Following the holding, on 1st October 2017, of the referendum on the self-determination of Catalonia (Spain), criminal proceedings were brought against Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó and Antoni Comín i Oliveres (who, at the time, were President and Member of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, respectively). Since Mr Puigdemont and Mr Comín had left Spain, those […]
Auditors join the all-new EU ethics watchdog
This spring, negotiations on setting up a new EU body for ethical standards were concluded between the EU institutions and advisory bodies, including the ECA. As a result, the founding agreement was signed on 15 May in Brussels by the eight participating institutions and bodies, namely the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the European Commission, […]
CJEU Judgment: McDonald’s loses the EU trade mark Big Mac in respect of poultry products
The General Court holds that McDonald’s has not proved genuine use within a continuous period of five years in the European Union in connection with certain goods and services. Supermac’s and McDonald’s, an Irish and American fast-food chain respectively, are involved in a dispute regarding the EU trade mark Big Mac. That trade mark had […]
Commission refers Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to fully transpose the directive on reconciliation of work and family life
The European Commission has decided to refer Belgium, Ireland and Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to notify national measures fully transposing EU rights on Work-Life Balance for parents and carers (Directive (EU) 2019/158). The Work-Life Balance Directive, adopted in 2019, is an important legislation which aims to enable working parents to better […]
Sexual orientation cannot be a reason to refuse to conclude a contract with a self-employed worker
Judgment of the Court in Case C-356/21 The Directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation, which covers a wide range of occupational activities, establishes a general framework for combatting discrimination based, inter alia, on sexual orientation. Between 2010 and 2017, a self-employed worker prepared audiovisual material, trailers and features for the promotional programmes of […]
The CJEU upholds the aid granted by the Valencian Finance Institute to Valencia CF
Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-211/20 P | Commission v Valencia Club de Fútbol On 5 November 2009, the Instituto Valenciano de Finanzas (IVF), the financial institution of the Generalitat Valenciana (Regional Government of Valencia, Spain), provided the Fundación Valencia, an association linked to Valencia CF, a Spanish professional football club, with […]
Commission refers five Member States to the Court of Justice of the EU
The European Commission decided yesterday to refer Czechia [INFR 2020/0510], Ireland [INFR 2020/0531], Romania [INFR 2020/0555], Slovakia [INFR 2020/0563] and Spain [INFR 2020/0521], to the Court of Justice of the European Union over the failure to transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (“AVMSD”, Directive (EU) 2018/1808), with a request to impose financial sanctions in accordance with Article 260(3) TFEU. The AVMSD governs EU-wide coordination of […]
Commission refers Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to comply with waste water directive
The Commission decided today to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to comply with the Urban Waste Water Directive (Council Directive 91/271/EEC). The Directive aims to protect the environment from the adverse effects of urban waste water from the domestic and industrial sectors. Under the Directive, cities are obliged to […]