Coronavirus - Government measures in key jurisdictions - Flipbook - Page 34
Denmark
certain types of medical devices, personal protective equipment and disinfectants to
regions and municipalities against payment from the region or the municipality. As the
Danish Medicines Agency has a right to decide the terms of payment and delivery, this
may potentially have an impact on the companies’ ability to enter into other contracts or
fulfil existing contracts. Similarly, the Danish government has implemented an Executive
Order which gives the Danish Medicines Agency authority to i.e. decide that prices on
medicine may not rise.
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Property
Have any changes
been made to
the laws around
property, rent and
enforcement?
Litigation
•
For additional information about COVID-19 as force majeure event under Danish law,
please view here.
•
For additional information about the Executive Orders under which the Danish
Medicines Agency can impose extensive obligations on companies, please view here.
•
The Danish government has not introduced any changes to the laws around
property, rent and enforcement.
•
However, the Danish government has implemented a temporary ban on the opening
of shopping malls, department stores, arcades, bazaars etc. and places where food,
beverages or tobacco are served. These bans have raised a number of issues for both
lessors and lessees related to business leaseholds in the retail, catering and tourist
industries, i.e. whether the government actions constitute force majeure. It is likely
that the government actions can constitute force majeure in relation to some of both
lessor’s and lessee’s obligations under a lease agreement as (i) the fulfillment of terms
of the lease agreement can be impossible due to the extraordinary situation created by
the outbreak of COVID-19 virus and the bans imposed by the government, and (ii) the
extraordinary situation – at least for the lease agreements drafted prior to the outbreak
of COVID-19 virus – must be assumed to have been unpredictable for the parties.
•
For additional information about the restrictions on business leaseholds due to
COVID-19 and the related issues for lessors and lessees, please view here.
•
The Danish courts have been closed down since 13 March 2020, but will be open
again from 27 April 2020. Accordingly, for pending cases this means that from 13
March 2020 until 27 April 2020, the courts have only heard cases within ‘critical
areas of practice’, as the employees of the courts have been sent home to the
greatest extent possible. Hearings of cases in all non-critical areas of practice are
discontinued and will be adjourned until 27 April 2020.
•
For additional information about COVID-19 consequences for pending court and
arbitration cases, please view here.
•
The Danish government has within the tax area adopted several measures to help
secure small, medium and large companies’ liquidity. The measures include:
Are the courts
operating?
Tax
Has any new
legislation been
introduced in light
of COVID-19?
(i) postponement of the deadline for payment of VAT and specific taxes for the
months April, May and June,
Government measures in key jurisdictions
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