The European Commission has fined Mondelēz International, Inc. (Mondelēz) €337.5 million for hindering the cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits and coffee products between Member States, in breach of EU competition rules. The Commission remains committed to bringing down unjustified barriers to ensure a better functioning of the Single Market. Territorial supply constraints by suppliers are a […]
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CJEU Judgment: frontier workers must enjoy the same social advantages as resident workers
A Belgian national works in Luxembourg and lives in Belgium. As a frontier worker, he depends on the Luxembourg system for family allowances, which he received for several years for a child placed in his household by a court order. In 2017, the Luxembourg Caisse pour l’avenir des enfants (CAE) (Children’s Future Fund) nevertheless withdrew […]
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European Commission initiates formal proceedings against Meta under the Digital Services Act in relation to the protection of minors on Facebook and Instagram
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 […]
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European 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 […]
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European 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 […]
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European 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 […]
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CJEU: 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. […]
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CJEU 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 […]
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Violence 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 […]
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