Regulatory Radar

Three European Union (EU) institutions agreed to a deal on November 22 for new rules on conflict minerals that are expected to be ratified in early 2017.

The Environmental Protection Agency has published final rules which revise the requirements for importing and exporting hazardous waste to and from the United States.

Environmental leaders in the Canadian government have announced plans to virtually eliminate the use of coal in electrical power generation by the year 2030.

With the passage of the Sapin II Bill, France seeks to bring its anti-corruption legislation in line with that of its economic peers.

The India government passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill (RPwD) on December 14, 2016. The new legislation complies with the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and increases the number of officially recognized categories to 21 from seven.

New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) published a revised cybersecurity regulation (23 NYCRR 500) on December 28, 2016, and delayed its implementation for two months to March 1, 2017.

The government of Canada announced that it would work to ban the manufacturing of products containing asbestos, as well as the import of such products, by the year 2018.

As nations throughout the world work to meet social and environmental goals, the informative potential of sustainability reporting has come to the forefront of the conversation in both public- and private-sector circles.

Singapore passed changes to the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA) on April 3, 2017. The changes focus on criminalizing the use of personal data obtained from a breach, and aim to enhance the country’s ability to stop cyberattacks.

Thailand has made new changes to its Labor Protection ACT B.E. 2541, which include increased penalties for businesses that fail to comply with labor laws, specifically laws regarding the treatment of minors.

On February 2, 2017, Sweden announced that it had adopted a proposal to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The Decree-Law 5/2017, passed on January 6, 2017, changed the legal framework of advertising of medicines and medical devices in Portugal. The law went into effect on February 5, 2017.