Book an appointment with us, or search the directory to find the right lawyer for you directly through the app.
Find out moreThe first Law Update of 2024 is here, and our first focus of the year spotlights Healthcare and Lifesciences, a sector that is undergoing significant growth and development across the MENA region.
Our focus provides an insight into some of the most important regulatory updates across the region, such as the UAE’s groundbreaking law on the use of human genome, Kuwait’s resolution on nuclear and radioactive materials, the new regulations for healthcare services in Qatar, Egypt’s healthcare regulatory framework, and the impact of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law on the healthcare and life sciences sector … and there is so much more!
Beyond the healthcare pages our lawyers share with you multi-sector insights where you will discover articles on Dubai’s DIFC regulatory framework for startups, Bahrain’s commercial agencies law, and we also shed light on Kuwaiti civil code and the advantages of setting up a joint stock company in Saudi Arabia.
Read the full editionThe UAE Government has enacted a new Commercial Agencies Law no. 3 of 2022 which will come into force on 15 June 2023. The new law replaces the previous commercial agency law which dates back some 40 years and which faced criticism from principals who argued that it was too heavily in favour of local agents. The new law demonstrates the new approach of the UAE, in general, to relax the rules and the regulations between agents and principals, and to open the UAE economy further to foreign investments. In particular, it gives parties, both principals and agents greater control and flexibility on the term of a registered agency and also how an agency may be terminated.
Previously, commercial agency was generally considered to be the domain of UAE nationals but under the new law, international companies may now be permitted by the UAE cabinet perform commercial agency activities, subject to certain conditions being fulfilled. This will certainly lead to an increase in the UAE’s attractiveness and competitiveness as a place to do business. The new law, which will take effect from 15 June 2023, allows companies more control over how long registered agency agreements will last and when an agency agreement can be terminated
The most significant changes introduced by the new law include:
The previous commercial agencies law had become problematic in practice and whilst the new agency law is yet to come into force, it does clearly show the legislator’s intention to create a balance between the interests of principals, local agents and end consumers in the UAE. Over the last four or so decades, at every attempt of dialogue or change, the challenge of legacy issues reared up vis a vis agents that had been registered many years ago or who had made large investments into the agency.
And so the enactment of the new commercial agencies law is a significant step forward. It opens the doors for new commercial agencies to be more independent and flexible; enabling principals and agents to have more freedom to agree on suitable contractual terms between themselves, including events of expiry or termination.
The passing of the new agency law shows the overall direction in which the UAE is travelling, being increasingly open for international business and foreign direct investments. Some of the old rules are simply no longer suitable for the UAE’s current ambitions as an international business hub. Given the significant changes made by the new law, stakeholders, whether agents, principals or end consumers, should be happy with the outcome.
To learn more about our services and get the latest legal insights from across the Middle East and North Africa region, click on the link below.