This briefing is the first in a series on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) that BLOMSTEIN will be publishing over the coming weeks. We will address the key aspects that (in)directly affect businesses both within and outside the EU, explore its interplay with the existing legislation in Germany (LkSG) and examine interactions with other acts recently adopted EU legislation (e.g., EUDR and CSRD) which partially set overlapping obligations.

Restriktive Maßnahmen oder „Sanktionen“ stellen ein wichtiges Instrument der Gemeinsamen Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der EU dar. Insbesondere die seit Februar 2022 kontinuierlich ausgeweiteten Russland-Sanktionen haben dazu geführt, dass die sanktionsrechtliche Compliance ein neues Maß an praktischer Bedeutung gewonnen hat. Absehbare Verschärfungen mit Blick auf Russland und den Iran verstärken diesen Trend. Hintergrund der hierbei zurecht gestiegenen Sensibilität ist auch, dass Verstöße gegen EU-Sanktionen oftmals als Ordnungswidrigkeiten oder Straftaten geahndet werden und nicht nur für die beteiligten Unternehmen, sondern auch für einzelne Mitarbeiter persönliche Konsequenzen haben können.

Did you know that exporting lipstick under the wrong circumstances could get you in serious trouble? As innocent and trivial as they may seem, lipstick and many more so-called fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are often covered by several export restrictions. As a result, the export of these goods may be subject to authorisation requirements or entirely restricted, with hefty fines and other sanctions associated with non-compliance. In this instalment of our briefing series on FMCG, we highlight how export control law applies to FMCG and what pitfalls you should be wary of.

Zu Beginn des Jahres verabschiedete die Europäische Kommission (Kommission) eine delegierte Verordnung zur Einführung der Verbindlichen Zollwertsauskunft (VZWA, im Englischen: Binding Valuation Information, BVI) in das EU-Zollrecht. Diese sollen das bewährte System zur Erteilung von Verbindlichen Ursprungsauskünften (VUA, im Englischen: Binding Origin Information, BOI) und Verbindlichen Zolltarifauskünften (VZTA, im Englischen: Binding Tariff Information, BTI) ergänzen. Der verabschiedete Text ändert die Delegierte Verordnung (EU) 2015/2446, indem er die neuen BVI und Regeln zu deren Handhabung integriert. Parallel soll zudem bald eine Änderung der Durchführungsverordnung (EU) 2015/2447 erfolgen und den Weg für die elektronische Verwaltung von BOI und BVI bereiten.

As announced in January, BLOMSTEIN is publishing a series of briefings introducing into European and German legal defence matters. In our last briefing, we shared some insight into the Bundestag’s ominous requirement (and its legality) to separately approve any defence procurement with a volume above EUR 25 Mio.

Today’s topic concerns export controls on the defence and arms industry. They are a critical component of national and international security efforts. They involve strict legal frameworks and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that the export of certain goods remains in line with the interests of the nations from which the goods originate. This overview provides an insight into the basic components of the legal framework established in Germany.

In our series of briefings, we recap the key milestones of the DMA implementation, deep dive into the various obligations that gatekeepers are facing, lay out the DMA’s implications for stakeholders who are not (currently) within the direct scope of the legislation and update you on the current status of affairs in the DMA’s implementation.

This time on: Real-time access to gatekeeper data for business users under Article 6(10) DMA.

In our series of briefings, we recap the key milestones of the DMA implementation, deep dive into the various obligations that gatekeepers are facing, lay out the DMA’s implications for stakeholders who are not (currently) within the direct scope of the legislation and update you on the current status of affairs in the DMA’s implementation.

This time we focus on: Regulators’ attempts to tame digital markets worldwide in the wake of DMA.

In our series of briefings, we recap the key milestones of the DMA implementation, deep dive into the various obligations that gatekeepers are facing, lay out the DMA’s implications for stakeholders who are not (currently) within the direct scope of the legislation and update you on the current status of affairs in the DMA’s implementation.

This time we focus on: access to data and services.

In our series of briefings, we recap the key milestones of the DMA implementation, deep dive into the various obligations that gatekeepers are facing, lay out the DMA’s implications for stakeholders who are not (currently) within the direct scope of the legislation and update you on the current status of affairs in the DMA’s implementation.

This time we focus on: interoperability, portability and switching.

In our series of briefings, we recap the key milestones of the DMA implementation, deep dive into the various obligations that gatekeepers are facing, lay out the DMA’s implications for stakeholders who are not (currently) within the direct scope of the legislation and update you on the current status of affairs in the DMA’s implementation.

This time we focus on: self-preferencing under the DMA.