M&A COVID-19 Wire VI

1. State Aid

We keep our overview "COVID-19 - State aid for affected companies" always up-to-date for you. You can find our update from 28/04/2020 here: https://www.pplaw.com/en/article/covid-19-recht-und-steuern/covid-19-state-aid-affected-companies-overview-0.

2. "Corona-Amendment" to the Foreign Trade Ordinance

• On 28 April 2020, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy ("BMWi") published a draft amendment to the Foreign Trade Ordinance ("AWV"). In particular, this so-called "Corona-Amendment" provides for an extension of the notification obligations to investments in the health care sector and defines (exemplary) criteria for a prohibition of investments.
• In view of the current situation, the Corona Amendment provides for changes that were initially planned to be introduced as part of a major amendment to the AWV. This further AWV amendment, which among other things adapts the AWV to the planned amendments to the Foreign Trade Act (cf. our Client