The Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether Meta, the provider of Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to the protection of minors. The Commission is concerned that the systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission intends to end Article 7 procedure against Poland after improvements in rule of law
The European Commission has finalised its analysis on the rule of law situation in Poland in the context of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure. The Commission considers that there is no longer a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Treaty […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission initiates formal proceedings against Facebook and Instagram under the Digital Services Act
The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether Meta, the provider of Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA). Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared on 30 April: “This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. If we suspect […]
Read MoreEuropean Commission initiates second formal procedure against TikTok under the Digital Services Act
Today, the Commission has opened a second formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Today’s opening is to assess whether the company may have breached the DSA when launching TikTok Lite in France and Spain. Under the DSA, designated Very Large Online Platforms are obliged to submit a risk assessment report, including measures to […]
Read MoreCJEU: The name Pablo Escobar cannot be registered as an EU trade mark
The public would associate that name with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. On 30 September 2021, Escobar Inc., established in Puerto Rico (United States), filed an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for registration of the word sign Pablo Escobar as an EU trade mark for a wide range of goods and services. […]
Read MoreCJEU clarifies: the supervisory authority of a Member State may order the erasure of unlawfully processed data even in the absence of a prior request by the data subject
Such erasure may cover data collected from that person and data originating from another source. In 2020, the municipal administration of Újpest (Hungary) decided to provide financial support to persons who had been made vulnerable by the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, it asked the Hungarian State Treasury and the government office of the fourth […]
Read MoreViolence against women: the Court clarifies the conditions for qualifying for international protection
Women, as a whole, may be regarded as belonging to a social group, within the meaning of Directive 2011/95, and qualify for refugee status if the conditions laid down by that directive are satisfied. This will be the case where, in their country of origin, they are exposed, on account of their gender, to physical […]
Read MoreCJEU: People with disabilities can set age bracket requirements for their personal assistant.
The hiring of a personal assistant to help a disabled person in everyday life may be limited to persons within the same age range The ensuing difference of treatment on grounds of age may be justified having regard to the nature of the personal assistance services provided AP Assistenzprofis is a Germany company specialising in […]
Read MoreCJEU: Public administration may prohibit the wearing of religious symbols by all its employees
Wearing of religious symbols in the workplace: a public administration may decide to prohibit all of its employees from wearing such signs. National courts examine whether the measures taken reconcile freedom of religion with the legitimate objectives underlying that prohibition. In order to put in place an entirely neutral administrative environment, a public administration may […]
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