Through Decree No. 780/2024, published in the Official Gazette on 2 September 2024 (“Decree”), Regulatory Decree No. 206/2017 and its subsequent modifications (“Regulatory Decree”) of Law on Access to Public Information No. 27275 (“Law”) have been amended. The Decree introduces the following amendments to the Regulatory Decree of the Law, among others:
• The Decree delimits the scope of the definitions of (i) public information, which does not include private data or data that is not of public interest; and (ii) document, which is limited to any record generated, controlled or held within the framework of the state activity and excludes preparatory deliberations and working papers.
• The Decree regulates the formal requirements for information requests.
Legal action against sustainability or green claims (‘greenwashing’) is on the rise. Consumers and NGOs are increasingly seeking out legal avenues to hold companies accountable for allegedly misleading advertisements on sustainability. One of these avenues in the Netherlands is the Advertising Code Committee (ACC), which regularly handles complaints on greenwashing and other potential misleading statements.
On 17 September 2024, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), an EU body that prosecutes among others financial crimes that affect the EU budget, announced that it is seeking criminal penalties from two companies and five of their directors of more than 8 years imprisonment along with a fine of over EUR 25 million. Over 30 properties linked to the defendants were seized to ensure that the defendants can meet their financial liabilities.
The Dutch government and the Dutch tax authorities recently outlined their approach to enforcing rules against false self-employment, with significant changes set to take effect on 1 January 2025. This news alert highlights the criteria under which the current rules will be enforced, the motions adopted to ensure a smoother transition to the new enforcement regime, and the key takeaways for organizations.
The Spanish legal framework on packaging and packaging waste that entered into force in December 2022 substantially modified the regulation of packaging and packaging waste in an effort to implement a circular economy in Spain. Most of the obligations have already entered into force. However, certain marking and information obligations will enter into force on 1 January 2025.
In an article for Practical law, Stephen Ratcliffe and Rachel Wilson discuss the employment tribunal decision of Thandi and others v Next Retail Ltd and another, which considers the extent to which employers can rely on markets factors as a “material factor” defense to an equal pay claim
The new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees will come into force on 26 October 2024. Following a consultation during the summer, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published an eight-step guide to preventing sexual harassment at work and made further updates to its technical guidance on sexual harassment and harassment at work
On 27 September 2024, the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Labor Code of Ukraine on Establishing Additional Grounds for Termination of Employment Agreements at the Initiative of the Employer and Certain Other Issues” No. 3768-IX dated 4 June 2024 (with certain exceptions) will come into force. The Law, among other things, details the rules applicable to internal labor regulations and establishes new termination grounds.
On 21 August 2024, the Italian Medicine Agency issued the Guidelines on the matter of Regulatory Simplification and Decentralization for the Purpose of Conducting Clinical Trials of Medicinal Products in Accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 536/2014.
With determination No. 425 of 8 August 2024, the Italian Medicine Agency approved the new Guidelines for the Classification and Conduct of Observational Studies, implementing the provisions of Article 6(3) of the Ministerial Decree dated 30 November 2021.