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After a long period in which the UK government has promised several employment law changes contained in an Employment Bill without bringing forward such a Bill, it has now announced it is supporting certain private members’ bills which include developments in these areas. These include expanding the right to request flexible working, a new right to request more predictable working conditions, a number of changes to family leave entitlements, and protection for those facing harassment by third parties such as customers at work.

On 19 January 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union specified that Art. 2(2) of Directive 2001/83/EC, pursuant to which, in case of doubt on the classification of a product as a medicine or a medical device, the provisions on medicinal products shall apply, covers both “medicinal products by function” (i.e., substances exerting pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action) and “medicinal products by presentation” (i.e., substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease).

With the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on fertilizer products, the regulatory framework for fertilizer products within the European Union has been updated. However, national regulations may continue to be used on an optional basis. This Regulation has extended the categories of fertilizers covered and it also provides for a number of obligations for manufacturers, importers and distributors of fertilizers, including the declaration of conformity and the CE marking. Finally, guidelines have also been established for the conformity assessment of these products.

Since the decisions of the European Court of Justice in the so-called “Danish cases”, passive income streams are being scrutinized more than ever across Europe. This is not different in Belgium, where we have seen a substantial increase in tax audits focusing on passive income streams where withholding tax is being claimed also in the framework of business-driven structures.