Regulatory Matters (a) VFL and Purchaser shall cooperate and use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all consents, approvals and agreements of, and to give and make all notices and filings with, any Governmental Entity necessary to authorize, approve or permit the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Related Agreements and any other agreements contemplated hereby or thereby, including, without limitation, as set forth on Schedule 3.04 and Schedule 4.04. Purchaser and VFL will provide each other and their counsel the opportunity to review in advance and comment on all such filings with any Governmental Entity. Purchaser and VFL will keep each other informed of the status of matters relating to obtaining the regulatory approvals specified in Schedule 3.04 and Schedule 4.04. It is expressly understood by the parties hereto that each party hereto shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that representatives of both Purchaser and VFL shall have the right to attend and participate in any hearing, proceeding, meeting, conference or similar event before or with a Governmental Entity or other organization relating to this Agreement or a Related Agreement. In furtherance of the foregoing, Purchaser and VFL shall provide each other reasonable advance notice of any such hearing, proceeding, meeting, conference or similar event. The notice required to be given under this Section 5.04 shall be given to representatives of VFL or Purchaser entitled to receive notices hereunder.
(b) VFL and Purchaser shall cooperate and use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all other approvals and consents to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Related Agreements, including the consents of third parties under Assigned Contracts. In the event and to the extent that VFL is unable to obtain any required approval or consent of non-governmental authorities to any agreement to be assigned to Purchaser hereunder, (i) VFL shall use commercially reasonable efforts in cooperation with Purchaser to (A) provide or cause to be provided to Purchaser the benefits of any such agreement, (B) cooperate in any arrangement, reasonable and lawful as to VFL and Purchaser, designed to provide such benefits to Purchaser and (C) enforce for the account of Purchaser any rights of VFL arising from such agreements, including the right to elect to terminate in accordance with the terms thereof on the advice of Purchaser and (ii) Purchaser shall use commercially reasonable efforts to perform the obligations of VFL arising under such agreements and licenses, to the extent that, by reason of the transactions consummated pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, Purchaser has control over the resources necessary to perform such obligations. If and when any such approval or consent shall be obtained or such agreement or license shall otherwise become assignable, VFL shall promptly assign all of its rights and obligations thereunder to Purchaser without the payment of further consideration and Purchaser shall, without the payment of any further consideration therefor, assume such rights and obligations and VFL shall be relieved of any and all obligation or liability hereunder.
Regulatory Matters and Approvals Each of the Parties will give any notices to, make any filings with, and use its reasonable best efforts to obtain any necessary authorizations, consents, and approvals of governments and governmental agencies in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
Reports; Regulatory Matters (a) Each of the Companies and their Subsidiaries have timely filed or furnished, as applicable, all reports, registrations, statements and certifications, together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, that they were required to file or furnish, as applicable, since January 1, 2006 with (i) any state regulatory authority, (ii) the SEC, (iii) any foreign regulatory authority, and (iv) any self-regulatory authority, (collectively, “Regulatory Agencies”) and with each other applicable Governmental Entity, and all other reports and statements required to be filed or furnished by them since January 1, 2006, including any report or statement required to be filed pursuant to the laws, rules or regulations of the United States, any state, any foreign entity, or any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity, and have paid all fees and assessments due and payable in connection therewith. Except as set forth in Section 3.5 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, no Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity has initiated since January 1, 2006 or has pending any proceeding, enforcement action or, to the knowledge of Seller, investigation into the business, disclosures or operations of any of the Companies or any of its Subsidiaries. Since January 1, 2006, no Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity has resolved any proceeding, enforcement action or, to the knowledge of Seller, investigation into the business, disclosures or operations of any of the Companies or any of its Subsidiaries. There is no unresolved, or, to Seller’s knowledge, threatened criticism, comment, exception or stop order by any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity with respect to any report or statement relating to any examinations or inspections of any of the Companies or any of its Subsidiaries. Since January 1, 2006, there have been no formal or informal inquiries by, or disagreements or disputes with, any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity with respect to the business, operations, policies or procedures of any of the Companies or any of its Subsidiaries (other than normal inquiries made by a Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity in the Companies’ ordinary course of business).
(b) No Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any cease-and-desist or other order or enforcement action issued by, or is a party to any written agreement, consent agreement or memorandum of understanding with, or is a party to any commitment letter or similar undertaking to, or is subject to any order or directive by, or has been ordered to pay any civil money penalty by, or has been since January 1, 2006 a recipient of any supervisory letter from, or since January 1, 2006 has adopted any policies, procedures or board resolutions at the request or suggestion of, any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity that currently restricts or affects in any material respect the conduct of its business (or to Seller’s knowledge that, upon consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, would restrict in any material respect the conduct of the business of either Buyer or any of its Subsidiaries), or that in any material manner relates to its capital adequacy, its ability to pay dividends, its credit, risk management or compliance policies, its internal controls, its management or its business, other than those of general application that apply to similarly situated companies or their Subsidiaries (each item in this sentence, a “Company Regulatory Agreement”), nor has any of the Companies or any of their Subsidiaries been advised since January 1, 2006 by any Regulatory Agency or other Governmental Entity that it is considering issuing, initiating, ordering, or requesting any such Company Regulatory Agreement.
(c) Seller has previously made available to Buyers an accurate and complete copy of each (i) final registration statement, prospectus, report, schedule and definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC by Seller pursuant to the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) since January 1, 2006 (the “Seller SEC Reports”) and prior to the date of this Agreement and (ii) communication mailed by Seller to its shareholders since January 1, 2006 and prior to the date of this Agreement. No such Seller SEC Report or communication, at the time filed or communicated (or, if amended prior to the date hereof, as of the date of such amendment), with respect to the Companies and their Subsidiaries only, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading. To the knowledge of Seller, other than as set forth in Section 3.5 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, none of the Seller SEC Reports is the subject of any ongoing review or investigation by the SEC or any other Governmental Entity and there are no unresolved SEC comments with respect to any of such documents.
Litigation and Compliance
(a) Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Letter, to the best of GLC’s knowledge, there are no actions, suits, claims or proceedings, whether in equity or at law or, any Governmental investigations pending or threatened:
(i) against or affecting GLC or the GLC Subsidiaries or with respect to or affecting any asset or property owned, leased or used by GLC or the GLC Subsidiaries; or
(ii) which question or challenge the validity of this Agreement, or the Amalgamation or any action taken or to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, or the Amalgamation; nor is GLC aware of any basis for any such action, suit, claim, proceeding or investigation.
(b) There is not outstanding against GLC or the GLC Subsidiaries, any judgment, decree, injunction, rule, order or award of any court, Governmental entity, commission, board, bureau, agency, or arbitrator.
(c) Each of GLC and the GLC Subsidiaries has conducted and is conducting its business in compliance with, and is not in default or violation under, and has not received notice asserting the existence of any default or violation under, any Law applicable to its business or operations, except for non-compliance, defaults and violations which would not, in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on GLC.
(d) Neither GLC nor any of its assets, including the GLC Subsidiaries, is subject to any judgment, order or decree entered in any lawsuit or proceeding which has had, or which is reasonably likely to have, a Material Adverse Effect on GLC or which is reasonably likely to prevent GLC from performing its obligations under this Agreement.
(e) To the best knowledge of GLC, each of GLC and the GLC Subsidiaries has duly filed or made all reports and returns required to be filed by it with any Government and has obtained all permits, licenses, consents, approvals, certificates, registrations and authorizations (whether Governmental, regulatory or otherwise) which are required in connection with its business and operations, except where the failure to do so has not had and will not have a Material Adverse Effect on GLC.
Tax and Regulatory Matters No Buyer Entity or, to the Knowledge of Buyer, any Affiliate thereof has taken or agreed to take any action, and Buyer does not have any Knowledge of any agreement, plan or other circumstance, that is reasonably likely to (i) prevent the Merger from qualifying as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) materially impede or delay receipt of any of the Requisite Regulatory Approvals.
Certain Regulatory Matters Except as set forth on Section 2.24 of the Disclosure Schedules:
(a) No member of the Seller Group is in receipt of notice of, or is subject to any investigation, adverse inspection observation, finding of deficiency, fine, reprimand, sanction, assessment, finding of non-compliance, regulatory, untitled or warning letter, FDA form 483, safety alert, mandatory or voluntary recall, other reportable corrective or remedial action, or other compliance or enforcement action (“Regulatory Actions”), in each case relating to the Business Products or to the facilities in which the Business Products are prepared, assembled, tested, packaged, labeled, stored or handled, issued by any applicable Governmental Authority, and/or commercialization activities conducted by or on behalf of any member of the Seller Group, or alleging that any member of the Seller Group was or is the subject of any pending, threatened or anticipated Action or Regulatory Action by any Governmental Authority, or that there are circumstances currently existing which might reasonably be expected to lead to any loss of or refusal to renew any of the Regulatory Licenses held by any member of the Seller Group. To Sellers’ Knowledge, there is no act, omission, event, or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to give rise to any such Regulatory Action against any member of the Seller Group. No member of the Seller Group has received any written notification from the FDA or any other applicable Governmental Authority indicating that any of the Business Products or components thereof is misbranded or adulterated.
(b) No member of the Seller Group has made any false statements on, or material omissions from, any applications, certifications, reports or other submissions to any applicable Governmental Authority or in or from any other records and documentation prepared or maintained to comply with the requirements of any Governmental Authority relating to the Business Products. There has not been any violation of any laws by any member of the Seller Group in prior product development efforts, submissions or reports to any Governmental Authority that could reasonably be expected to require investigation, corrective action or enforcement action by any member of the Seller Group with respect to the Business Products.
(c) No member of the Seller Group: (i) has made an untrue statement of material fact or fraudulent statement to the FDA, United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) or any other Governmental Authority with respect to any product produced sold by any member of the Seller Group, or (ii) has failed to disclose a material fact required to be disclosed to the FDA, USDA or any other Governmental Authority.
(d) No member of the Seller Group: (i) has made or offered any payment, gratuity or other thing of value that is prohibited by any Law to personnel of the FDA, USDA or any other Governmental Authority or any other Person; (ii) has been convicted of any crime under any applicable Laws; (iii) while acting in such capacity, is considered a restricted individual under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”), has been required to post a surety bond in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding, or is under PACA employment restrictions; (iv) is involved in a business dispute, including informal or formal complaint, mediation, or is aware of any threatened complaints or disputes by any applicable Governmental Authority or other third parties under PACA; (v) used any funds to make, any unlawful contribution, gift, bribe, payoff, kickback or other unlawful payment to any Government Official or has violated any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”); (vi) discovered any potential or actual violation of the FCPA or any other applicable anti-corruption Law; (vii) received any written communication from any Governmental Authority alleging that any member of the Seller Group, or any director, officer, agent or employee acting on behalf of any member of the Seller Group was in violation of the FCPA or any other applicable anti-corruption Law; (viii) not been in compliance with the FCPA or any other applicable anti-corruption Law.
(e) During the 24 months immediately preceding the date of this Agreement, no Business Product has been recalled, whether voluntary or otherwise and no member of the Seller Group has received notice, either completed or pending, of any proceeding seeking a recall, removal, or corrective action of any Business Product. No member of the Seller Group has filed a report under the FDA’s Reportable Food Registry or been restrained in its ability to produce, market, test, or other corrective action, sell, distribute, or promote any Business Product. To the Sellers’ Knowledge, there are no facts, including product quality complaints that would be reasonably likely to result in a voluntary or mandatory product recall or expansion of recall.
(f) No member of the Seller Group is a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any Governmental Authority.
Regulatory Compliance Neither Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Neither Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is engaged as one of its important activities in extending credit for margin stock (under Regulations X, T and U of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors). Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries has complied in all material respects with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Neither Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is a “holding company” or an “affiliate” of a “holding company” or a “subsidiary company” of a “holding company” as each term is defined and used in the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005. Neither Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries has violated any laws, ordinances or rules, the violation of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change. Neither Borrower’s nor any of its Subsidiaries’ properties or assets has been used by Borrower or such Subsidiary or, to Borrower’s knowledge, by previous Persons, in disposing, producing, storing, treating, or transporting any hazardous substance other than in material compliance with applicable laws. Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries has obtained all consents, approvals and authorizations of, made all declarations or filings with, and given all notices to, all Governmental Authorities that are necessary to continue their respective businesses as currently conducted. None of Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of Borrower’s or its Subsidiaries’ Affiliates or any of their respective agents acting or benefiting in any capacity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement is (i) in violation of any Anti-Terrorism Law, (ii) engaging in or conspiring to engage in any transaction that evades or avoids, or has the purpose of evading or avoiding or attempts to violate, any of the prohibitions set forth in any Anti-Terrorism Law, or (iii) is a Blocked Person. None of Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries, or to the knowledge of Borrower and any of their Affiliates or agents, acting or benefiting in any capacity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (x) conducts any business or engages in making or receiving any contribution of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of any Blocked Person, or (y) deals in, or otherwise engages in any transaction relating to, any property or interest in property blocked pursuant to Executive Order No. 13224, any similar executive order or other Anti-Terrorism Law.
Tests and Preclinical and Clinical Trials The preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted by or, to the Company’s knowledge, on behalf of the Company, that are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as applicable, and are intended to be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or other comparable government entities, were and, if still ongoing, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional scientific standards and all Authorizations and Applicable Laws, including, without limitation, current Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices and any applicable rules and regulations of the jurisdiction in which such trials and studies are being conducted; the descriptions of the results of such studies and trials contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are, to the Company’s knowledge, accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies and trials; except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of any studies or trials, the results of which the Company believes reasonably call into question the study or trial results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical stage of development; and, except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company has not received any written notices or written correspondence from the FDA or any governmental entity requiring the termination or suspension of any preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company, other than ordinary course communications with respect to modifications in connection with the design and implementation of such trials, copies of which communications have been made available to you.
Cooperation on forestry matters and environmental protection 1. The aims of cooperation on forestry matters and environmental protection will be, but not limited to, as follows: (a) establishing bilateral cooperation relations in the forestry sector; (b) developing a training program and studies for sustainable management of forests; (c) improving the rehabilitation and sustainable management of forest with the aim of increasing carbon sinks and reduce the impact of climate change in the Asia-Pacific region; (d) cooperating on the execution of national projects, aimed at: improving the management of forest plantations for its transformation for industrial purposes and environmental protection; (e) elaborating studies on sustainable use of timber; (f) developing new technologies for the transformation and processing of timber and non-timber species; and (g) improving cooperation in agro-forestry technologies.
2. To achieve the objectives of the Article 149 (Objectives), the Parties may focus, as a means of cooperation and negotiations on concluding a bilateral agreement on forestry cooperation between the two Parties. Such collaboration will be as follows: (a) exchanges on science and technology as well as policies and laws relating the sustainable use of forest resources; (b) cooperation in training programs, internships, exchange of experts and projects advisory; (c) advice and technical assistance to public institutions and organizations of the Parties on sustainable use of forest resources and environmental protection; (d) facilitating forest policy dialogue and technical cooperation under the Network of Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Rehabilitation in Asia- Pacific Region, initiated at the 15th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting; (e) encouraging joint studies, working visits, exchange of experiences, among others; and (f) others activities mutually agreed.
Documentation and compliance (a) The data importer shall promptly and adequately deal with enquiries from the data exporter that relate to the processing under these Clauses.
(b) The Parties shall be able to demonstrate compliance with these Clauses. In particular, the data importer shall keep appropriate documentation on the processing activities carried out on behalf of the data exporter.
(c) The data importer shall make available to the data exporter all information necessary to demonstrate compliance with the obligations set out in these Clauses and at the data exporter’s request, allow for and contribute to audits of the processing activities covered by these Clauses, at reasonable intervals or if there are indications of non-compliance. In deciding on a review or audit, the data exporter may take into account relevant certifications held by the data importer.
