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  • Article
    European Union–Singapore: Landmark Digital Trade Agreement Concluded On July 25, 2024, the European Union (EU) and Singapore concluded a Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) after five rounds of discussions. The new agreement seeks to improve cross-border digital trade, fortify cooperation in the digital economy, and set a global benchmark for future digital agreements.It will enter into force two months after both parties complete … Continue reading “European Union–Singapore: Landmark Digital Trade Agreement…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-10-02
  • Article
    European Union: TikTok Agrees with Commission to Withdraw Rewards Program On August 5, 2024, the European Commission (Commission) gave legal force to commitments made by online platform TikTok to permanently withdraw its TikTok Lite Rewards program from the European Union (EU). This concludes formal proceedings opened by the Commission under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) against TikTok. TikTok Lite is a data-light version of … Continue reading “European Union: TikTok Agrees with Commission…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-09-18
  • Article
    Netherlands: Uber Heavily Fined for Violating EU's General Data Protection Regulation On July 22, 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, AP) imposed a fine of 290 million euros (about US$324 million) on Uber for violating the European Union’s (EU’s) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The DPA found Uber transferred sensitive personal data of European taxi drivers to the United States and failed to … Continue reading “Netherlands: Uber Heavily Fined for Violating…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-09-12
  • Article
    European Union: General Court Rules European Commission Must Grant Wider Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Purchase Agreements On July 17, 2024, the General Court of the European Union (EU) held that under an EU freedom of information law, the European Commission (Commission) failed to give sufficient public access to COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements. Six members of the European Parliament (MEPs) had brought an action for annulment before the court and requested access … Continue reading “European Union: General Court Rules European…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-09-04
  • Article
    European Union: New Pact on Migration and Asylum Enters into Force On May 14, 2024, the Council of the European Union (Council) adopted 10 legislative acts to create a more efficient and uniform migration system. With the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, the European Union (EU) aims to introduce simple and clear procedures across EU member states, achieve a fair balance of responsibility for asylum … Continue reading “European Union: New Pact on Migration…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-06-12
  • Article
    Italy: Implementation of EU Legislation on Audiovisual Media Services On April 28, 2024, Legislative Decree No. 50 of March 25, 2024 (L.D. No. 50), implementing European Union (EU) legislation on audiovisual media services, entered into effect in Italy.L.D. No. 50 implements EU Directive 2018/1808 on audiovisual media services, which amended a 2010 directive on this topic, Directive 2010/13/EU. The following summarizes some of the important … Continue reading “Italy: Implementation of EU Legislation…
    • Contributor: Figueroa, Dante
    • Date: 2024-06-06
  • Article
    European Union: New Regulation Allows Using Net Profits from Frozen Russian Assets to Support Ukraine On May 22, 2024, Regulation (EU) 2024/1469, which authorizes the use of net profits from the frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia to support Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and self-defense against Russia’s war of aggression, entered into force. It amends Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, which first imposed sanctions on Russia, and implements the measures … Continue reading “European Union: New Regulation Allows Using…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-06-03
  • Article
    Italy: Implementation of EU Legislation on Electronic Communications On April 28, 2024, Legislative Decree No. 48 of March 24, 2024, implementing European Union (EU) legislation on electronic communications, entered into effect in Italy.Background Legislative Decree No. 48 of 2024 (L.D. No. 48) implements Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018, Establishing the European Electronic Communications Code … Continue reading “Italy: Implementation of EU Legislation…
    • Contributor: Figueroa, Dante
    • Date: 2024-05-30
  • Article
    European Union: Court of Justice Clarifies Evidentiary Use of Foreign Encrypted Data On April 30, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that public prosecutors can request encrypted data from abroad and use it as evidence in cross-border criminal cases. The Regional Court of Berlin had requested a preliminary ruling from the CJEU on the lawfulness of collecting and using data from an … Continue reading “European Union: Court of Justice Clarifies…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-05-29
  • Article
    European Union: New Directive to Protect Consumers from Greenwashing Enters into Force On March 27, 2024, Directive (EU) 2024/825 on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition entered into force. The new directive amends the existing Consumer Rights Directive and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to provide consumers with better information about product lifespan and reparability and to protect them from greenwashing. Greenwashing is “the practice of giving … Continue reading “European Union: New Directive to Protect…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-04-29
  • Article
    European Union: New Rules to Reduce Fluorinated Gases and Ozone-Depleting Substance Emissions Adopted On February 20, 2024, Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 and Regulation (EU) 2024/590 on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 were published in the European Union’s (EU’s) Official Journal. The two regulations, which aim to reduce fluorinated … Continue reading “European Union: New Rules to Reduce…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-03-26
  • Article
    Netherlands: Appeals Court Orders Government to Stop Export of F-35 Fighter Jet Parts to Israel On February 12, 2024, the Dutch Court of Appeals in Den Haag (Gerechtshof Den Haag) held that the government must stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts from the Netherlands to Israel within seven days. In the opinion of the court, the exports violate the Dutch obligations under international law, in particular the European … Continue reading “Netherlands: Appeals Court Orders Government to…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-02-16
  • Article
    European Union: European Data Protection Board Publishes Urgent Binding Decision Banning Meta's Personalized Advertising Practice On December 7, 2023, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published an urgent binding decision to ban Meta’s behavioral advertising, a practice which consists of processing users’ personal data to create personalized advertisements.The decision followed a request from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NO DPA) to order binding measures on Meta.Two authorities in the European … Continue reading “European Union: European Data Protection Board…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-01-23
  • Article
    Italy: EU Legislation on Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) Implemented On December 24, 2023, Legislative Decree No. 182 of November 23, 2023 entered into effect in Italy. The legislative decree contains the rules necessary to adapt the Italian legal system to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1727 of the European Parliament and of the Council of November 14, 2018, establishing the European Union Agency for Criminal … Continue reading “Italy: EU Legislation on Criminal…
    • Contributor: Figueroa, Dante
    • Date: 2024-01-17
  • Article
    European Union: Court of Justice Rules Credit Scoring Constitutes 'Automated Individual Decision-Making' under GDPR On December 7, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that creating a credit score constitutes an “automated individual decision” within the meaning of article 22 of the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Article 22 generally prohibits automated individual decision-making, including profiling, unless an exception applies.Facts of the … Continue reading “European Union: Court of Justice Rules…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-01-10
  • Article
    European Union: Commission Launches New Initiatives to Fight Migrant Smuggling On November 28, 2023, the European Commission proposed new legislation to strengthen the European Union’s (EU’s) legal framework against migrant smuggling. The package is composed of three elements:A directive to prevent and fight the facilitation of unauthorized entry, transit, and stay in the EU.A regulation to enhance Europol’s role and police cooperation in the fight … Continue reading “European Union: Commission Launches New Initiatives…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-01-07
  • Article
    European Union: Environmental Delegated Act Establishing Technical Screening Criteria for Nonclimate-Related Objectives of the EU Taxonomy Published On November 21, 2023, the European Commission’s Environmental Delegated Act was published in the European Union’s (EU’s) Official Journal. The act establishes technical screening criteria (TSC) for economic activities that make a substantial contribution to one or more of the nonclimate environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. The four nonclimate-related objectives are sustainable use … Continue reading “European Union: Environmental Delegated Act Establishing…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2024-01-02
  • Article
    European Union: New Directive on Credit Agreements Strengthens Consumer Credit Protection On November 19, 2023, Directive (EU) 2023/2225 (Consumer Credit Directive II, CCD II) entered into force. The CCD II revises the rules on consumer credit agreements set out in Directive 2008/48/EC (Consumer Credit Directive, CCD I) to enhance consumer protection and align them with the latest advancements in digital transformation.Unlike regulations, which are generally binding … Continue reading “European Union: New Directive on Credit…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-12-28
  • Article
    Germany: Amendment of Competition Act Gives More Power to Federal Cartel Office On November 7, 2023, the eleventh amendment to the German Competition Act (Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen, GWB) entered into force in Germany. The amendment’s aim is to enable the Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt, BKartA) to deal more effectively with market distortions in the interest of consumers. (Explanatory memorandum at 1, 2.) For this purpose, the act … Continue reading “Germany: Amendment of Competition Act Gives…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-11-29
  • Article
    European Union: Commission Launches Anti-subsidy Investigation into Imports of Battery Electric Vehicles from China On October 4, 2023, the European Commission initiated a formal anti-subsidy investigation (C/2023/160) in accordance with article 10, paragraph 8 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1037. The investigation focuses on imports of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) originating in China that are designed for transporting passengers. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced … Continue reading “European Union: Commission Launches Anti-subsidy Investigation…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-11-01
  • Article
    Germany: Law Implementing EU Directive on Representative Actions for the Protection of Consumers Enters into Force On October 12, 2023, a law regulating representative actions for consumer protection, which the Bundestag (German national parliament) had passed in July, entered into force. As a result, consumer associations now have a new instrument at their disposal to enforce consumer protection in court. The law transposes the corresponding European Union (EU) Representative Action Directive … Continue reading “Germany: Law Implementing EU Directive on…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-10-19
  • Article
    European Union: Istanbul Convention Enters into Force On October 1, 2023, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) entered into force for the European Union (EU). The instrument of accession had been deposited with the secretary general of the Council of Europe on June 28, 2023. The Istanbul Convention is the first … Continue reading “European Union: Istanbul Convention Enters into…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-10-10
  • Article
    European Union: Court of Justice Rules 'Ne Bis In Idem' Principle May Protect Volkswagen from Paying High Fine in Italy On September 14, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that Volkswagen Group Italia SpA (VWGI) and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (VWAG) may be protected from paying a fine of 5 million euros (about US$5.3 million) in Italy for “unfair commercial practices.” Volkswagen had already paid a fine of about 1 billion euros … Continue reading “European Union: Court of Justice Rules…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-10-02
  • Article
    European Union: Commission Designates Six 'Gatekeepers' under Digital Markets Act On September 6, 2023, the European Commission published a press release to designate six companies — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft — as “gatekeepers” under Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 on Contestable and Fair Markets in the Digital Sector (Digital Markets Act, DMA). Gatekeepers are important market players that hold considerable market power and provide … Continue reading “European Union: Commission Designates Six ‘Gatekeepers’…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-09-25
  • Article
    Germany: Government Publishes Federal Aid Framework for Green Transformation Technologies On August 7, 2023, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, BMWK) published the Federal Framework for Transformation Technologies (Bundesregelung Transformationstechnologien), which implements the European Union’s (EU’s) state aid framework “Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF)” into German law. The Federal Framework allows the German government to … Continue reading “Germany: Government Publishes Federal Aid Framework…
    • Contributor: Gesley, Jenny
    • Date: 2023-08-15