Investing in the EU through an SPV

To route their investments in a tax efficient manner, investors in the EU often use special purpose vehicles (SPV) incorporated in a third-party jurisdiction. The preferred jurisdictions are generally Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and, to a lesser extent, the UK or Switzerland (which benefits from certain EU directive rules under EU-Swiss agreements). Antoine Vergnat of McDermott Will & Emery in Paris provides a practical description of the main substance-related requirements that SPVs must satisfy to benefit from exemptions or reductions of withholding taxes on portfolio incomes derived from EU operating companies (which assets are not predominantly made up of real estate assets).