Partnerblog
New Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and guidelines: what’s changing for distribution relationships?
On September 20, 2022, Thomas De Meese and Marieke Van Nieuwenborgh presented a webinar on the new competition rules applicable to distribution relationships which entered into force on May 10, 2022.
Government aims to extend investigation and assessment periods
On 3 October 2022, the Belgian Federal Government introduced a draft bill containing various tax and financial provisions with the Chamber of Representatives. It includes a wide range of tax measures, mainly impacting procedural aspects. With this bill, the Government seeks to implement the "Second Action Plan for a coordinated anti-fraud policy" launched by the Minister of Finance (cf. our Newsflash of 29 April 2022 (Dutch)).
The reintegration procedure 2.0 and new rules for the termination of an employment contract due to medical force majeure
A new Royal Decree of 11 September 2022 has been adopted to amend the part of the Code on well-being of workers that concerns the reintegration procedure. This Royal Decree has come into force on 1 October 2022 and contains various reforms. In addition, the government submitted a legislative proposal on 14 September which aims to establish a procedure of its own with regard to the termination of the contract for medical force majeure. This procedure was initially included in the reintegration procedure, but now it will be separated.
Mécanisme de filtrage pour les investissements étrangers directs (« IDE »)
Notre économie belge attire les investisseurs étrangers depuis des décennies. Cela a souvent conduit à des ventes à des actionnaires étrangers, sans aucune implication ou contrôle d’un gouvernement.
L'impact de l’augmentation des prix due à la crise économique actuelle sur la pratique des marchés publics
Un bref regard vers l’actualité suffit pour constater que le marché économique est volatil et imprévisible. Après l'impact de la pandémie du Covid-19, l'économie doit aujourd'hui faire face aux répercussions économiques de la guerre en cours en Ukraine et de la crise énergétique qui en découle.
A practical look at the Legal department’s favourite legal tech applications
It’s no secret that legal departments are under ever-increasing pressure to do more with less. Higher workloads and smaller budgets are forcing in-house lawyers to come up with innovative ways to work more efficiently. Many in-house legal teams therefore turn to legal technology solutions to cope with the increased demands.
Nouvelle revue le « Journal des modes alternatifs » – Découvrez l’interview d’Anne-Marie Boudart et de Carine Vander Stock
Larcier vient tout récemment de lancer le Journal des modes alternatifs, une nouvelle revue dédiée aux modes alternatifs de règlement des conflits. Alliant qualité scientifique et approche concrète, la revue a pour ambition de proposer, dans ses trois opus annuels, un regard pluridisciplinaire couvrant les différents domaines d’intervention des modes alternatifs. La revue se veut multidisciplinaire tant au niveau des matières traitées que des différents regards portés sur l’analyse des sujets. Sa présentation visuelle novatrice, par le recours notamment au Legal design, permet au lecteur d’appréhender très rapidement les informations essentielles.
The danger of prohibited lease of personnel in case of secondment to Belgium
Also during a secondment to Belgium, attention should be paid to the rules around prohibited lease of personnel. Indeed, a violation of the principle of prohibited lease of personnel can have serious financial consequences. This was once again confirmed by the judgment of the Nivelles labour tribunal of 13 January 2022. These decisions highlight the importance of structuring your secondment in line with Belgian mandatory legislation regarding prohibited lease of personnel, either via a tripartite intra-group secondment agreement or a subcontracting arrangement.
Important change in dismissal law as from 2023: Saturday no longer considered a working day
In Belgian employment law, Saturday is in principle considered a working day (in contrast to Sunday and legal holidays) even if the employees are not working on this day.
The European Commission updates rules for cooperation between competitors
On March 1, 2022 , the European Commission published its draft revised Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations (HBERs) and Guidelines for Horizontal Cooperation Agreements (Guidelines ). The stated aim of the revision is to make it easier for companies to cooperate in economically desirable ways and contribute to the digital and green transition. The current HBERs are set to expire on December 31, 2022 and it is therefore to be expected that the final revised HBERs and Guidelines will be adopted before the end of this year.
The new impact of the Brussels I regulation on arbitrators: analysis of the latest ruling of the European Court of Justice
In a judgment rendered on June 20, 2022, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that a judgment rendered by a Court of a Member State in the terms of an arbitral award may in principle serve as a basis for refusing to recognize a subsequent irreconcilable judgment of another Member State. Nevertheless, this rule does not apply where the recognition decision leads to a result which a Court of a Member State could not have achieved directly without violating the fundamental provisions and objectives of the famous Brussels I Regulation. If at this stage this decision seems convoluted, let us detail the stakes of this ruling which will certainly be talked about among scholars and practitioners of law.
La garantie légale dans les ventes aux consommateurs
Depuis le 1er juin 2022, le nouveau régime de garantie des consommateurs est entré en vigueur, ce qui signifie que les consommateurs sont désormais mieux protégés contre les produits et services vendus non conformes en L’Union Européenne. Le nouveau régime est le résultat d'une révision de la réglementation européenne. Les changements les plus importants apportés au régime de garantie existant concernent la preuve qu'un produit ou un service est ou n'est pas conforme : désormais, cette preuve doit être fournie exclusivement par le vendeur. Depuis ce changement, les contenus et services numériques entrent également dans le champ d'application du règlement.
The competent jurisdiction for international workers: how to find the place where the employee habitually works.
The concept of the “place where the employee habitually works” is an essential concept for determining which employment law is to be applied and which jurisdiction is competent. According to a recent case of the Belgian Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation), this concept should not be interpreted in a purely quantitative way, as in the place where the employee works the majority of his time.
Un droit à un autre poste pour les personnes handicapées?
Un employeur est-il contraint d'affecter un travailleur, qui ne peut plus exercer sa fonction initiale en raison d'un handicap, à un autre poste au sein de l'entreprise ? La Cour de justice de l’Union européenne s'est prononcée sur cette question importante dans un arrêt intéressant rendu le 10 février 2022.
Whistleblower protection: ready for action?
The European Whistleblowing Directive (the Directive) provides for the establishment of mandatory secure channels for reporting breaches of EU law and the protection of those who report breaches in a professional context.
The EU data strategy: a complex attempt to unlock data
Since the European Commission proposed its European strategy for data on 19 February 2020 (followed by the European Parliament’s resolution “European strategy for data”), the Commission has issued the Data Governance Act (DGA) and the Data Act (DA) aiming at creating a single market for data and establishing European leadership in the global data economy.