Law & Justice

EC Proposes Swift Police Access to Global Data

April 18, 2018

The Register reports that the European Commission (EC) has issued a proposal for a European Production Order requiring internet companies with an office in an EU member state to retrieve data requested by police and stored anywhere in the world within six hours and for a Preservation Order prohibiting the deletion of such data.
UK Denies EC Estimate on Unpaid Customs Duty

April 17, 2018

The BBC reports that the UK government has rejected an estimate from the European Commission (EC) that Britain owes 2.7 billion euros in "unpaid customs duty" to the EU over shoes and textiles imported from China, potentially setting up a legal complaint from the EC before the Court of Justice of the EU.
ECJ Strikes Czech-Dutch Arbitration Deal

April 12, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) has invalidated an investor arbitration agreement between the Netherlands and Slovakia originating in 1991 because it purports to remove from the EU court system issues that involve the interpretation of EU law.
EC Proposes New Tax on Tech Companies

March 28, 2018

The European Commission (EC) has announced a proposal for an EU-wide tax on the revenue of large tech companies, many of which are located in the US, generated from user activities and the sale of user data in a move to ensure such companies are paying their "fair share" of taxes in the EU.
EU Data Protection Law Imposes Stiff Penalties

March 28, 2018

Christopher Mirasola outlines the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, set to enter force in May, establishing EU-wide standards on the protection of digital personal data of EU internet users across the globe and imposing stiff fines on companies for the misuse of such data.
ECJ: Poland Violated EU Rules on Air Pollution

March 27, 2018

The Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) recently held that the Polish government is violating EU law by failing to reduce the presence of toxins in the air to a level in compliance with the bloc's rules and found that the Polish plan to reduce air pollution did not meet the country's obligations to limit pollutants within the shortest possible period.
NYT Editorial: Sanction Poland over Rule-of-Law Threats

March 26, 2018

The New York Times editorial board has called for the EU institutions to impose sanctions on the Polish government over changes to the country's laws governing the judiciary and legislation prohibiting suggestions of Polish complicity in the Holocaust, either by restricting Poland's EU voting rights or by stripping the country of development funding.
EP Calls for Sanctions over Polish Rule-of-Law Conflict

March 26, 2018

Politico reports that the European Parliament (EP) has voted in favor of triggering a sanctions process set out in EU law against the Polish government, calling on the Council of the EU to "swiftly determine" whether Poland is at risk of a systemic breach of rule-of-law principles due to legal changes related to the country's judiciary.
Poland Defends Broad Changes to Judiciary

March 22, 2018

Politico reports that the Polish government is responding to the legal process launched by the European Commission relating to changes to the country's judicial system by producing a publication explaining how these reforms are in line with those of other legal systems throughout the EU.
May Calls for UK-EU Security Treaty

March 20, 2018

AP reports that, at the recent Munich Security Conference, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called for the EU to agree a wide-ranging security treaty with Britain as part of her push for the UK to remain part of EU security structures, including the European Arrest Warrant, subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU after Brexit.