New Zealand: In this edition of the Echo, we explore the proposed Employment Leave Bill, which seeks to replace the Holidays Act 2003. We also discuss two recent Employment Court decisions, one covering medical incapacity dismissals and the importance of following proper process, and another on the enforceability of cultural values incorporated into employment agreements. We then provide a brief update on the High Court's decision upholding the Gibson conviction under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Guatemala: The Constitutional Court confirmed the validity of the requirement to identify shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners for companies seeking to contract with the State. The decision reinforces standards of transparency, regulatory compliance, and corruption prevention in public procurement. Our office in Guatemala analyzes the main regulatory implications, the risks of non-compliance, and the measures companies should adopt in light of this new landscape in Guatemala.

Dentons advised Affidea — a pan-European diagnostic imaging and specialist outpatient healthcare services provider operating 420 centres across 14 countries — on the successful sale of its Hungarian subsidiary, Affidea Magyarország Kft., to Medicare, Hungary's leading private healthcare group.

Europe: The Hamburg Declaration of January 2026 commits Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom to deliver up to 100 GW of cooperation by 2050, with a first wave of up to 20 GW in the 2030s. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) estimates the supporting offshore grid alone will require €70–€90 billion of investment by 2030, against a backdrop in which the combined net debt of North Sea Transmission System Operators (TSOs) has risen by two-thirds since 2021 to over €100 billion. Conventional balance-sheet financing by TSOs cannot deliver this programme. This article asks how the Hamburg Declaration's ambition can be matched by limited-recourse project financing.

Norton Rose Fulbright international partner César Fernández was named the “Energy and Natural Resources Lawyer of the Year” at the Legal 500 Mexico Awards 2026.

The King’s Speech was delivered on 13 May 2026, setting out the government's legislative programme for the upcoming session. This includes 37 bills and draft bills that are to be brought forward.

The Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Sanctions Bureau continues to build out its sanctions compliance framework.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has announced that Amsterdam‑based restructuring partner Omar Salah has been awarded the Client Choice Award 2026 for Best Restructuring & Insolvency Lawyer – Netherlands

Global law firm Dentons advised the founders and shareholders of Synaptikon GmbH on a strategic investment by the Schwabe Group. Shareholders include, among others, the French private equity fund Impact Partners. Schwabe is acquiring an 80 percent stake in Synaptikon, while the two founders will retain a combined 20 percent stake in the company.

In 2026, Dentons LuatViet is proud to once again reinforce our position in the Vietnamese legal market by being honored at the Vietnam Law Firm Awards in 4 key practice areas, hosted by the Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ). 

New Zealand: Nations and businesses across the globe are investing heavily in autonomous systems. The pace of this technology development in our now uncertain World is outstripping ethical and legal considerations. We can’t ignore these developments in defence technology and their potential - after all from military applications civilian use cases will be derived  - it’s time Western legal systems, including New Zealand, caught up and faced the issue. This series of articles will look at autonomous weapon systems and how we deal with them from an ethical and legal perspective.

New Zealand: The rapid development of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) has led to the rise of autonomous weapon systems (AWS) and lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS). The idea of robots joining the battlefield is no longer science fiction — China has developed and released several models of autonomous drones that can fly into battle alongside fighter jets; Israel has developed a series of drones that are capable of identifying and eliminating targets without human intervention; and Russia is developing an autonomous nuclear-armed submarine.

Australia: The 30 April 2026 judgment in the Supreme Court of Western Australia case of Jako Industries Pty Ltd v Perkins (WA) Pty Ltd [2026] WASC 158 (Jako v Perkins) provides a useful clarification of where the line is drawn. In that instance, Forrester J held that the expert had not overstepped the mark and upheld the binding expert determination.

An important segment of the Australian renewable energy M&A market is the acquisition of and divestment of pre-Final Investment Decision (FID) projects, which is the sale of a project at the time where most of the project value remains at risk

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is set to overhaul cyber security regulation in the UK. New sectors will be brought into scope of the NIS Regulations, incident reporting obligations may be expanded, and penalties of up to 4% of worldwide turnover could be introduced. This webinar will look at the changes proposed in the UK. It will also look at how these compare to the EU’s NIS2 regime, and the changes now proposed to NIS2.

Norton Rose Fulbright provides a monthly overview of the key updates to Australian East Coast energy regulation in December 2025 and January 2026.

Three consultation papers have been released addressing the next tranche of reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act), proposed to commence on 1 July 2026.

On May 12, 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its long-awaited judgment in Case C-797/23, providing key guidance for the consistent interpretation of national legislation concerning online press publishers’ rights and their remuneration mechanisms.

Dentons is pleased to announce our continued contribution to the latest edition of the Real Estate Global Practice Guide, published by Chambers and Partners.

Global law firm Dentons has advised UniCredit as sole global coordinator, mandated lead arranger and bookrunner, together with a group of lenders and including Raiffeisen Bank International AG, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Bulgarian Bank and Eurobank Bulgaria – on a major renewable energy financing deal with SUNOTEC and Solaris Energy.