A specific type of protection business which pays out the sum assured on the diagnosis of one of a number of illnesses which are regarded by the medical profession as being life-threatening.

The smallest amount of fissile material needed to support a selfsustaining nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (e.g. the nuclear fission cross-section), its density, its shape, its enrichment, its purity, its temperature and its surroundings.

The sequence of activities that determine the overall duration of the works and the completion of which, in the order and manner planned, is critical to the work finishing on time. If this sequence has to be altered or the activities are changed it could affect the contractor’s ability to complete the works on time.

Fixing issues or problems in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility. It is important to proactively identify issues within the workplace, but you also need to be able to research those issues and present the potential solutions appropriately to ensure your ideas are listened to and taken seriously. This Practice Note provides guidance on critical thinking and problem solving, including how to establish what services you are able to provide to your business, understand and appreciate the commercial aspects of the business, and then demonstrate that thinking when communicating with the management team. It also looks at the DMAIC model, used in continuous improvement in relation to problem solving, and will help you apply this practice within your workplace. This Practice Note is designed to help you with the requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA’s) approach to continuing competence, particularly requirement A5 in the Statement of solicitor competence which relates to critical thinking and problem solving. Knowing what support to provide Whether customers are internal or external, if you give them everything they want (or

Property analysis: How should purchasers approach indemnities in respect of s 106 agreements? In a recent case a successor in title could not claim an indemnity from its predecessor in title under a s 106 agreement where it entered into an indemnity after the sale transaction. Purchasers should ensure sales transactions include an indemnity in respect of any outstanding planning obligations.

For pension income withdrawal plans, critical yield is the amount your fund must grow to keep paying your chosen income.

Some commentators have noted that the interplay of form and substance for UK tax purposes has parallels with the relationship of form and substance for Shari’ah purposes. From a Shari’ah perspective, substance can also take precedence. However, given the uncertainty regarding permissible transactions and the importance placed on Shari’ah compliance, industry participants have tended to emphasise the form of a transaction. Adherence to approved forms provides some assurance that the transactions represented by those forms comply with Shari’ah. In this sense, the use of traditional transaction structures such as Murabaha appears conservative. However, many critics of the Islamic finance industry target adherence to these structures as one of the chief problems with the industry. These critics argue the structures have been used by equity investors and financial institutions to mimic conventional interest-bearing transactions such as loans, and to therefore circumvent the substance of the transactions that the structures should record. Islamic jurisprudence encompasses the methods of exegesis by which Islamic Shari’ah may be derived from the ultimate sources of Islamic

1. What is the applicable legislation? On 13 November 2025, the Act on Screening of Foreign Investments, Official Gazette No 136/2025 (FDI Act 2025) entered into force. 2. Which government or other body (or bodies) reviews foreign investments? Under the FDI Act 2025, foreign investments are subject to a two-tier review structure comprising the Ministry of Finance and an FDI Commission.On 13 November 2025, the Act on Screening of Foreign Investments, Official Gazette No 136/2025 (FDI Act 2025) entered into force. The primary decision-maker is the Ministry of Finance, which issues the final administrative decision on notified foreign investment. The decision is adopted on the basis of the FDI Commission’s opinion. 3. What is the scope of the foreign investment regime? Does it only apply to specific sectors or types of investors (e.g. foreign or non-EU / non-WTO)? Are there specific rules for certain types of investors (e.g. state-owned enterprises)? In general, Croatian foreign investment regime is focused on reviewing foreign investments in restricted sectors in order to protect national security and/or public order. Restricted sectors involve,

This table summarises all completed investigations by Croatia’s competition authority (the Croatian Competition Agency—AZTN) into alleged cartels, anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant positions (Articles 101/102 TFEU and national equivalents) since 2018. Note—only investigations that have been made public are included in this table. 2024 Investigations under Article 101 TFEU/Article 8–9 of the Croatian Competition Act Case name, companies under investigation and industry Issues Developments Telecommunications • 6 undertakings (listed here) Restrictive agreement • Infringement decision announced—18/12/2024; fines totalling EUR 1.17m imposed Investigations under Article 102 TFEU/Article 12–14 of the Croatian Competition Act The AZTN did not issue any decisions under Article 102 TFEU/Article 12–14 in 2024. 2023 Investigations under Article 101 TFEU/Article 8–9 of the Croatian Competition Act The AZTN did not issue any decisions under Article 101 TFEU/Article 8–9 in 2023. Investigations under Article 102 TFEU/Article 12–14 of the

NOTE—to see whether notification thresholds in Croatia and throughout the world are met, see further: Where to Notify. 1. Have there been any recent developments regarding the Croatia merger control regime and are any updates/developments expected? Are there any other ‘hot’ merger control issues in Croatia? Following the amendments to the Croatian Competition Act (Competition Act) that became effective in April 2021, and the entry into force of the new Electronic Media Act in October 2021, there have been no substantial changes to the merger control regime in Croatia. On 1 January 2023, Croatia joined the eurozone and adopted the euro (EUR) as its official currency. Conversion from HRK to EUR is carried out using the fixed conversion rate (€1 = HRK 7.53450). Some applicable statutes have already been amended to reflect the change in currency (eg the Media Act and the Electronic Media Act), while others—including the Competition Act—have not yet been updated. 2. Under Croatian merger control law, is the control test the same as the EU concept of ‘decisive influence’? If not,

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS PRACTICE NOTE HAS NOW BEEN ARCHIVED. THIS NOTE COVERS THE LAW WHICH APPLIED AS AT 30 JUNE 2018. RESTRICTIONS ON UK LABOUR MARKET ACCESS FOR CROATIAN NATIONALS WERE LIFTED FROM 1 JULY 2018 AND CONSEQUENTLY WORKER AUTHORISATION REQUIREMENTS AND EXEMPTIONS FROM THEM DO NOT APPLY FROM THIS DATE. Croatia joined the EU on 1 July 2013. The Treaty of Accession of Croatia 2011 permits the UK to restrict labour market access to Croatian nationals for a maximum period of seven years from the date of accession, provided that the conditions imposed are no more restrictive than those that existed on the date of signature of the treaty (9 December 2011). In addition, if the UK subsequently implements relevant measures for non-EEA nationals that are more favourable than those that existed at the date of signature, these must be extended to Croatian nationals. The UK chose to implement labour market restrictions and the details of the regime are set out in the Accession of Croatia (Immigration

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS PRACTICE NOTE HAS NOW BEEN ARCHIVED. THIS NOTE COVERS THE LAW WHICH APPLIED AS AT 30 JUNE 2018. RESTRICTIONS ON UK LABOUR MARKET ACCESS FOR CROATIAN NATIONALS WERE LIFTED FROM 1 JULY 2018 AND CONSEQUENTLY WORKER AUTHORISATION REQUIREMENTS AND EXEMPTIONS FROM THEM DO NOT APPLY FROM THIS DATE. On 1 July 2013, Croatia became a member of the EU and, by extension, the European Economic Area (EEA). The treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the EU (the Accession Treaty) was signed in Brussels on 9 December 2011 and adopted in Brussels on 16 May 2012. Like other EEA nationals, nationals of Croatia do not require leave to enter or remain in the UK. The terms of the Accession Treaty entitle member states to derogate from EU free movement provisions so as to regulate the access of Croatian nationals to their domestic labour markets for up to five years, subject to a review after two years. A Member State may continue to apply labour