Latest News – Page 8
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NewsThe European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum
At the end of September, the European Commission proposed a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which covers everything required for a comprehensive European approach to migration. The proposals deliver on Commission President von der Leyen’s commitment in her Political Guidelines. The Commission press release noted that ‘the current system ...
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European Council adopts conclusions on digitalisation to improve access to justice
On 13th October, The Council adopted conclusions on seizing the opportunities of digitalisation for access to justice (see press release here). In summary, the conclusions recognise that digital transformation continues to profoundly change people’s lives and that judicial systems, as a central pillar of the rule of law, must align ...
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September case law digest
A selection of key cases and opinions from the Court of Justice of the EU.
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An uncertain future for the relationship between the Rule of Law and the EU Budget
A Proposal for Regulation on the protection of the Union’s budget in case of generalised deficiencies in the rule of law was put forward by the Commission on 3 May 2018. Since then, a big debate surrounding the rule of law concept and how this relates to the Union’s ...
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Law Society of England and Wales responds to Ministry of Justice consultation on retained EU case law
The Law Society of England and Wales has responded to a consultation by the Ministry of Justice on retained EU case law and the power for UK courts to depart from this.
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Law Society of England and Wales submits a response to the Commission consultation on the new competition tool
On 8 September 2020, Law Society of England and Wales sent a written response to the European Commission in respect of their proposed new competition tool.
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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her first State of the Union address
In her first annual address on the State of the Union, delivered on 16 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out the Commission’s priorities for the upcoming years. The EU State of the Union address, SOTEU, is the annual speech by the President of the European Commission to ...
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The UK Internal Market Bill and the Rule of Law
On Wednesday 9 September, the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) laid before Parliament the UK Internal Market Bill (UKIM). This is primarily concerned with the functioning of the UK market after the end of the transitional period, with provisions ensuring non-discrimination in the provision of ...
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Compromise reached on collective redress directive
On 30 June and 7 July 2020 respectively the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee confirmed the compromise text of a new Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers, repealing Directive 2009/22/EC and paved the way for its ...
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2019 Hague Judgments Convention: will the EU sign it?
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the EU accession to the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention, asking feedback from stakeholders whether the Convention provides sufficient safeguards to effectively protect the fundamental rights of EU businesses and citizens.
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‘Making rule of law conditionality ‘smart’: punishing governments not citizens’ by Sandro Gozi MEP
In a guest feature, Sandro Gozi MEP discusses the latest EU proposal to make the receipt of the EU funding conditional on the core values of the EU. He stressed that ’ the rule of law in the EU isn’t a ‘nice to have’, but an immovable basis upon which ...
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Internal Market Bill – View from the Law Society Wales Office
Jonathan Davies from the Wales Office of the Law Society of England and Wales discusses the key features and implications of the UK Internal Market Bill currently debated in the UK Parliament. This Bill potentially undermines the current devolution settlement by providing the UK Government with a suite of quick ...
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Defending the defenders - spotlight on the CCBE activities
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) discusses their latest activities in the field of human rights and defending lawyers around the world. The CCBE represents the bars and law societies of 45 countries, and through them more than 1 million European lawyers. The CCBE places great ...
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Valdis Dombrovskis appointed as new EU trade commissioner
On Tuesday 8 September, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that European Commission Executive Vice President, Valdis Dombrovskis, will be the new EU trade commissioner after the shock departure of Ireland’s Phil Hogan in August. The appointments signal the first reshuffle for the Commission President since she took office. ...
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Law Society of England and Wales publishes its guidance on the end of the transition period
Law Society of England and Wales has published its guidance on the preparation for the end of the transition period.
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CJEU invalidates EU-US Privacy Shield in landmark judgment on data transfers
On 16 July, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) delivered its long awaited judgment on the validity of personal data transfers outside of the EU. The Court did not declare invalid the Decision 2010/87/EU on standard contractual clauses (SCCs). However, it invalidated the Commission Decision 2016/1250 on ...
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Germany takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU
On 1 July, Germany took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the coming six months. It took over from Croatia whose bulk of the Presidency fell into the Covid-19 crisis and several month lockdowns throughout the EU.
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Commission loses State Aid case against Apple
The Commission suffered a legal setback on Wednesday 15th July when the General Court of the European Union annulled the 2016 decision against Apple over its Irish tax affairs. In its ruling, the General Court held that the Commission did not succeed “in showing to the requisite legal standard that ...
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The Commission adopts the White Paper on Foreign Subsidies
On the 17th June the EU Commission published a White Paper on foreign subsidies, aimed at dealing with the distortive effects caused by lack of level competition. This was a priority of Margrethe Vestager when she re-took office in the Commission of Van der Leyen. The Commission consultation is open ...
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Negotiations on the EU Transparency Register resume
Following the 16 June political meeting between the Commission, Parliament and Council, the negotiations on the new inter-institutional agreement (IIA) resumed and will continue over the summer. The IIA is the instrument that regulates the operation of the EU Transparency Register.
