Blog

On 12 October 2026, the EU published new sanctions against Russia.

In a recent ruling, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has tightened the requirements for advertising using medical quality seals.

The Federal Labour Court (BAG) has strengthened protection against dismissal in cases of split parental leave. The special protection against dismissal, which takes effect in advance, applies anew before each individual period of parental leave.

The European Court of Justice has clarified that a data protection breach occurring during the collection of personal data does not automatically render that data inadmissible as evidence in court.

As early as 2021, the regulatory authority responded to findings by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and introduced national regulations on printing inks.

Since 1 July 2026, new customs regulations have been in force for the transatlantic trade in goods, based on the so-called ‘Turnberry Agreement’ of 21 August 2025 between the EU and the US.

This evening, the Bundestag passed the new Section 15b of the Unfair Commercial Practices Act (UWG). The provision addresses a practical issue that the underlying EU Directive had left unresolved:

In two recent preliminary ruling proceedings, the ECJ has clarified key aspects of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR).

An amendment to the MedCanG has been in the pipeline for some time, but is still a long way off. Partly – or perhaps precisely – because it remains unclear when and in what form the amendments to the MedCanG will ultimately come into force, the debate surrounding remote prescriptions, mail-order pharmacies and digital care models is…

The Building Modernisation Act has come into force and replaces the previous ‘Heating Act’.

The Federal Court of Justice has declared a widely used clause in the Supplementary Contractual Conditions for Road and Bridge Construction, relating to the return of security deposits, to be invalid.

With the e-Evidence Package coming into full effect on 18 August 2026, foreign law enforcement authorities can now issue disclosure and preservation orders directly to service providers in Germany. Companies must make organisational and technical preparations.

Trust arrangements involving partnerships that own property carry a risk that is often underestimated: even if the settlor already has an economic interest in the partnership, they are regarded as a ‘new partner’ when they subsequently acquire a share under civil law.

The claim for compensation under section 642 of the German Civil Code (BGB) is conditional upon the contractor offering to perform the work in accordance with section 295 of the BGB and being capable of doing so.

A final judgement by Munich Local Court illustrates why claimants should not rely on blanket assertions when claiming loss of profits.

Anyone taking over the management of a limited liability company (GmbH) must immediately assess its financial position. If there are signs of a crisis, they must immediately assess whether the company is at risk of insolvency, or have this assessed.

The deadline for implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive has passed, and no German legislation has yet been enacted. However, even without implementation, the Directive is already having an effect on private employers through its interpretation in accordance with the Directive.

From 2 August 2026, the European AI Regulation will impose labelling requirements on image, audio and video deepfakes, as well as on AI-generated text in the public interest. This raises the question for e-commerce: which AI-generated images must be labelled – and which do not need to be?

Since 1 July 2026, new customs regulations have been in force in the EU for consignments of goods from third countries: the previous duty-free allowance of 150 euros for duty-free imports has been abolished. Instead of being duty-free, a flat-rate customs duty now applies, regardless of the value of the goods.

Germany is preparing its national implementing legislation for the EU Deforestation Regulation through a draft bill and a planned general administrative regulation. As an EU regulation, the EUDR is directly applicable in all Member States and does not require transposition into national law.

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) clarifies the substantive and procedural limits of the effect of standing under section 16(1) of the Limited Liability Companies Act (GmbHG).

With two new legal acts, the European Commission laid the groundwork on 13 July 2026 for the practical implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Shortly before the Regulation comes into force at the end of 2026, a number of key products will be removed from its scope.

On 3 August 2026, the European Commission published a revised version of its FAQs on the EU Packaging Regulation.

Since 1 July 2026, significantly stricter rules have applied to steel imports into the EU: The tariff rate outside the quota will double from 25 % to 50 %, tariff quotas will be halved, and from October onwards, importers will have to provide evidence of where their steel was smelted and cast.

The Federal Court of Justice has clarified that, when drawing up a balance sheet for over-indebtedness, one must not rely on a flat-rate estimate of insolvency proceeds; rather, the proceeds that could be realised through a planned, non-insolvency-related realisation process are the decisive factor.

On 12 August 2026, the new Packaging Law Implementation Act will come into force at the same time as the EU Packaging Regulation. It will completely replace the existing Packaging Act and is intended to ensure the application of the PPWR in Germany.

The Federal Labour Office is sending an important message to employers: not every error in the notice of collective redundancy automatically renders the redundancies invalid.

The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has, for the first time, issued a ruling on key provisions of the Corporate Stabilisation and Restructuring Act (StaRUG), which has been in force since 2021.

A car dealership sells a second-hand car that has previously been written off – and hides the truth behind a blanket clause in the invoice. Anyone who fails to provide consumers with specific information about previous damage risks having the sales contract rescinded.

In its judgement of 24 March 2026, the Federal Fiscal Court expressly revised its previous case law on the tax treatment of interest-free seller’s loans held as part of private assets.