International agreement to eliminate customs duties on approved pharmaceuticals
EU Member States adopted an international agreement to eliminate customs dutieson all new pharmaceuticals traded with the US and Switzerland. The agreement wasreached on 12 January 2007 and eliminates customs duties between the EU,Switzerland and US on finished pharmaceutical products and on the chemicalintermediates used in their production. It replaces a previous agreement from1994 that already enabled many pharmaceuticals to benefit from zero-tariffs, butdid not cover any of the more recent products. With this review, 1,290additional products have been added to the 7,329 products currently benefitingfrom duty-free treatment. The EU imports more than 80% of its pharmaceuticalsfrom the US and Switzerland, and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC)believes that the agreement could save European pharmaceutical companies up to€230 million in 2007 alone.
Other articles
KŠB "Scores" Major Infrastructure Win: The New Ball Sports Centre in České Budějovice
KŠB has advised on the execution of a construction contract for the Ball Sports Centre in České Budějovice, a major public infrastructure project set to become a new landmark for sport and community life in the region.
Suburbanization Trends and Sustainable Commuting: Will the Construction Act Amendment Change the Landscape?
The discussion surrounding the current proposal to amend the Construction Act (Parliamentary Print 67) has moved to the committee stage in the Chamber of Deputies following its first reading. The primary declared objective is the acceleration of construction, particularly regarding residential buildings. The shortage of affordable housing remains a pressing issue in major cities, both in the Czech Republic and abroad, giving rise to the pervasive trend of suburbanization. This raises the question: does the proposed amendment truly have the ambition to reverse this trend, and will an increase in housing construction alone suffice?
Success for KŠB’s Litigation Team
KŠB’s litigation team, led by Pavel Dejl and Hana Dejlová, has achieved a significant victory for a long-standing client in a dispute with the Czech Ministry of Justice concerning excessively lengthy court proceedings.
