeting was one of our biggest meetings yet.

Cross-business collaboration and cross-border VAT issues

Our Seminar started with a warm-up by GTK Bonn’s Stéphanie Hansoulle.
After that Dr. Angela Harth of Keussler Rechtsanwälte elaborated on the issues related to the secondment of employees – in particular important aspects to keep in mind when drawing up contracts and the difficulties related to retention in the social security schemes of the home country when employees are seconded for longer periods of time.
A panel of our Asian member firms LE YU Corporate Advisory (Singapore and Shanghai), bdp Management Consulting (Tianjin) Co Ltd, Anil D. Doshi & Co. (Mumbai) and Macramé Consultants (New Delhi) advised about Europe-Asia business opportunities and challenges. With China’s new Silk Road Initiative (One Belt, One Road) and forecasts predicting that China and India will be the two largest economies in the world by 2050, it will become imperative for European firms to build tiesto these markets.

Hans-Günter Dillenburg, head of GTK’s Hamburg Office, presented a case study on managing cross-border transfer pricing in practice and permanent establishment in light of the OECD’s BEPS recommendations.

The second part of the Seminar focused on VAT-related matters.

Lea von Lovenberg of GTK Bonn opened the session with a presentation on Value Added Tax for electronic services.

During a workshop moderated by Pascal Ngatsing of GGV Avocats à la Cour Paris, members and guests discussed their experiences with VAT treatment of cross-border chain transactions.

Stephen Balzan of ACT Advisory Services Limited gave a presentation about PROSPECTS, a new platform of the Maltese Stock Exchange designed to facilitate access of SMEs to the capital market. Since the use of the platform is not limited to Maltese companies, Prospects is also interesting for foreign businesses.

With the general elections and the official start of the Brexit negotiations, Simon Marsh of WSM Partners gave an informative update on the most recent developments and personnel changes in British politics.

Growing presence in Europe and Asia

Since our Annual General Meeting in Brussels in January, four new member firms from have joined our association and EuropeFides continues to expand its contacts in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

We were especially pleased to have six new firms, which are interested in joining EuropeFides, introduce themselves at the Cologne Meeting:

• Jolles & Ko. Accountants BV, Netherlands
• ALMT Legal, Mumbai, India
• Cabinet Boukhari, Algiers, Algeria
• Shenton Law, Singapore
• IIL Bilans Plus DOO, Belgrade, Serbia
• R & T Consulting, Hong Kong
• Morrisons Solicitors, London, United Kingdom

Moreover, several other firms have expressed their interest in becoming members of our association, but unfortunately could not make it to the meeting in Cologne. We look forward to meeting them at one of our next meetings.

Reception at the GTK offices in Brühl and an evening at a Kölsch brewery

As usual, the programme also provided plenty of time to socialize and network.
Our hosts of GTK treated members and guests to a lovely evening with drinks and food in the garden of their offices in Brühl. The event was rounded off with a guided tour through the old town of Cologne and an evening at a local Kölsch brewery.

We would like to thank all of our members and guests for coming to Cologne, especially those who undertook a long journey to be with us.

Our biggest thanks go to the team of GTK GINSTER THEIS KLEIN & PARTNER mbB for organizing a successful meeting and for being wonderful hosts.

The next Annual General Meeting will take place on 26 and 27 January 2018 in Malta and will be hosted by ACT Advisory Services Limited.

We are pleased to announce that four new member firms have joined EuropeFides in June 2017:

• Macramé Consultants Private Limited from India
• Migrantic, Tax & Immigration Lawyers from the Netherlands
• HKCMCPA Limited Company from Hong Kong
• Total International Associates from Malaysia

We are pleased to have them join EuropeFides and wish them a warm welcome.

With these newest additions to our association, EuropeFides further expands its representation in Asia and is now
represented in 18 countries with trusted experts from 32 member firms from Europe an.

ACT Prospects Limited, a company which forms part of the ACT group of companies has recently been approved by the Malta Stock Exchange to act as a Corporate Advisor on its ‘Prospects’ platform. Please see notice published on the website of the Malta Stock Exchange by clicking on the following link http://application.smeprospects.com/ProspectsNotices/PROSPECTS_NOTICE_05_2017.pdf.

ACT, a firm specializing in tax, advisory and corporate services has teamed put with a number of other professionals in the legal, accountancy, business advisory and corporate finance, to provide services to SMEs and assist them in listing their securities on the Malta Stock Exchange’s ‘Prospects’ market.

The platform ‘Prospects’ was launched last year by the Malta Stock Exchange whose purpose is to increase the financing options which are currently available to SMEs. ‘Prospects’ offers a more cost-effective solution for SME’s looking to obtain financing from other alternative sources, which up till now were not available to SMEs, away from the traditional methods of financing such as bank loans and other bank financing. Through ‘Prospects’, such SMEs may now raise up to €5million in equity or debt capital.

ACT will now be in a better position to assist both existing and prospective clients in raising capital through its role as a Corporate Advisor.

For further information please contact the firm’s tax and corporate services partner Stephen Balzan on sbalzan@act.com.mt.

We are pleased to announce that Melina Pyrgou, Managing Director of Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm has been appointed by the Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Mr George Lakkotrypis, as a member of the new Board of the Cyprus Investment and Promotion Agency (CIPA) as from November 2016.

Melina will do her utmost in serving the vision and goals of CIPA and will cooperate in good faith with the Board of Directors, other Board members and the Director General, to achieve consensus and best results within the context of increasing Inward Investments.

CIPA is a non-profit national body and the government’s dedicated partner responsible for the facilitation of investments into Cyprus. In close collaboration with all government authorities, public institutions as well as the private sector and international experts, CIPA is the investor’s single point of contact. Dedicated to continuously improving the business and regulatory environment, Invest Cyprus advocates reform while providing continuous investor support and aftercare services.

EuropeFides held its 2016 Summer Meeting in Vienna, Austria on 15 and 16 July 2016.

Fifty-five members and guests from 27 advisory firms and 22 different countries met in Vienna on 15 und 16 July 2016 for the EuropeFides Summer General Meeting.
Our half-yearly two-day conference gives participants an opportunity to exchange technical expertise, catch up on recent business developments and network with fellow advisory firms from allover Europe, as well as China and Singapore.

The meeting was hosted by our local members from Bernardini & Co Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH.

Seminar: Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Regulations

The meeting started off with our Friday Seminar on the topic of Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-bribery and Anti-Corruption.

Robert-Jan van der Wart of De Clercq Advocaten Notarissen gave an introduction on which aspects to look out for when negotiating Anti-Corruption clauses in cross-border contracts. Amongst other things he highlighted the importance to consider Anti-Corruption legislation such as the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or the UK 2010 Bribery Act, which are also applicable in foreign jurisdictions, as well as paying attention to the wording of said clauses.

During the second part of the Seminar, a panel discussion further focused on how to ensure compliance with AML, anti-corruption and anti-bribery regulations in day-to-day business relationships with clients. The panel was lead by Dr. Martin Bernardini of Bernardini & Co (Austria), Ching Mia Kuang of LE YU Corporate Advisory (Singapore and Shanghai), Tatjana Dekleva of Chaldoupis & Partners (Serbia) and Maria Lancri of GGV Avocats à la Cour (France).
The session turned into a lively exchange about the differences in the individual jurisdictions, as well as the pitfalls that business advisors ought to look out for when navigating clients’ interests through local and international regulations.

Brexit and the consequences

Simon Marsh of WSM Partners, London, gave an update on the current developments in the United Kingdom after the Brexit vote. As the UK government is yet to invoke Article 50 TEU to formally start the withdrawal process from the European Union – and reportedly will not do so before the end of 2016 – clients, both within and outside the United Kingdom, are left in uncertainty about the consequences of the vote.
EuropeFides proves to be a valuable asset in such circumstances as our members are coming together to support each other’s clients with their business expertise.

New Connections in Europe and beyond

Since the Annual General Meeting in February, the association has reinforced its presence in Europe with new members from the Czech Republic, France and Italy:

• Pavelka Partners, law firm from Prague,
• FINEXFI, audit firm from Lyon,
• GGV Avocats à la Cour – Rechtsanwälte Paris, law firm from Paris &
• Atax - Associazione professionale, accounting firm from Milan and Rome.

EuropeFides continues to expand its contacts in Europe as well as Asia and North Africa. We were therefore very pleased to have three new firms, which are interested in joining our association, introduce themselves to members at the Vienna Meeting:

• Eventus Corporate Finance – financial and legal advisors from Riga, Latvia
• Anil D. Doshi –Chartered Accountants from Mumbai, India
• Majer Consulting – accounting and audit firm from Casablanca, Morocco

Viennese Culture

Of course a visit to Vienna wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the local culture, food and music.
Members and guests were treated to a performance of a classical string quartet – with our host, Martin Bernardini, proving that he is also an excellent violinist.
As usual there were plenty of opportunities for participants to socialize and network during the Cocktail Reception on Friday evening and the visit to Schönbrunn Palace on Saturday.
The meeting was rounded off by a dinner on the Kahlenberg mountain with typical Wiener Tafelspitz and Apfelstrudel and a spectacular view of Vienna and the Danube.

We would like to thank all members and guests for coming to Vienna and all speakers for sharing their expertise.
Our special thanks go to Bernardini & Co Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH for their hospitality and for organizing a great networking event.

The next EuropeFides Annual General Meeting will take place on 13 – 14 January 2017 in Brussels, Belgium, and will be hosted by Kocks & Partners.

Please find below the press release of our member, Pyrgou Vakis law Firm, from Cyprus:

11 July 2016:

Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm acquires updated certification from IQNet and achieves ISO9001:2015 Certification

We are pleased to announce that our firm has successfully passed relevant quality check and received the latest “ISO9001:2015” quality system and updated Certification from IQNet by the Cyprus Certification Company (CYS-ΚΕΠ).

We are proud for this achievement as we are the first law firm in Cyprus and the third company across Cyprus to achieve this updated ISO9001:2015 certification.

This success is attributed to the high quality standards followed for the services provided by our firm, and our internal controls and procedures. The continued training and development of our people was a key factor of this achievement, as well as our Management’s commitment in establishing Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm amongst the top law firms in Cyprus in quality services and standards.

In this context, we continue to focus on uncompromising professional standards and the teamwork and dedication of our people in offering top quality services to our clients.

For further information please

contact: Agathi Konizou
Marketing, PR, Communications
Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm
Tel. +357 22466611, Fax. +357 22466612
email: A.Konizou@pyrgouvakis.com

About Pyrgou Vakis LLC

Pyrgou Vakis LLC is an established law firm in Cyprus with an impeccable track record linked to uncompromising professional standards. Our clients range from small local companies to multinational organisations who rely on us for first-class legal guidance related to Cyprus, including cross-border activities. Awarded with ISO9001:20015 and IQNet certifications. Listed in Legal 500 (EMEA) 2016. Members of Telfa Trans-European Law Firms Alliance and EuropeFides, a European association of independent tax consultants, certified accountants and lawyers.

Congratulations to Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm (Nicosia and Limassol, Cyprus) on being listed in the Legal 500 (EMEA) 2016!

Read their press release below:

PYRGOU VAKIS LAW FIRM LISTED IN LEGAL 500 (EMEA) 2016

We are pleased to announce that our firm is listed in the 2016 edition of The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa as a leading firm in the areas of “Commercial, Corporate and M&A”.
Our lawyers, Melina Pyrgou and Demetris Vakis have also been listed as “recommended lawyers” in The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2016

We are very proud for this recognition which is attributed to the high quality of services offered by Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm and the teamwork and dedication of our people in servicing our clients and achieving the best possible solutions for them. This is evidenced by the latest Client Satisfaction Survey, conducted earlier in 2016.

We welcome this award but we are not complacent. Going forward we are aiming even higher and will strive to achieve more, by focussing on accomplishing a new set of goals.

Congratualtions to our member firm Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm on opening their new office in Limassol, Cyprus.

Read their press release below:

WE ARE GROWING AND EXPANDING OUR PRESENCE!

Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm announced today the opening of a new office in Limassol as part of their expansion plans.
The new presence comes in response to proven demand for Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm services in Limassol and beyond, where there is a plethora of well-established local and foreign corporations with international reach and cross-border transactions.
Mrs Eleni Andreou, Advocate, will be heading the Limassol office operations.
"The opening of Pyrgou Vakis office in Limassol is a natural outgrowth of the strong client base we already enjoy in Cyprus and abroad" said Melina Pyrgou, Managing Director of Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm. “We are well positioned to increase our impact in the region by supporting our clients’ strategic initiatives."
Pyrgou Vakis Law office is located at 28 Agias Zonis Street, 3rd Floor, 3027 Limassol. Contact tel. +35722466611, Fax. +35725001124, info@pyrgouvakis.com , www.pyrgouvakis.com

bdp Bormann Demant & Partner and bdp Management Consulting (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. would like to cordially invite you to the following event:

German Entrepreneurs Visit to China
Date: 30 May – 04 June 2016
Cities : Tianjin & Beijing

“The goal of this tour is to gain knowledge of the local conditions as well as oppor­tunities and challenges, to exchange personal experiences with our China-ex­perts and German companies that have already invested in China in order to get a personal impression on the huge Ger­man supply network in China.”

The official invitations with further details about the programme and registration can be downloaded in German and in English here:

German – Einladung bdp China – Unternehmerreise
English – Invitation bdp China – German Entrepreneurs Tour

Deadline for registration is 2 May 2016.

For further details about the trip, please contact:

Fang Fang
Management Consultant and Authorized Representative
bdp Venturis Management Consultants GmbH
Steinhöft 5-7
20459 Hamburg, Germany
T: +49 40 3099 360
F: +49 40 3099 3660
E: fang.fang@bdp-team.de
Languages: German, Chinese and English

Members and guests met in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 12 – 13 February 2016 for the Annual General Meeting of EuropeFides to exchange their technical expertise and to network with current and potential new member firms.

The meeting was hosted by our local EuropeFides members of HCSM Steuerberatung GmbH who had organized a packed programme with plenty of opportunities to discuss financial and legal topics relevant to the clients of our members as well as social activities to catch up with colleagues from all over the world.

A panel of experts from bdp Bormann Demant & Partner, Epyon Consulting, HCSM Steuerberatung, Kocks & Partners and WSM Partners compared best practice approaches to due diligence assignments across different jurisdictions and professional fields. The ensuing discussion with members and guests highlighted the importance of good cooperation and communication to ensure meeting the expectations of clients from other jurisdictions and to provide services of the highest quality possible.

Michael Stappel, Senior economist at DZ Bank AG, elaborated on deposit guarantee schemes after the reform of the banking sector and the recent proposal by the European Commission for a common European Deposit Insurance Scheme.

In view of the growing importance of the Asian market for European firms, the colleagues of LE YU Corporate Advisory group from Shanghai and Singapore shared strategies for expanding EuropeFides representation in Asia.
bdp Management Consulting (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. elaborated on Chinese business culture and the challenges for European firms investing in China and vice-versa.

Apart from the business side of the meeting, there were also plenty of opportunities to socialize during the cocktail reception at the offices of HCSM Steuerberatung and a traditional German dinner in a bierkeller. Moreover, participants were treated to a visit of the world renowned Eberbach Monastery and a wine-tasting at the Steinbergkeller winery.

New Management Committee for 2016

With his term as President coming to an end, Stephen Balzan (ACT Advisory Services Limited, Malta) handed over the Presidency of EuropeFides to Melina Pyrgou (Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, Cyprus) at the General Assembly on 13 February.

We would like to thank Stephen for his hard work and dedication during his Presidency in the past year, which saw the continuing growth of our membership base as well as the implementation of several important structural changes that will prepare the association for future expansion.

The General Assembly also elected four members who will join the current President and two Vice-Presidents to form the Management Committee for the year 2016:

• Melina Pyrgou, Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, Cyprus – President
• Miquel Masramon, Miralbell Guerin, Spain – First Vice-President
• Janbert Heemstra, De Clercq Advocaten Notarissen, Netherlands – Second Vice-President
• Günter Handl, Aureal GmbH, Germany
• Dr. Erwin Herresthal, HCSM Steuerberatung GmbH
• Cesare Zanotto, Epyon Consulting Srl, Italy
• Heinz Zillgens, SERF EuropeFides SAS, France

Rapidly growing membership

EuropeFides continues to grow rapidly and expanding representation in further jurisdictions.

Therefore we were especially delighted to have seven new firms from the Czech Republic, to France, Italy, Russia and Zimbabwe that are interested in joining the association introduce themselves at the Wiesbaden Meeting.

Two of these new firms had already submitted formal membership applications and were approved at the General Assembly in Wiesbaden.

We are therefore very pleased to welcome the following two new member firms to EuropeFides:

• FINEXFI, accounting and audit firm from Lyon, France
• Pavelka Law Office, law firm from Prague, Czech Repulic

EuropeFides is now represented in 20 countries with 30 member firms and over 600 professionals ready to support clients with their expertise when taking their business into other jurisdictions.

We would like to thank all members and guests for coming to Wiesbaden and all speakers for sharing their expertise.

Our special thanks go to HCSM Steuerberatung GmbH for their hospitality and for organizing a great networking event.

The next EuropeFides General Meeting will take place on 15 – 16 July 2016 in Vienna, Austria, and will be hosted by Bernardini & Co. Wirtschaftsprüfung.

EuropeFides is an association of trusted professionals across Europe and beyond, enabling members to assist their clients in their cross-border business activities with high level accounting, audit and legal expertise. Longstanding partnerships and personal contacts with fellow experts from other EuropeFides member firms ensure that members’ clients receive the same outstanding service they are used to from their local advisors when taking their business into other jurisdictions.

Real I.S. AG, subsidiary of Bayern LB, asset management and funds service provider for real estate investors, recently sold their pan-European and multi-sector CLOVER portfolio (Bayerische Grundvermögen II - BGV II) to the real estate funds of Blackstone, one of the leading investment firms worldwide.

The CLOVER portfolio comprises twelve properties in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands with 168,700 square meters of office, retail and logistics space. The list of anchor tenants of these properties includes REWE, Netto, Hermes, Dachser, Rhenus, as well as public authorities.

Günter Handl (Certified Public Accountant / Certified Tax Advisor) of aureal GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft acted as a consultant and provided the accounting and tax advice for this transaction.

Based in Munich, Germany, aureal GmbH is a medium-sized auditing and tax advisory firm advising national and international corporate and private clients.

One of their key services is consulting on real estate investments of institutional investors.

Read the official press release in German here:

20151028_Press Release_aureal GmbH_Real I.S. Transaktion

We are pleased to announce that two new firms have joined EuropeFides:

• Note Office International Independent Auditing Consulting and Sworn-in CPA Corp. from Turkey

and

• Matczuk Wieczorek & Partners Law Offices from Poland

Note Office is based in Ankara and has liaison offices in Istanbul, Izmir and Adıyaman.The firm provides audit, accounting and tax services including tax certification by a sworn-in CPA, as well as further business consulting services.

Based in Warsaw, Matczuk Wieczorek & Partners specialize in commercial law, mergers & acquisitions, venture capital as well as the capital and financial market.

We are pleased to have them join EuropeFides and wish them a warm welcome.

With these newest additionsto our association, EuropeFides is now represented in 19 countries with trusted experts from 29 member firms all over Europe, China and Singapore.

David Diris of Kocks & Partners will be presenting at INsig2 LawTech Europe Congress in Brussels on Tuesday, 27 October 2015.

Together with Ingo Neis of eurodata AG, David will tackle the topic of Legal Efficiencies and discuss how to reconcile demand for fast and cost-effective digital services with clients’ need for confidentiality and data safety.

Read the detailed description of the session below:

• Legal Efficiencies – A Narration from the Trenches of Today’s Technology Hypes


• Latest technologies promise highest cost efficiency and the fastest work in your office. Every month, there are new (and mostly cloud based) service offerings that all promise to make you work faster and more cost-effective. Your clients demand absolute confidentiality but also a full range of digital communication and workflow. How can we catch this golden unicorn but also keep our files and that of your clients safe? Thoughts and suggestions from the point of view of a datacenter operator with 50 years of expertise in securely managing the customers’ data. In this session, we will not only look for technical solutions but also on the human part.


• Presenters:


• David Diris, Kocks & Partners


• Ingo Neis, eurodata AG

When and Where?

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

10.30 – 11.20

Room 5 & 6

Management Centre Europe

Rue de L’Aqueduc 118

1050 Brussels

How to register for this event:

EuropeFides has partnered up with LawTech Europe Congress for the INsig2 LawTech Europe Congress this October in Brussels.

In the frame of this partnership we have arranged a 50% discount for EuropeFides members to register and attend the Congress. The discount code of LTEC-15-EF-T should be used when registering here.

LawTech is an annual law and technology conference and exhibition taking place this year at the Management Centre Europe (MCE) in Brussels on 26-27 October 2015.

The Congress is a globally-recognised 2-day annual conference and exhibition that brings together professionals from all over Europe and beyond. The diversity of topics covered at LawTech encourages related professions to discuss various aspects of Audit, Law, Technology, Governance, Risk, and Compliance in an open and fruitful manner. It also enables corporate leaders, public officials, and institutions to engage with solution providers to understand and meet their individual technology requirements. Topics include;

• Data Privacy/Protection and Cross-Border ESI Requests
• E-Discovery/E-Disclosure in a Big Data World
• Competition Investigations
• Mobile / Social Media / Cloud Discovery
• Legal Efficiencies (Knowledge, Project, and Price Management)
• Artificial Intelligence in Dispute Resolution and Criminal Investigations
• Digital Fraud Forensics
• Data Analytics for Auditors
• Digital Forensics Training

The registration includes admission to all three track sessions and the exhibition area, final program, complimentary lunch, coffee breaks, and a Deloitte-sponsored networking dinner on the evening of 26 October.

Find out more about the programme here: LTEC Day 1 and LTEC Day 2

Event website: www.lawtecheuropecongress.com

Marks Bloom joins leading SW London firm

On 1st October the long established Kingston firm Marks Bloom will be joining forces with WSM, a UK top100 accounting firm based in Wimbledon.

The personal tax and accounting team will move to WSM's new offices in the centre of Wimbledon whilst the insolvency business will have a foot in both locations under a new specialist insolvency brand WSM: Marks Bloom which will combine the knowledge and expertise of the existing insolvency practice with the depth and additional resources of a larger firm. The combined group will have annual fee income in excess of £5m.

The new insolvency division will be headed up by Andy Whelan, a highly experienced insolvency practitioner, who originally trained with Ernst & Young and has since gained a wealth of experience as an insolvency licence holder over the last 20 years at Marks Bloom. Andy is joined by his existing team, including rising star Lauren Cullen, who, together with other specialist practitioners, will be providing the full range of insolvency and business recovery services to both corporate and private clients.

Gavin Stebbing, the managing partner at WSM said "The merger is a terrific opportunity to consolidate our position as the leading tax driven professional services firm in South West London. Providing a proactive service to our clients is our number one priority and the addition of this highly experienced team from Marks Bloom will ensure that there is more expertise in the firm as well as a new service offering which will expand our existing client base".

Two new client directors will be appointed from Marks Bloom to join the existing senior management team at WSM where the practice will continue to offer tax, accounting and reporting services to corporate clients as well as personal tax services to its growing private client base.

For further information contact our Marketing Manager Emilie.Windsor@wsm.co.uk

By virtue of a new Legal Notice, the Government of Malta has issued new rules which provide for an exemption from income tax to beneficiaries who are in receipt of a pension or a widow’s/ widower’s benefit from the United Nations and to a reduced rate of tax of 15% on any other income, with the exception of income and capital gains arising in Malta. These rules will apply to both EU and third country nationals, with the exception of Maltese nationals.

For further information please read the article which you can find on the website of our Maltese member firm, ACT Advisory Services Limited http://www.act.com.mt/articles-publications/United-Nations-Pensions-Programme-2015.php or by contacting any of the firm’s partners on info@act.com.mt.

By virtue of a Legal Notice, issued in August 2015, the Government of Malta has issued new regulations in terms of The Malta Residence & Visa Programme Regulations. These regulations will apply solely to third country nationals, who will be entitled to a Certificate conferring them the right to reside, settle and stay indefinitely in Malta, provided that certain rules and regulations are satisfied.

For more information about this new Residence and Visa Programme, please click on http://www.act.com.mt/articles-publications/Malta-Residence-VISA-Regulations.php

For more information about the various residency schemes applicable in Malta and on the tax aspects thereof, please contact either Stephen Balzan (sbalzan@act.com.mt or Liana Falzon (lfalzon@act.com.mt.

We are pleased to announce that EuropeFides has partnered up with LawTech Europe Congress for the
INsig2 LawTech Europe Congress this October in Brussels.

In the frame of this partnership we have arranged a 50% discount for EuropeFides members to register and attend the Congress. The discount code of LTEC-15-EF-T should be used when registering here

LawTech is an annual law and technology conference and exhibition taking place this year at the Management Centre Europe (MCE) in Brussels on 26-27 October 2015.

LawTech Europe Congress has a track record of being a globally-recognised 2-day annual conference and exhibition that brings together professionals from all over Europe and beyond. The diversity of topics covered at LawTech encourages related professions to discuss various aspects of Audit, Law, Technology, Governance, Risk, and Compliance in an open and fruitful manner. It also enables corporate leaders, public officials, and institutions to engage with solution providers to understand and meet their individual technology requirements. Topics include;

• Data Privacy/Protection and Cross-Border ESI Requests
• E-Discovery/E-Disclosure in a Big Data World
• Competition Investigations
• Mobile / Social Media / Cloud Discovery
• Legal Efficiencies (Knowledge, Project, and Price Management)
• Artificial Intelligence in Dispute Resolution and Criminal Investigations
• Digital Fraud Forensics
• Data Analytics for Auditors
• Digital Forensics Training

The event begins with a keynote by Ralph C. Losey titled; "The Future of the Law: the impact of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies on the search for truth and justice.” Day 2 begins with Markus Hartung's speech titled; “Technology and trends in the legal market: disruption, evolution or - just hype? Perspectives from the European market.”

Come and learn and network with some of the best minds in legal IT, as well as exchanging ideas with European and international counterparts. The event website is www.lawtecheuropecongress.com

The registration includes admission to all three track sessions and the exhibition area, final program, complimentary lunch, coffee breaks, and a Deloitte-sponsored networking dinner on the evening of 26 October.

Find out more about the programme here: LTEC Day 1 and LTEC Day 2

EuropeFides members and guests met in Barcelona on 26 and 27 June 2015 for the EuropeFides General Meeting.

Throughout the two days of the meeting, members and guests had the opportunity to share knowledge and listen to presentations from expert speakers on financial and legal topics during our Seminar on Friday and the General Assembly on Saturday. Starting with our seminar on Friday morning, the meeting kicked of with a presentation on private banking in Spain by José Ramón Aranda of our sponsor Banca March.

Our members Melina Pyrgou of Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, Tatjana Dekleva of Chaldoupis & Partners and Miquel Masramon of Miralbell Guerin tackled the topic of responsibilities and liabilities of directors in Cyprus, Serbia and Spain. Their presentations were followed by a lively discussion among members and guests about the peculiarities of the legal frameworks on directors' liabilities in their respective jurisdictions.

Dr. Hammad Kassal of Université Al Akhawayn d’Ifrane elaborated on the role of Morocco as a springboard into Africa for investors, while Josep Cortadellas, Partner of the Banking Department at Miralbell Guerin, gave a presentation on NPL asset bank opportunities in Spain for foreign investors.

We were also lucky to have two speeches on marketing aspects:
Ignacio Lopez-Balcells gave a very insightful presentation on practical strategies for expanding international networks.
Francesc Dominguez of Barton Consultants’ talk on legal marketing provided great food for thought on the importance of building both strong local and international brands.

As always, the meeting also provided plenty of opportunities for participants to network and socialize outside the conference rooms. Members and guest were able to meet and catch up during our official cocktail reception on Friday and our dinner on Saturday. Our hosts of Miralbell Guerin were also very keen to show participants the cultural sides of Barcelona and treated their guests to a dinner at Enrique Tomas Jamón Experience and a guided tour of the city center on Saturday.

The Barcelona Meeting was also an chance for new firms interested in joining EuropeFides to get to know our association and vice-versa. The following firms introduced themselves to members: Matczuk Wieczorek I Wspólnicy from Warsaw, Poland, Ivan Vulchev from Sofia, Bulgaria and NOTE Office from Ankara, Turkey.
Moreover, EuropeFides has been in touch with several other firms in the past weeks, that are looking to join EuropeFides and have already expressed their intention to attend the next General Meeting.

We would like to say thank you to Banca March for sponsoring the event, to all of our speakers for sharing their expertise and of course to our local member, Miralbell Guerin, for their hospitality and organizing a wonderful meeting.

The next Annual General Meeting will be held on 12 -13 February 2016 in Wiesbaden, Germany (via Frankfurt Airport). We look forward to seeing you there.

Congatulations to Demetris Vakis, Partner at Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, who has been licensed as an Insolvency Practitioner by the Cyprus Bar Association!

GOLD News, the business magazine inCyprus, featured an article on Demetris on their website. Read the article here