The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), and the German Environment Agency, has published new guidance on managing Natural Hazard Triggered Technological (Natech) risks. This guidance is aimed at senior leaders in industry and public authorities, emphasising the importance of effective governance in preventing, preparing for, and responding to Natech accidents It highlights the increasing risks linked to climate change and advocates for a multi-disciplinary approach to Natech risk management. In addition, it calls for the integration of Natech risk strategies into both corporate governance and national policies.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the July 2023 version of the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits (the Arrangement) which replaces the January 2022 text. The revision of the Arrangement includes all modifications agreed to the Arrangement, including its annexes, and is applicable as of 15 July 2023. The revised text incorporates the modernisation of the Arrangement package reform, agreed by participants on 14 July 2023 and the Commercial Interest Reference Rate (CIRR) reform, agreed by participants on 15 July 2023.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a revised version of the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, which became applicable as of 2 September 2024. The amendments include: replacement of the sunset clauses relating to Project Classes G  (Low emissions manufacturing) and I (Clean Energy Minerals and Ores) of the Climate Change Sector Understanding by a review clause with a 30 June 2026 deadline; and the temporary 100 basis points margin of the Commercial Interest Reference Rates has been extended for another year.

gThe OECD has released the Forum on Tax Administration's International Compliance Assurance Program (ICAP)’s first set of data for multilateral risk assessments of participating MNE groups, covering cases completed by October 2023. It reports that 40 percent of the groups had low-risk assessments regarding key transfer pricing risk areas.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) International Migration Outlook 2024 reveals unprecedented migration levels to member countries in 2023, with 6.5 million new permanent immigrants recorded. Family and humanitarian migration saw significant increases of 16% and 20% respectively. The report also notes a record 2.7 million new asylum applications. In response to these trends, many OECD countries are recalibrating their migration policies, with some tightening asylum legislation and imposing restrictions on legal migration pathways. The EU's adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum marks a milestone in regional cooperation. Additionally, the report highlights the growing economic impact of immigrant entrepreneurs, who now constitute 17% of the self-employed in OECD countries, up from 11% in 2006.

he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the update to the OECD Model Tax Convention. The update introduces a new paragraph 6 to Article 25 concerning the role of competent authorities in determining whether a matter falls within the scope of a tax treaty for the purposes of dispute resolution under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. It also updates the Commentary on Article 5 to clarify when cross-border working from an individual’s home or another relevant place may create a permanent establishment and introduces an optional provision providing a lower permanent establishment threshold for activities connected with the exploration and exploitation of extractible natural resources.

Law360: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) updated 12 countries' entries in its transfer pricing database 22 July 2025, showing that while none of these countries has adopted the simplified approach for addressing baseline marketing and distribution activities known as Amount B, many have reached a political agreement on the measure.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has published their joint analysis of global counterfeit trade using 2021 customs seizure data. The report reveals counterfeit goods valued at $US 467bn entered global trade (2.3% of world trade) and €99bn entered the EU market (4.7% of EU imports) in 2021. The analysis identifies enforcement challenges including increased 'localisation' of counterfeit assembly near destination markets, exploitation of de minimis thresholds, and a shift toward road transport rising from 4% to 18% of seizures between 2017-19 and 2020-21. China and Hong Kong remain primary sources, accounting for 62% of seized counterfeit items in global trade.

Operational Experience Feedback

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has published its response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ April 2026 consultation on a proposed exemption from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for residential developments on brownfield land. The BNG regime, introduced under the Environment Act 2021, came into effect for major and minor developments in 2024 and is due to come into effect for nationally significant infrastructure projects in November 2026. The OEP recommends that the full BNG regime be allowed to come into effect before further changes are made. It cautions that the proposed exemption risks undermining confidence in nascent nature markets and questions the evidential basis for the change, noting that accompanying data indicates that the cost to nature would exceed the savings to developers. The OEP also comments on the application of the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS) in the development of the proposals, stating that an EPPS assessment would assist those considering the consultation questions.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and Green Alliance (GA) have been granted permission to intervene in the appeal of R (Rights Community Action Ltd) v the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2024] EWHC 1693 (Admin). This case is expected to set a precedent for how the UK government considers environmental issues in future policymaking. It represents the first serious judicial examination of the duty to apply environmental principles, a key component of England's post-Brexit environmental governance system. GA seeks to provide evidence on the conception, formulation, and implementation of this duty. The OEP's intervention aims to clarify the application of the environmental principles policy statement in supporting environmentally aware policy-making and the delivery of the government's Environmental Improvement Plan and Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021) targets.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has closed its investigation into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) statutory guidance on Farming Rules for Water regulations after finding the department's previous guidance failed to comply with environmental law. The investigation, following complaints from WWF-UK and ClientEarth, concluded that Defra's original 2022 guidance was inconsistent with the regulations intended to reduce agricultural water pollution. Defra revised its statutory guidance during the investigation, prompting the OEP to close the case. The OEP has made two recommendations to Defra: to provide further clarity to farmers on legal requirements and to complete its legal review of the regulations as soon as possible.