

Government-Owned Assets
Allen & Overy advises extensively on the legal nature and legal regimes affecting different publicly-owned assets and the ways in which private parties may use them.
These assets usually include land, moveable property and intellectual property rights, among others.
In continental Europe, for example, we advise our clients on the differences between public domain goods and other public property, on their use, temporary assignment and, in certain cases, their transfer.
A major issue we regularly advise on is expropriation procedures, ie providing insight into the ways public authorities can forcefully purchase private land for public use or in the social interest, in particular with regard to infrastructure projects, such as new toll roads, train lines, airports.
We also advise on the assignment of land from public authorities to third parties, who receive the right to use the land or to operate a certain service on the land for a specific period of time, after which the right to use the land reverts to the public authorities.
With regard to land-planning issues, we provide expert advice on different land-planning procedures and the ways in which temporary rights may be granted to private parties for specific activities relating, in particular, to the urbanisation of land.
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News & insights

Publications: 19 JANUARY 2021
In its judgment of 14 January 2021 the European Court of Justice provides guidance on “self-cleaning measures”. The “self-cleaning” measures were introduced in the 2014 Directives on public…
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Publications: 19 JANUARY 2021
Hydrogen Strategy – German Parliament passes law on material exemption from electricity surcharges
On 10 June of 2020, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy released its National Hydrogen Strategy (Nationale Wasserstoffstrategie) (German Hydrogen Strategy) as a part of the Covid-19…
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Publications: 18 JANUARY 2021
Golden powers: updates in Italy
Important news on the application of the foreign direct investment legislation (“golden powers”) in Italy
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Publications: 04 JANUARY 2021
Looking ahead: What can 2021 bring for screening foreign direct investments in Belgium?
Belgium has not yet adopted a formal FDI screening mechanism to implement the EU FDI Regulation, but the debate on how to protect certain critical industries remains very relevant, as becomes clear…
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