This briefing is the third in a series on the EU-Mercosur agreement, where BLOMSTEIN addresses key provisions with respect to Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Public Procurement, Competition and Sustainability, and outlines implications and opportunities for businesses.

In this release, we focus on the Agreement’s core provisions related to Trade in Services, particularly the commitments framework, national treatment and limitations. In 2023, the EU exported €28.5 billion in services to Mercosur, while Mercosur’s service exports to the EU amounted to €13.1 billion. The Agreement is expected to significantly boost this bilateral exchange. For the EU in particular, the agreement presents expanded opportunities in strategic sectors such as business services, financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport, and postal and courier services.

At the Competition and Public Procurement Dialogue hosted by the Berlin Chamber of Architects, the final report of the joint procurement monitoring project was presented. BLOMSTEIN has been working alongside the Berlin Chamber of Architects for many years to advocate for a more competition-friendly approach to the procurement of architectural and planning services in Berlin.

As part of the Omnibus package (see our briefing here), the EU Commission suggested simplifications and improvements to the CBAM Regulation. The proposal aims to simplify and enhance the cost-efficiency of the CBAM Regulation while ensuring that its environmental objectives and core design principles remain intact. Key measures focus on easing compliance for importers by streamlining reporting requirements, particularly those involving complex calculations and extensive data collection.

Before the EU proposals become legally binding, they must go through the ordinary legislative procedure at the European level. Until this is achieved, every importer of CBAM goods should register as an authorized CBAM declarant in the CBAM registry, which is possible since 31 March 2025. We outline the details.

In view of the increasingly acute threat situation, driven in particular by growing doubts about the US' loyalty to NATO and the resulting restriction of the conventional and nuclear deterrence, the question arises: How well prepared is Germany for a further escalation of conflicts, especially that with Russia? Should asymmetric warfare - including against Germany - have even more far-reaching consequences, what legal instruments are available to the state in order to remain capable of acting in an external or internal emergency (innerer oder äußerer Notstand)? This briefing sheds light on the security and precautionary laws (Sicherstellungs- und Vorsorgegesetze), which have been rather neglected to date, and which (should) provide the necessary instruments for such situations.

Last week it became official: Germany’ will not implement the Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (known as the NIS-2 Directive) to improve cybersecurity in the EU under the current administration. See below for some guidance on what that means:

Eine Vergabe eines öffentlichen Auftrags an ein bestimmtes Unternehmen ohne europaweite Ausschreibung ist nur in engen Ausnahmefällen zulässig. Ein in der Praxis häufig herangezogener Grund ist, dass aufgrund von Ausschließlichkeitsrechten, beispielsweise Urheberrechten, nur ein Unternehmen den Auftrag ausführen kann. Diese Möglichkeit hat der Europäische Gerichtshof (EuGH) in einer bemerkenswerten Entscheidung eingeschränkt – mit erheblichen Folgen für Unternehmen und an das Vergaberecht gebundene Auftraggeber.

As the global shift to sustainable energy continues to gather pace, the European hydrogen market offers unprecedented opportunities. Recent developments in Germany and the European Union highlight strategic advances in both production and infrastructure.

The European Commission has consented to a German scheme worth around EUR 3 billion designed to foster the development of the Hydrogen Core Network (HCN).  This will play a significant role in realizing the goals of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the ‘Fit for 55’ package by facilitating the establishment of a hydrogen transmission infrastructure. It is a milestone for promoting the utilization of renewable hydrogen in sectors with high energy consumption like industry and transport.

BLOMSTEIN hat Fastned bei dem erfolgreichen Angebot im Rahmen der Autobahnlose-Ausschreibung beraten. Die Autobahn GmbH hat am 9. Februar 2024 den Zuschlag auf das Angebot von Fastned in dem bereits 2021 eingeleiteten Vergabeverfahren erteilt. Fastned wird im Rahmen des Deutschlandnetzes in den nächsten Jahren an 34 Standorten an unbewirtschafteten Autobahnraststätten Schnellladeinfrastruktur errichten. Der Autobahnlose-Ausschreibung kommt eine maßgebliche Bedeutung für die Entstehung eines flächendeckenden Schnellladenetzes zu.

Seit dem 1. Januar 2023 ist das deutsche Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz (LkSG) in Kraft. Bisher betraf es inländische Unternehmen mit mindestens 3.000 Mitarbeitenden. Ab dem 1. Januar 2024 erweitert sich der Anwendungsbereich auf Unternehmen mit mehr als 1.000 Beschäftigten. Der Kreis betroffener Unternehmen wird damit erheblich größer. Für neu betroffene Unternehmen haben wir die zentralen Pflichten des LkSG im Überblick zusammengenfasst, die unmittelbar seit Anfang Januar 2024 gelten. Außerdem geben wir einen Ausblick auf die neusten Entwicklungen zu dem geplanten EU-Lieferkettengesetz.