On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the human rights situation in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily Parliament condemns in the strongest terms the recent forced closure of the Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, the continued freezing of its assets and the arrests […]
Read MoreCJEU ruling against Spain for failing to comply with several of its obligations to protect Doñana
Spain should have taken into account illegal water abstractions and those destined for urban supply in the estimation of groundwater abstractions in the Doñana region The Doñana Natural Area in Andalusia includes, among others, the Doñana National Park and the Doñana Natural Park. In 2006, three outstanding conservation areas of European importance under the Habitats […]
Read MoreCJEU Judgment: Germany systematically and persistently exceeded limit values for nitrogen dioxide between 2010 and 2016
By this judgment, the Court of Justice held that Germany had infringed the Air Quality Directive by systematically and persistently exceeding, as from 1 January 2010 up to and including 2016, the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 26 of the 89 zones and agglomerations assessed. The infringement concerns the agglomeration of Berlin, […]
Read MoreA Member State may refuse to recognise a driving licence that was merelyrenewed in a Member State
In Case C-47/20, a German national (F.) who is normally resident in Spain, has held a Spanish driving licence since 1992 (categories A and B). After having driven in Germany while intoxicated, he had his right to drive with that licence there withdrawn, on the ground of unfitness to drive. In addition, he was prohibited […]
Read MoreFinland’s guarantee in favour of the airline Finnair is compatible with EU law
On 13 May 2020, Finland notified the Commission of an aid measure in the form of a State guarantee in favour of the Finnish airline, Finnair Plc, aimed at helping the latter obtain a loan of €600 million from a pension fund to cover its working capital needs. The guarantee, which was supposed to cover […]
Read MoreProgress in 2020 in the implementation of ECHR rulings despite COVID
States across Europe are continuing to make progress on implementing judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), despite the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest annual report from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. However, further efforts are needed to tackle systemic issues highlighted by the ECHR, including ill-treatment or deaths caused […]
Read MoreCommission refers the UK to the European Court of Justice over alleged unlawful aid
The European Commission has decided to refer the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully recover illegal State aid of up to around €100 million, granted as a tax exemption for passive interest and royalties in Gibraltar, as required by a Commission decision. This case relates to […]
Read MoreA court of a Member State must declare that the Member State has not correctly transposed a EU directive
UH, an Irish citizen and a native Irish speaker from the Galway Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking region of Co. Galway, Ireland), claimed that the information accompanying veterinary medicinal products was written exclusively in the English language. He takes the view that Directive 2001/82 1 requires that information to be in both of the official languages of […]
Read MoreRuling against Spanish football for alleged illegal aid scheme
A Spanish law adopted in 1990 obliged all Spanish professional sports clubs to convert into public limited sports companies, with the exception of professional sports clubs that had achieved a positive financial balance during the financial years preceding adoption of that law. Fútbol Club Barcelona, and three other professional football clubs which came within that […]
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