Intellectual Property and Digital Transition Conference – 11 February

February 09, 2021 About the EUIPO

The Portuguese IP office (INPI) is organising a virtual high-level conference on Intellectual Property and Digital Transition, on 11 February 2021.

Under the theme of ‘The Intellectual Property metamorphosis in the Age of Digital Transition – Remember the past, Act in the Present, and Reflect on the challenges of the Future’, the conference will focus on two central themes: digital transition and intellectual property. The event has been organised within the framework of activities of Portugal’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The EUIPO’s Executive Director, Christian Archambeau, will give an opening speech at the conference.

On 1 January 2021, Portugal was entrusted with the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. With the official motto of ‘Time to deliver: a fair, green and digital recovery’, the presidency believes that it is essential to reflect on the importance of intellectual property in the European context.

All information related to the conference can be found on the dedicated website of the event.

ESMA WITHDRAWS THE REGISTRATIONS OF FITCH ENTITIES FOLLOWING MERGERS WITH FITCH RATINGS IRELAND

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has today withdrawn the credit rating agency (CRA) registrations of Fitch France, Fitch Polska, Fitch Italia and Fitch Ratings España following the merger with Fitch Ratings Ireland.

The withdrawal decisions follow the official notifications to ESMA by Fitch on 3 June 2020 and on 30 November 2020 of its intention to renounce the specific registrations under the conditions set out in Article 20(1)(a) of the CRA Regulation (CRAR).

Fitch Ratings Ireland will remain the sole EU CRA entity of Fitch Ratings registered with ESMA. Fitch Ratings Ireland became a registered CRA following its merger with Fitch Deutschland on 30 May 2020.

ECDC Response to European Ombudsman inquiry

A process to strengthen ECDC’s mandate has already been initiated through the European Health Union initiative, which proposes to reinforce the Centre’s role and capabilities in addressing surveillance, preparedness, early warning systems, risk management and response.

ECDC will take into account the Ombudsman’s recommendations and will develop an action plan to enhance the Centre’s capacity, particularly in areas such as surveillance, transparency and public communication.

ESMA organises workshop on “CCP margins and procyclicality in times of crisis’’

The workshop will be an opportunity to gather the views of our speakers and shine a light on how the CCP ecosystem worked during the pandemic. It will also allow participants to take stock of lessons learned and discuss possible improvements.

The workshop will primarily be of interest to members of the clearing and wider regulatory community.

Presentations will be given by members of ESMA’s CCP Directorate and by external stakeholders. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session.

Online registration closes on 15 February at 11:59AM.

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