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Southern US firms McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe LLP and Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy LLP, are in merger talks. Richmond-based McGuire Woods and Atlanta's Powell Goldstein could complete discussions and combine by the end of 1997.

Denton International, the European association, has added a Spanish member, Bufete Lupicinio Rodríguez. The addition of the 25-lawyer firm, which has offices in Madrid and Barcelona, brings the membership to seven.

New York's niche aviation, maritime and transport-related asset finance firm Haight, Gardner, Poor & Havens has agreed to a merger offer from Miami-based general practice firm Holland & Knight. "In the globalizing market you can no longer sit back and say we're Haight Gardner, we're the best in aviation, shipping and asset finance. That's not enough any more," explains Brian Starer, chairman of the firm. "The client base needs broader-based services. We found more and more over the last few years that we had to pass on business such as IPOs to other firms," he continues. "We decided that when we were approached by a firm with a whole shopping cart full of services we should jump into their basket."

• Serge Durox, former head of the legal department of BNP Capital Markets, is joining New York-based Coudert Brothers as a partner. Now based in London, Durox says he will work closely with the Paris, London, Moscow and New York offices, with particular involvement in the practices the London and Paris offices are building jointly. Jacques Buhart, managing partner of Coudert Frères, the firm's Paris office, says Durox "will be involved in developing the firm's derivatives practice in France".

Greater transparency is being recognized as the key to identifying the trail of illicit funds in South America. By Rodolfo Gerardo Papa of Cárdenas, Cassagne & Asociados, Buenos Aires

The Amsterdam Treaty, to be signed in October, makes significant reforms but failed to answer the main questions of how to reach decisions in an enlarged EU. By Raymond O’ Rourke of Stanbrook and Hooper, Brussels

Private sector finance is increasing in France. But undertaking projects with local government will require foreign companies to bridge a cultural gap. By Jacques Bertran de Balanda and Gilles Heude of Clifford Chance, Paris

A Presidential Decree has clarified the rules concerning foreign ownership of shares of RAO Gazprom, the world's largest natural gas producer (accounting for approximately one quarter of world production). Before the Decree, Gazprom's corporate charter had established a rule that no more than 9% of its shares could be owned by "foreigners or their affiliated persons or legal entities". However, there was no clear mechanism for enforcing the limit, and the definition of 'affiliated' remained murky. Gazprom also maintained the right to approve any sale of shares to foreigners, as well as a general right of first refusal to repurchase any shares sold by Russian shareholders (except that certain shares sold to Russian shareholders by auction were exempted from the latter rule).

As of May 8 1997, data protection rules have been in force under the provisions of Law No. 675 of December 31 1996 which enacted EU Directive No. 9 of March 11 1996. Varying levels of protection for personal data are contemplated and the Authority responsible recently criticized Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) because the forms used by BNL to obtain customers' consent breached the provisions of Law 675. The Authority considered BNL's forms too vague and general and in its opinion the bank's customers would be unlikely to be clear about how and for what purposes their personal data was being collated. The Authority invited BNL to modify the forms sent to customers particularly in view of the fact that refusal by customers to give BNL their consent would have meant the automatic termination of their contractual relationship with BNL and the immediate suspension by the bank of all transactions.

In June the new Banking Law of Cyprus was passed by the House of Representatives. Its main aim is to harmonize the island's legislation with that of the EU, to regulate the banking system and give protection to depositors.