Law

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Regulation of stem cell research. This multi-national report, prepared by foreign law specialists and analysts at the Law Library of Congress, covers the regulation of stem cell research in the select jurisdictions of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, and Panama. The report focuses on regulation of scientific research in general, regulation of stem cell research, and relevant legislative developments. The report will further examine the legislation and provisions set by each country as it pertains to stem cell research. (Nov. 2023)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Lobbying and foreign agent registration laws. This multi-national report, prepared by foreign law specialists and analysts at the Law Library of Congress, covers lobbying and foreign agent registration laws in the select jurisdictions of Czechia, France, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. The report focuses on legislative developments in the jurisdictions with regards to (1) the regulation of lobbying, and (2) the registration of foreign agents. Furthermore, the report includes information on (3) the extent to which China is referred to in the discussions on the need to pass such laws (or to amend them,..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Impact of translations of the NIST cybersecurity framework. This report, prepared by foreign law specialists and analysts at the Law Library of Congress, examines the cybersecurity legal frameworks of 10 countries to assist in assessing the impact of foreign language translations of the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (US NIST Cybersecurity Framework, or NIST CSF) on the regulations and policies of other countries. (Sept. 2023)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Investment incentives. This report, prepared by research staff at the Law Library of Congress, explores various investment incentives and the tax treatment of investments in the following jurisdictions: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, India, Iran, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Jurisdictions have been chosen based on the size of their economies, and the report addresses the primary incentives for making equity investments to corporations, from both a corporate and individual investor perspectiv..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Regulation of artificial intelligence around the world. This report, prepared by the research staff of the Law Library of Congress, provides a list of jurisdictions in the world where legislation that specifically refers to artificial intelligence (AI) or systems utilizing AI have been adopted or proposed. (Aug. 2023)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Safety and security of artificial intelligence systems : Australia, Canada, European Union, New Zealand, United Kingdom. This report surveys the safety and security of artificial intelligence systems (AI systems) in five selected jurisdictions, namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU). (July 2023).

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Foreigners' Right to Real Property Ownership : China, Iran, North Korea, Russian Federation. This report, prepared by staff of the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Directorate, analyzes the laws of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia regulating the right of foreign companies and individuals to acquire land and other real estate, with a particular focus on whether United States persons are specifically prohibited. (Feb. 2023)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Repatriation of Immigration Detainees' Remains. This report addresses the responsibility for covering the costs of repatriating the remains of foreign nationals who died in immigration detention to their home countries in the following jurisdictions: Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK). (Feb. 2023)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Asylum Application Processes. This report surveys the asylum application processes, in particular, processes involved indetermining whether an asylum seeker is in need of international protection, in nine selectedjurisdictions, namely, Canada, Germany, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the UnitedKingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU).

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Regulation of Hemp. This report looks at the regulation of hemp in select jurisdictions around the globe, namely,Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, India, Japan, New Zealand,Russia, the Slovak Republic, the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU). In anappendix to the report, we have also included a table of countries that have legalized theproduction of hemp. The report covers when cultivation/production of hemp was legalized, how hemp is defined (in terms of allowable delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level), under whatrestrictions/circumstances (if any) hemp can be cultivated/pro..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Pharmaceutical antitrust cases. This report examines antitrust enforcement cases concerning the pharmaceutical sector inselected foreign jurisdictions since 2010 that resulted in fines or other sanctions. It summarizescases in Australia, Denmark, the European Union, France, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands,South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. An appendix to this report identifies other countries we researched to locate pharmaceutical antitrust cases since 2010 that involved fines or other sanctions, but where no such cases were found, namely Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Mass Timber Construction in Selected Jurisdictions.  This report provides an overview of global jurisdictions and their legislative and policy frameworks concerning the use of mass timber in construction. The foreign law specialists and analysts of the Law Library of Congress undertook a global survey, and the countries included here are those for which relevant legislation was identified. (September 2022)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Canada: The Emergencies Act.  This report reviews the history, key provisions, and contemporary use of Canada’s Emergencies Act. It outlines the constitutional allocation of emergency powers, and the history of the predecessor statute, the War Measures Act. It explains the reasons for the reform of federal emergency powers and the introduction of the Emergencies Act. Itdiscusses the key provisions of the Emergencies Act, including types of emergencies, permissible orders, and oversight provisions. Finally, it explains the 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act and subsequent oversig..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Net Zero Emissions Legislation Around the World: 2022 Update.  This report shows the 57 jurisdictions around the world that the Law Library of Congress has identified as having a net zero emissions or climate neutrality goal enshrined in legislation. The report (table) highlights the most recent legislative developments and reports on laws amended after the COP 26 conference in 2021 as well as recently proposed climate-related legislation under consideration in national parliaments. This includes the European Union (EU) and its 27 member states, where a June 2021 regulation sets 2050 as the target date ..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Mass Timber Construction.  This report examines the use of mass timber, also known as cross-laminated timber, in the construction of buildings in ten countries. According to Natural Resources Canada, mass timber is “a transformative technology made by affixing or gluing together many pieces of wood veneers, flakes or dimension lumber to form larger, stronger pieces such as panels and beams.” The report consists of a comparative summary followed by individual country surveys for ten countries. The countries surveyed are Australia, Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzer..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Economic Espionage Laws.  This report addresses economic espionage laws and the regulation of fraudulent filing of corporate, import-export, and banking documentation. In addition to describing relevant legislation, the report provides examples of convictions and law enforcement activities regarding economic espionage and the violation of export control requirements from the past five years. In addition to this summary, the report consists of individual country surveys for the following countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongo..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, United States and United Kingdom: Comparative Recent Developments in Environmental Law.  This report summarizes recent environmental law developments in the United Kingdom and the United States. In both jurisdictions, environmental law refers to the area of law concerning environmental protection. In general,  environmental law focuses on the main areas of clean air, clean water, the conservation of species, and the preservation of natural resources. This report addresses clean air and water as well as aspects of national environmental governance and international environmental cooperation in each country.&n..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Legal framework for nuclear technology and information : Australia, United Kingdom.  The report provides a high level overview of how these countries’ laws and policies require them to handle nuclear technology and information, including in the context of meeting some of the obligations contained in the new AUKUS agreement on the exchange of naval nuclear propulsion information, which was signed by Australia, the UK, and the United States (US) in November 2021. (Feb. 2022)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Laws on abortion, genetic consultation, and assisted reproduction.  The Law Library has published a report on the development of laws on abortion, genetic consultation, and assisted reproduction online. The report covers the laws in this area from 1945 to the current day for eleven countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. All of the countries surveyed in the report permit abortions. The dates that the countries legalized abortion vary significantly: Romania and Bulgaria were the first two countries to legalize ..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Worldwide Global Magnitsky Act legislation.  This report discusses the Global Magnitsky Act as it was implemented in the United States (US), and provides comparative information about foreign laws that operate in a similar manner. Individual country reports, when applicable, are also included after the comparative section. These countries include Australia, Canada, Estonia, the European Union, Gibraltar, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom. The report begins with an explanation of the Global Magnitsky Act in the United States and its implementation, via statute and executive order, in..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to resent the report, Investment Migration Programs of Visa Waiver Program Countries.  This report shows those countries that participate in the United States visa waiver program, and whether or not they have an investment migration program. Such programs enable applicants who make investments in the country to obtain either a visa to reside in the country or, more rarely, citizenship. The Law Library found that 28 of the 40 jurisdictions that participate in the visa waiver program offer such investment migration programs. In addition, the United Kingdom operated an investor visa program that was recently closed to new applicants. Most..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Turkey: Presidential Decrees.  This report aims to provide a brief overview of the Turkish presidential decree (CBK),a regulatory act that the president of the republic can issue without prior authorizationor delegation from the legislature. The power to issue CBKs was granted to thepresident by constitutional amendments adopted in 2017. Being novel to Turkishconstitutional law tradition, the power has since been a focal point of interest in legalscholarship and a matter of controversy in practice. This report explores in light ofrecent scholarship and Constitutional Court decisions what we know and do not knowregarding the sco..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Civic space legal framework: Portugal, Romania.  This report examines the Constitutions of Portugal and Romania and other legal frameworks in each country. The Portuguese Constitution recognizes that everyone has the right to privacy and legal protection against discrimination. The rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association, and of the press are also protected by the Constitution. The Constitution of Romania recognizes and protects the right of access to public information, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of religion, and the right to privacy. (November ..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Lifecycle of Parliamentary Documents.  This report addresses the lifecycle of parliamentary documents in Australia, Canada, theEuropean Parliament, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK. The report contains individual jurisdictional surveys prepared by foreign law specialists in the GlobalLegal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress based on researching legal sourcespublished in the jurisdictions surveyed, where applicable in the native languages. (Dec 2021)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the updated report, Regulation of cryptocurrency around the world: November 2021 update.  This table updates a more comprehensive 2018 Law Library of Congress report on the regulation of cryptocurrencies around the world and adds the United States to the surveyed jurisdictions. It focuses on two topics. First, the legal status of cryptocurrencies, meaning whether a country either explicitly or implicitly bans cryptocurrencies. Second, the table shows the regulatory framework surrounding cryptocurrencies, in particular the application of tax laws and anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism laws..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Net Zero Emissions Legislation Around the World.  This table shows the 39 jurisdictions around the world that the Law Library of Congress hasidentified as having a net-zero emissions or climate neutrality goal enshrined in legislation. Thisincludes the European Union and its 27 member states, where a June 2021 regulation sets 2050 as the target date for climate neutrality. Eight EU member states have passed their own legislationin addition to the directly applicable regulation, including two that have set an earlier target date.To date, 11 countries outside the EU have passed legislation containing a net-zero emission..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Regulation of Crash Avoidance Systems. This report surveys the legal requirements for car crash avoidance systems aimed at detectingand classifying vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists, in 14 selectedjurisdictions, namely Australia, Canada, China, France, Israel, Japan, the Russian Federation,South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom(UK), and the European Union (EU). (Aug. 21)

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Belt and Road Initiative. This report covers the legal and policy frameworks that govern the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)(formerly known as “One Belt One Road”) in select jurisdictions and regions around the globe,namely, China, Cambodia, Djibouti, Egypt, Greece, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Pakistan,the Philippines, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom(UK), and certain Central Asian, Caribbean, and South American countries. The BRI is atranscontinental investment strategy and program with the aim of promoting economicconnectivity and integration in more than 100 countries in Asia, ..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Children's Online Privacy and Data Protection This report surveys how selected countries from the European Union (EU) and the laws of the European Union (EU) itself provide privacy rights for children online. The EU introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2016. As a regulation, the GDPR is directly applicable in all Member States, but most Member States have introduced legislation to ensure consistency and compliance with the GDPR in their domestic laws. France, Denmark Germany, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the UK have introduced legislation that serves to implement or codify the GDPR in the..

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Recognition of Foreign Passports.  This report covers the recognition of foreign passport and issuance of passports or other travel documents to foreigners in 20 selected jurisdictions around the globe, and the United States. The United States is included for comparative purposes and for the general information of our readers. In addition, the report includes a section on international law pertaining to the right to leave and re-enter one’s home country, as well as international obligations to issue travel documents to refugees and stateless persons. (April 2021) This report is one of many prepared by the Law Library of C..