This briefing is the fourth in a series on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), where BLOMSTEIN addresses the key aspects that (in)directly affect businesses both within and outside the EU, explores its interplay with the existing legislation in Germany (LkSG) and examines interactions with other recently adopted EU legislation (e.g., EUDR and CSRD) which partially set overlapping obligations.

In today’s briefing we explore the main differences and points of convergence of the CSDDD and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), particularly which companies might be affected by both and how to reconcile them.

Im Zeitalter der globalisierten Wirtschaft beziehen zahlreiche deutsche Unternehmen Waren oder Produktkomponenten von Zulieferern aus aller Welt. Doch grenzüberschreitende Lieferketten bergen oft ein Dilemma: Einige Zulieferer operieren in Ländern, in denen Arbeitsbedingungen und Umweltschutzmaßnahmen nicht internationalen Standards entsprechen.

Das Gesetz über die unternehmerischen Sorgfaltspflichten zur Vermeidung von Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Lieferketten (LkSG) markiert hier einen Wendepunkt im deutschen Wirtschaftsrecht und nimmt Unternehmen in die Pflicht. Es verpflichtet sie, ihre Lieferketten im Vorfeld auf mögliche Risiken für Menschenrechte und Umwelt zu überprüfen und gegebenenfalls ihre Geschäftspraktiken anzupassen, um negative Auswirkungen zu minimieren. Die Geschäftstätigkeit wird so zu einer ethischen Gratwanderung, die nicht nur die Rentabilität, sondern auch die soziale Verantwortung im Blick hat.

In diesem Briefing werden die gesetzlichen Anforderungen an die Risikoanalyse im Rahmen des LkSG erörtert, praktische Umsetzungsfragen diskutiert und strategische Empfehlungen gegeben, um die Einhaltung der Sorgfaltspflichten sicherzustellen und rechtliche Risiken zu minimieren.

This briefing gives a short overview of the latest developments in the national German hydrogen strategy. The German government has recently passed the Hydrogen Acceleration Act (Wasserstoffbeschleunigungsgesetz, WasserstoffBG), acknowledging the urgency of a decarbonisation of the German industry sector. We will address the key aspects of the draft legislation.

As announced in January, BLOMSTEIN is publishing a series of briefings introducing into European and German legal defence matters. In our last briefing, we gave an overview over EU funding opportunities for defence and security projects and focused specifically on the legal remedies available against grant allocation decisions in the context of EU defence funding.

This edition is on new funding opportunities for the defence and security sector provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB, an institution of the European Union, stands as one of the foremost financiers of climate-related initiatives. Since its inception in 1958, the EIB has extended loans and expert advice to thousands of projects across more than 160 countries. The EIB is dedicated to promoting sectors that significantly enhance growth, employment, regional cohesion, and environmental sustainability within Europe and globally. Recognizing the increasing importance of security in Europe, the EIB has revised its statutes this year to explicitly incorporate security-related activities within the scope of its financing capabilities.

This briefing is the third in a series on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), where BLOMSTEIN addresses the key aspects that (in)directly affect businesses both within and outside the EU, explores its interplay with the existing legislation in Germany (LkSG) and examines interactions with other recently adopted EU legislation (e.g., EUDR and CSRD) which partially set overlapping obligations.

In today’s briefing we explore the main differences and points of convergence of the CSDDD and the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free products (EUDR), particularly which companies might be affected by both and how to leverage synergies when implementing compliance procedures.

As announced in January, BLOMSTEIN is publishing a series of briefings introducing into European and German legal defence matters. In our last briefing, we gave an overview over the legal framework for joint procurements in the fields of defence and security.

This edition EU funding opportunities for defence and security projects and focuses specifically on the legal remedies available against grant allocation decisions in the context of EU defence funding.

This briefing is second in a series on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which addresses the key aspects that (in)directly affect businesses both within and outside the EU, explore its interplay with the existing legislation in Germany and examine interactions with other  recently adopted acts of EU legislation (e.g., EUDR and CSRD), which partially establish overlapping obligations.

Sustainability and competition law has been a hotly debated topic. While some competition authorities have dedicated specific guidelines for cooperations among competitors in the name of sustainability, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has been adamant that it will adopt a case-by-case approach and that guidance can only be derived from specific precedents. It has continuously invited companies to bring forward specific cases - and sometimes the president of the FCO, Andreas Mundt, jokingly even questioned whether there was really such a big need for guidance given the low numbers of precedents on which the FCO‘s position was actively requested. Last week, the FCO finally had another chance to provide its assessment and expressed its support for a project introducing a reusable system in the plant trade sector to reduce plastic waste (see press release).

As announced in January, BLOMSTEIN is publishing a series of briefings introducing into European and German legal defence matters. In our last briefing, we have provided some insight into the regulatory framework for the defence industry to produce and sell from the EU.

The cooperation of EU Member States regarding defence and security policy and activities ranks high on the European Union’s agenda. This includes EU Member States’ joint procurement of military and sensitive equipment within the meaning of Directive 2009/81 on procurements in the fields of defence and security. Advantages of such joint procurements to national procedures are manifold, including cost reductions through scale economies, facilitated in-use collaboration due to increased interoperability of material and a strengthening of allies.

This briefing gives an overview over the legal framework of such joint procurements. In practice, EU Member States assign the task of procuring equipment from suppliers (mainly private companies) to a single entity (Executive Entity), which, in turn, conducts the procurement for (the benefit of) all participating EU Member States. Candidates for the role as Executive Entity are, firstly, states – participating EU Member States or third countries – acting as a “lead nation”. However, multinational institutions such as the European Defence Agency (EDA), NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) or Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d’Armement (OCCAR) can also take on this role.

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) ist das aktuelle Trendthema. Nicht nur im privaten, auch im öffentlichen Sektor steigt das Interesse am Einsatz von KI-Systemen. Die Beweggründe sind offensichtlich: Erhofft werden die Steigerung von Effizienz und Geschwindigkeit von Entscheidungsprozessen, Kosteneinsparungen und insgesamt bessere Ergebnisse.

Die Regulierung von KI steckt jedoch noch in den Kinderschuhen. Ende 2023 haben sich EU-Parlament und Rat auf die Verabschiedung einer Verordnung zur Regulierung von KI-Systemen auf Grundlage des 2021 durch die Kommission unterbreiteten Vorschlags geeinigt (KI-Verordnung, engl. AI Act). Die förmliche Annahme durch das EU-Parlament erfolgte am 13. März 2024, die des Rates steht noch aus. Die KI-Verordnung tritt 20 Tage nach ihrer Veröffentlichung im EU-Amtsblatt in Kraft und ist - mit einigen Ausnahmen - 24 Monate nach ihrem Inkrafttreten uneingeschränkt anwendbar. Durch die KI-Verordnung soll ein vernünftiges Verhältnis zwischen Risiko und Innovation gesichert werden. Besonders berücksichtigt und geschützt werden die Bedürfnisse von Bürgern und Bürgerinnen, KMU und Start-Ups.

Vor dem Hintergrund der zu erwartenden KI-Verordnung sollen potenzielle Herausforderungen im Zusammenhang mit der Beschaffung von KI-Systemen identifiziert werden. Ausdrücklich nicht behandelt, werden Fragen im Kontext des direkten Einsatzes von KI in einem Vergabeverfahren, z. B. bei Ausschreibungen oder Angebotserstellung mit Hilfe von KI.

Die folgenden Überlegungen bilden eine Fortsetzung in einer Reihe von BLOMSTEIN-Briefings, die sich mit KI-bezogenen Interessenpunkten im öffentlichen Vergaberecht, Wettbewerbsrecht, Handel/Direktinvestitionen (FDI) und ESG befassen.