A new and powerful wave of “greenwashing” bans will sweep the European Union (EU) shortly. The EU’s Green Claims Directive and Greenwashing Directive (together, the Green Directives) are key legislative tools being introduced...more
8/5/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Greenwashing ,
Marketing ,
Member State ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Product Labels ,
Sustainability
Antitrust and Competition - The European Commission to Take Action to Address Territorial Supply Constraints - On 24 May 2024, the EU Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, announced that the European Commission...more
7/29/2024
/ Competition ,
Cross-Border ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Imports ,
Innovative Technology ,
Manufacturers ,
Member State ,
Non-Bank Lenders ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sustainability ,
Trade Relations
Antitrust and Competition - The European Commission Approves Plan to Unwind a Completed Transaction in the Early Cancer Detection Sector - On 12 April 2024, the European Commission (Commission) approved the plan to unwind a...more
6/7/2024
/ Digital Services ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Investment ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
Methane ,
Online Marketplace ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Retail ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Antitrust and Competition - The European Commission Fines Apple EUR 1.8 billion for Abusing Its Dominant Position in the Music Streaming Sector - On 4 March 2024, the European Commission (Commission) fined Apple EUR 1.8...more
3/29/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Competition ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Fund Managers ,
Importers ,
Investment Funds ,
Machine Learning ,
Manufacturers ,
Member State ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainability ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Introduction - On 5 March, the European Commission (Commission) adopted the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and proposed a regulation establishing the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP)....more
Antitrust and Competition - The European Court of Justice Held Rules Set by Sports Governing Bodies Must Comply With EU Competition Law - On 21 December 2023, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) held in a preliminary ruling...more
2/13/2024
/ Competition ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Digital Services ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Member State ,
Online Platforms ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sports ,
Sustainability ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Antitrust and Competition - European Commission Approves Consolidation in the Ground Transportation Sector Subject to Remedies - The companies are two global suppliers of signalling systems for mainline and urban railway...more
12/7/2023
/ Big Tech ,
Competition ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
Online Platforms ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Public Policy ,
Railways ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Transportation Industry ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Antitrust and Competition - European Commission Prohibits US$1.7 Billion Merger in Online Travel Agency Sector - On 25 September 2023, the European Commission (Commission) prohibited, under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004...more
10/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Competition ,
Digital Marketplace ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The European Commission Releases the Article 102 TFEU Package to Ensure Greater Legal Certainty on Exclusionary Abuses of Dominance - Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European...more
5/8/2023
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Green Infrastructure ,
Member State ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability ,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - European Commission Launches a Public Consultation on the Draft Revised Market Definition Notice - On 8 November 2022, the European Commission launched a public consultation aimed at gathering...more
11/28/2022
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Member State ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State Aid ,
Sustainability
On 21 September, the European Commission (Commission) approved, under State Aid rules, the project IPCEI Hy2Use (IPCEI Hy2Use) as the second Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) to support research and...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - The Commission’s New Guidance Creates Legal Uncertainty for Merger Control in the EU - On 26 March 2021, the Commission published a new Guidance on the application of the EU upward case referral...more
5/4/2021
/ Environmental Liability ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Green Energy ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Money Market Funds ,
Online Marketplace ,
Online Platforms ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Schrems I & Schrems II
Our original political update was going to be more general in nature covering the turbulent state of British politics and the UK Prime Minister's "Do or Die" determination to leave the EU on 31 October with or without a deal....more
On 21 March 2019, the Regulation establishing a new framework for the screening of foreign direct investments (“FDI”) into the European Union (“EU”) on grounds of security or public order was published and becomes applicable...more
Antitrust and Competition -
EU Cartel Damages: Advocate General says that liability in cartel damages cannot be avoided through corporate restructuring -
On 6 February 2019, Advocate General Nils Wahl found in his...more
Proposal would facilitate adoption of new tax policies in the European Union -
On January 15, 2019, the European Commission (the “Commission”) released its proposal to gradually remove the ability of European Union (“EU”)...more
Antitrust and Competition -
The European Commission conditionally approves a transaction in the data security sector after in-depth review -
On 11 December 2018, the European Commission announced it had conditionally...more
The December issue of the Brussels Regulatory Brief includes the following topics: -
Trade -
EU moves to bolster free movement of goods through extended mutual recognition -
On 22 November 2018, the Austrian...more
A New Digital Services Tax (…for now) - The European Commission is taking significant actions to address the taxation of the digital economy that would impose a 3% tax on digital services until a global and longer-term...more
Antitrust and Competition - Another transaction in the technology sector referred to the European Commission for its review - The European Commission (“Commission”) is yet again set to review a transaction in the technology...more
3/8/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Data Protection ,
Data Protection Authority ,
EU ,
EUMR ,
European Commission ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Facebook ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Geo-Blocking ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
Tax Evasion ,
Telecommunications
On 10 November 2017, the European Union (“EU”) General Court (“GC”) rendered a judgment partially annulling the European Commission’s (“Commission”) decision fining a broker for its involvement in the Libor Yen interest rate...more
12/8/2017
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Blockchain ,
Cartels ,
Competition ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Popular ,
Radio Stations ,
Telecommunications ,
Television Programming ,
WTO
On 6 September 2017, the Court of Justice, the European Union (“EU”)’s highest court, issued its much awaited decision in a case of abuse of dominance by a US microchip manufacturer using exclusivity or loyalty rebates, i.e....more
On 10 May 2017, the European Commission (“Commission”) published its final report (“Report”) concluding a wide-ranging two-year long inquiry into e-commerce (“Inquiry”). During the Inquiry – which was conceived as part of the...more
7/7/2017
/ Capital Markets Union ,
Central Counterparties ,
Competition ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Digital Single Market ,
E-Commerce ,
EMIR ,
EU ,
EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Geo-Blocking ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Member State
On 8 February 2017, the Commission announced it had imposed fines totaling almost EUR 68 million on three companies for participating in a cartel to fix purchase prices of scrap lead-acid automotive batteries.
The cartel...more
On 1 January 2017, the torch of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (“EU”) was passed from Slovakia to Malta. The Presidency rotates every six months between the EU Member States, but continuity is guaranteed...more
2/6/2017
/ Brussels Regulation ,
Capital Markets Union ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Single Market ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
FSB ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
UK