The Council adopts the two legislative acts in the framework of the design package: The texts adopted update the existing design legislation in order to improve the protection of industrial designs in the era of digital designs and 3D printing. Better protection for designs and models The directive and regulation adopted will make the procedure […]
EU brings product liability rules in line with digital age and circular economy
The Council adopted a directive to update the EU’s civil liability law. The new liability rules better take into account that nowadays many products have digital features and that the economy is becoming increasingly circular. Bence Tuzson, Hungarian Minister of Justice stated “The product liability rules that the Council adopted today are good news for […]
Council gives green light to new legislation toughening penalties and extending the list of environmental offences
The Council formally adopted a directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law. The law will improve the investigation and prosecution of environmental crime offences. The directive establishes EU-wide minimum rules on the definition of criminal offences and penalties. It replaces the previous law which dates back to 2008. The law will only […]
Council and Parliament strike provisional deal on the right to repair directive
The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal on the directive that promotes the repair of broken or defective goods, also known as the right-to-repair (or R2R) directive. The legislation agreed today will make it easier for consumers to seek repair instead of replacement by making the access to repair services easier, faster, […]
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 […]
European Commission refers Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for non-compliance with EU rail rules
The Commission has decided to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to correctly transpose and apply Directive 2012/34/EU establishing a single European railway area. The Commission takes the view that the rail regulatory framework in Spain is in breach of several provisions of the directive concerning: the management independence of […]
Spain amends tax law to improve European tax cooperation
The reform includes the transposition of the DAC Directive7 which obliges Member States to exchange information obtained through digital platforms. The Spanish Parliament has given final approval to the Bill amending the General Tax Law and other tax regulations that give effect to the transposition of the EU Directive 2021/514, known as DAC7. The final […]
European Commission adopts a proposal for a Directive aimed at greater transparency for companies
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive making it easier for companies to expand the use of digital tools and processes in EU company law. The proposal aims to facilitate cross-border companies’ operations and to increase business transparency and trust by making more information about companies publicly available at EU level. It […]
Evaluation of the Victims’ Rights Directive
On 28 June 2022, the European Commission adopted its evaluation of the Victims’ Rights Directive. The evaluation is one of the Commission’s key actions set out in the EU Strategy on Victims’ Rights (2020 – 2025). It was informed by a support study and data collection that included a public consultation. The evaluation shows that over the past ten years, […]