doing business with belarus: agriculture, food ......doing business with belarus: agriculture, food...
TRANSCRIPT
Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Belarus
Tim Theroux
DOINGBUSINESSWITHBELARUS:agriculture,foodprocessing,greentechnologies,and
machinery
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• Minimizing risks if problems arise • Complying with Belorussia legal requirements
Legal Structuring Objectives
DOINGBUSINESSWITHBELARUS:
agriculture,foodprocessing,greentechnologies,andmachinery
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Holding Company Structure JVPartner1 JVPartner2
ImmediateHoldingCompany(Offshore)
OperatingCompany(Belarus
Shareholders Agreement
50% 50%
100%
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• Foreign investors unfamiliar with local law • Local law less developed via case law • Foreign governing law: England, New York, others
Governing Law
DOINGBUSINESSWITHBELARUS:
agriculture,foodprocessing,greentechnologies,andmachinery
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• Belarus party to numerous bilateral/multilateral treaties on enforcement of foreign judgments
• No treaty with Canada, UK, US, etc. • Foreign judgements often not enforceable in Belorussian courts
Jurisdiction (Dispute Resolution)
Foreign Courts
DOINGBUSINESSWITHBELARUS:
agriculture,foodprocessing,greentechnologies,andmachinery
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• Belarus is a party to the New York Convention on enforceability of arbitral awards
• Foreign arbitral awards enforceable in Belorussian courts • Specific exceptions set out in New York Convention
Jurisdiction (Dispute Resolution)
Arbitration
DOINGBUSINESSWITHBELARUS:
agriculture,foodprocessing,greentechnologies,andmachinery