Just two days before the adoption of the CSDDD in the Council, the Council also adopted the Regulation on a ban on the import of products made using forced labour (Forced Labour Regulation, or FLR for short).
On 15 March 2024, the Council of the European Union confirmed the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDCD) in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper).
As the German government's "power plant strategy" also provides for a reduction in the levies and charges for the electricity required for electrolysis, the following section describes the current levies, charges, taxes and fees that make the purchase of electricity for hydrogen production in electrolysers more expensive.
On December 29, 2023, the Standing Committee of the 14th PRC National People's Congress adopted a substantially revised version of the Company Law.
Regulation 1115/2023 (EU) on Deforestation and Degradation (EUDR) has been in force since June 2023. Companies subject to the EUDR must be ready to apply the Regulation by 30 December 2024 (SMEs by 30 June 2025).
The new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation 2022/720, which has been in force since 1 June 2022, provided for a transition period for previously concluded contracts. This expired on 31 May 2023.
The legislation titled "Rental of Residential Properties for Tourism Purposes and Amendments to Certain Laws" was published in the Official Gazette on 2 November 2023.
The Skilled Labour Immigration Act 2023 facilitates the immigration of skilled workers from third countries to Germany. The first legal changes to the right of residence came into force on 18 November 2023, with more to come. Here is an overview of the main changes relevant to employers.
The 2024-2026 Medium-Term Program (MTP) prepared by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget was published in the Official Gazette on 6 September 2023 and numbered 32301.
The Future Financing Act ("ZuFinG") is intended to eliminate the existing tax law "showstoppers" for genuine employee share option plans (ESOPs).
According to the government's explanatory memorandum to the Growth Opportunities Act, the tax exemptions for property transfers involving partnerships will expire when the MoPeG comes into force on 1 January 2024.
The provisions on administrative fines as set out in the German Minimum Wage Act do not result in liability to pay damages on the part managing directors of a German limited liability company pursuant to Sec. 823 of the German Civil Code.
The European legislator has recently agreed on a final version of the EU Data Act which introduces new rules for agreements on data access and sharing.
By Presidential Decree (“Ukaz”), Russia has suspended the application of the main provisions of double taxation treaties (hereinafter referred to as “DTTs”) with what it calls “unfriendly states”.
On 13 July 2023, in a preliminary ruling pursuant to Art. 267 TFEU, the Second Chamber of the European Court of Justice, following a request from the Budapest High Court addressed the standards a prohibition under foreign direct investment review laws and regulations must meet and, in this context, also commented on the EU Screening…
On 1 February 2023, the European Commission presented the Communication 'A Green Deal In-dustrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age'. The ‘Communication’ is a package of measures designed to help the EU industry make progress in the transition to climate neutrality and strengthen its position in global competition, since subsidies abroad are…
Following a proposal by the European Commission and an agreement in the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the EU on 21 June 2023, the Council of the European Union adopted the eleventh sanctions package against Russia on 23 June 2023. The relevant regulations were published in the…
Law No. 7445 on the Amendment of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law and Certain Laws was published in the Official Gazette dated 5 April 2023, and numbered 32154.
On 19 April 2023, the European Parliament adopted a Regulation on deforestation. Subject to formal approval by the Council, this paves the way for more protection and restoration of forests.
Foreign legal entities directly or indirectly (via subsidiaries) owning or purchasing real estate in Germany must notify the details of their ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) to the German Transparency Register unless they have already duly registered their UBO(s) with the UBO register of another EU member state. Based on recently…
The draft bill of the Future Financing Act (ZuFinG) provides for improved framework conditions for Germany as a financial and business centre.
The Law on the Amendment of the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law and the Decree Law Act No. 375, Law Act No. 7438 (“Law”) (also known as the Regulation for Those Ineligible to Retire due to Age), was published on 3 March 2023 in the Official Gazette with number 32121 and entered into force on the date of its publication. …
Der Gesetzgeber möchte mit einer Änderung des § 26 InvStG die Investitionsmöglichkeiten für Spezial-Investmentfonds in Erneuerbare Energieanlagen und E-Ladestationen verbessern.
The Chinese Government has officially deposited with the “Hague Conference on Private International Law” the instruments of accession to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization for Foreign…
The right of access by data subjects pursuant to Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is increasingly proving to be a sharp sword, as already seen last year from decisions of various courts clarifying just how far such right goes, thus clearly setting out the requirements to be met by controllers under data…
On 26 February 2023, new sanctions against Russia came into force as the EU unleashed its 10th sanctions package on the occasion of the anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2023.
New statutory requirements entered into force on 1 January 2023 regarding the assurance to be given a new managing director or board member upon notification of their appointment to the commercial register.
In a judgement of 16 February 2023 (case no. 8 AZR 450/21), the German Federal Labour Court awarded the difference in salary, plus lump sum compensation equal to 15% of the difference, to a female field sales agent whose salary had been approx. EUR 1,000.00 lower than that of her male co-worker also employed in field sales.
The validity of contract clauses allowing a party to exit the contract solely for the reason that the other party becomes illiquid and/or a petition for insolvency is filed or insolvency proceedings are instituted is a matter of intense debate.
On 12 January 2023 the EU Regulation on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market entered into force.
As an immediate response to Russia’s massive attacks on civil infrastructure in Ukraine, the EU adopted its ninth sanctions package on Russia on 16 December 2022.
The new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation 2022/720, which replaces the previous, now expired, Vertical Block Exemption Regulation 330/2010, contains some significant innovations as well as clarifications. The following is an overview of the rules now applicable to distribution contracts.
A few days ago, the German Federal Labor Court (“Bundesarbeitsgericht”, BAG) finally published the written reasons for a decision dated September 13, 2022, in which it found - unexpectedly for many - a far-reaching obligation to record daily working hours.
The German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains, which came into force on 1 January 2023, will have a major impact on M&A transactions in Germany moving forward.
On 28 December 2022, Germany’s Second Sanctions Enforcement Act [Sanktionsdurchsetzungsgesetz II – SDG II] entered into force.
The provisions of the German Packaging Act have been tightened significantly.
With the tense situation on the gas market that has been seen for some months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German government announced its Early Warning Level on 30 March 2022 before moving to the Alarm Level of its “Emergency Gas Plan for the Federal Republic of Germany” on 23 June 2022.
Things are still very much in flux in Germany in the area of taxation of remuneration for the transfer of rights entered in a German register (e.g. patents or other industrial property rights).
By Decision of 13 September 2022, the German Federal Labour Court found as follows: Pursuant to Sec. 3 Para. 2 No. 1 of the German Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are required to introduce a system enabling the working time of their employees to be recorded.
Communiqué No. 2022-32/66 Amending Communiqué No. 32 on the Protection of the Value of Turkish Currency (“Communiqué”) was published in the Official Gazette on 19 April 2022 and numbered 31814. The Amendment Communiqué entered into force on the date of its publication.
To mitigate the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German legislature early in 2020 introduced a moratorium on terminations (Art. 240 Sec. 2 Introductory Act to the German Civil Code [Einführungsgesetz zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch – EGBGB]).
The “tried and tested” public enforcement measures known from data protection legislation under the EU’s GDPR are now being enlisted in civil and unfair competition law: since 28 May 2022 infringements of consumer protection regulations have been subject to fines of up to 4% of annual revenues.
It’s the buzzword on everyone’s lips: ESG (environmental, social, governance). This article gives an overview of current and upcoming changes in legislation relating to properties.
Following Russia’s unlawful recognition of the Ukrainian territories calling themselves “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” and Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, sanctions were announced against Russia and Belarus first and foremost by the EU and the US, but also by many other countries as well.
Russia has adopted countermeasures through various presidential decrees and government orders, which are mainly aimed primarily aiming at protecting the capital market, but also at restricting the export of goods.
With exchange rates skyrocketing and inflation in the Turkish economy running high, many citizens have entered the cryptocurrency markets to protect the value of their cash and thus their purchasing power.
The Law on the Approval of Ratification of the Paris Agreement numbered 7335 was passed on October 6, 2021, published in the Official Gazette numbered 31621 on October 7, 2021 and entered into force on the same date.
In order to strengthen consumer rights, the legislator has promulgated the German Fair Consumer Contracts Act [Gesetz für faire Verbraucherverträge] by making some significant changes to the German Civil Code [Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch – BGB] concerning the structuring of obligations arising from legal transactions by way of general terms…
To promote the digital economy in Europe, the EU is further developing the legal framework for digital services and markets. The provisions of the Data Governance Act on data spaces and other platforms for data exchange are an important part of this framework.
This is about trademarks: Shoelace tips are the last 2 cm of shoelaces, i.e. shoelace ends. Think Schuhwerk, a shoe manufacturer in Austria, thought that the market can distinguish its shoes from those of other manufacturers by the shoelace tips – although we are talking about special shoelace tips here.
Anyone registering a trademark is obliged to use such a trademark before a 5-year grace period expires – otherwise, it will “lapse”. This means: The proprietor can no longer assert his trademark rights against third parties, and anyone may apply for a cancellation of the trademark due to non-use. These effects may also occur in part, i.e.…
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