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The Hungarian Ministry of Justice is considering a draft law for foreign lawyers in Hungary. The main elements are likely to be a requirement that foreign firms register with the Hungarian Bar and not just the Ministry of Trade, and that foreign firms form associations with local firms. Stephen Forster, of McKenna Ormai, Budapest (an association of a Hungarian and a British firm), says: "The proposals seem quite reasonable, although they are at an early stage." Laszlo Kopits of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Budapest, says: "All lawyers recognize that the operation of foreign firms must be regulated, rather than the free-for-all which now exists."

The EU Investment Services Directive (ISD) is finally to be enacted into French law. Jean-Guillaume d'Hérouville and Pierre Gissinger of Gide Loyrette Nouel, Paris, discuss the changes to the regulatory regime

The EU Commission is pressing Austria to abolish anonymous banking. With the Austrian government stalling, the matter is likely to go to the European Court. By Friedrich Schwank of Law Offices Dr F Schwank, Vienna

Ros Wright, general counsel and director of policy, the Securities and Futures Authority, talks to Richard Forster

Swiss Telecom PTT has acquired a 30% interest in Sterling Cellular, an Indian company which holds a licence to operate cellular telephone services in Delhi. Sterling is controlled by Essar Goup, the US telecommunications company.

The 700 MW gas-fired Samalayuca power project located south of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua is Mexico's first foreign-sponsored generating project to reach financial closure. The $647 million financing was concluded on May 24 after four years of negotiation.

With the adoption of a Communication by Sir Leon Brittan and Karel van Miert, the trade and competition commissioners, the European Commission has proposed the establishment of an international framework of competition rules. The Communication, which must still be presented to the Council, calls on the WTO ministerial conference in Singapore in December to agree to study, from 1997, the possibility of an international framework of competition rules.

The following is a summary of recent developments:

The Spanish government has recently approved a package of measures introducing important changes in the financial field.

The Legislative Decree adopted on May 15 1996 by the Council of Ministers (the Decree) to implement EU Directives 93/22/EC (on Investment Services) and 93/6/EC (on Capital Adequacy) will, among other things, introduce substantial reform aimed at privatizing Italian regulated markets (the stock exchange, over-the-counter, futures and options markets). The Decree is now being submitted to the relevant parliamentary committee for its opinion, which, however, is not binding.