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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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EU fundamentals Commission publishes 2025 Enlargement Package assessing EU accession progress On 4 November 2025, the Commission released its yearly Enlargement Package, reviewing progress across ten EU candidate states: Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Türkiye and Georgia. Montenegro has concluded four negotiating chapters and is aiming to finalise talks by end-2026; Albania has opened four clusters, with completion targeted for 2027. Ukraine and Moldova have finished the screening phase and satisfied the conditions to open three clusters each, with negotiations expected to close by 2028. The Commission also signalled that forthcoming Accession Treaties will carry tougher safeguards to prevent rule of law backsliding. See: LNB News 05/11/2025 22. Commission publishes indicative timetable for upcoming 2025 proposals The Commission has set out a provisional timetable for the legislative proposals it plans to table in 2025. See: LNB News 05/11/2025...
In this issue: Competition and state aid Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Competition and state aid Antitrust— Court of Justice dismisses Teva and Cephalon’s appeal against ‘pay-for-delay’ fines The Court of Justice has handed down its judgment in Case C-2/24 P, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Cephalon v Commission, challenging the General Court’s judgment in Case T-74/21 that upheld the Commission’s 2020 fines for a pay-for-delay arrangement which postponed the entry of a generic form of modafinil. The Court rejected the appeal in full. See News Analysis: EU Competition law—daily round-up (23/10/2025). Data protection and...
A legal challenge brought by Norwegian web browser Opera against the European Commission centres on the regulator’s decision not to subject Microsoft’s Edge browser to the highest tier of obligations provided for by the EU’s law to curb the power of digital gatekeepers. The arguments were heard at the EU General Court this week, where Opera, the commission and Microsoft traded blows over whether Edge ought to have been labelled a 'core platform service' under the Digital Markets Act ( DMA) (see here). Yet the eventual judgment, when it arrives, is also expected to illuminate another crucial point for the future of platform regulation: under what circumstances can third parties contest the commission’s DMA designation decisions? That question, which consumed a sizeable portion of the hearing, could prove pivotal for the future of DMA enforcement, given the law grants no formal standing to third...
The Commission is considering changes to how products regulated under EU sectoral product safety laws are covered by the EU’s AI law As part of a broader effort to streamline digital rules, MLex has learned that the Commission is weighing revisions to the AI law’s treatment of goods already subject to EU sectoral product safety regimes. The potential adjustment, being worked into the Commission’s planned digital ‘omnibus’ package due on 19 November 2025, may reduce compliance obligations for areas such as medical devices and industrial machinery. The EU’s AI Act sets a rigorous due diligence framework for AI systems that present significant risks to people’s health and fundamental rights......
Open AI’s figures released on 21 October 2025 indicate that Chat GPT’s European user base has moved beyond the level that would see it classified as a regulated search engine ‘with systemic risks’ under the EU Digital Services Act ( EU DSA) The EU DSA imposes a stringent due-diligence framework on online platforms and search engines with more than 45 million users in the EU—10% of the EU’s population—on the grounds that they pose systemic risks to society In April 2025, MLex reported that the European Commission, the lead regulator for systemic online services under the EU DSA, was considering designating Chat GPT as a search engine owing to its web-search functionality (see here) Growing user base The user base metric is calculated from the average number of monthly users across the preceding six months In March, Open AI announced 41.3 million monthly users since October 2024......
In this issue: EU fundamentals Competition and state aid Corporate Data protection and cybersecurity Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission adopts 2026 Work Programme The Commission has approved its 2026 Work Programme, Europe’s Independence Moment, presenting a refreshed roadmap for Europe’s sustainable prosperity, competitiveness and resilience. Building on the 2024–2029 Political Guidelines, the 2026 plan prioritises stronger technological autonomy, energy security and social cohesion, while advancing simplification and sharpening competitiveness across all sectors. See: LNB News 22/10/2025 13. Commission publishes evaluation of 2014 EU Public Procurement Directives The Commission has issued an assessment of Directive 2014/23/ EU, Directive 2014/24/ EU and Directive 2014/25/ EU ( EU Public Procurement Directives), finding they have only partly fulfilled their aims. The review...
The European Securities and Markets Authority ( ESMA) has issued its final report concerning draft implementing technical standards ( ITS) aimed at broadening the use of the alleviated format for insider lists. The draft ITS are set out in Annex III. The Listing Act, printed in the Official Journal on 14 November 2024, amends the Market Abuse Regulation ( MAR) and instructs ESMA to reassess the ITS governing the format for compiling and maintaining insider lists, so that the alleviated format can be extended to all issuers......
In this issue: Banking and finance Competition and state aid Corporate Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Banking and finance The EBA has issued its concluding report, outlining how all 40 competent authorities have acted on its findings and recommendations concerning anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism ( AML/ CFT) supervision in banks, with improvements noted across EU/ EEA Member States. It observes that the majority have advanced materially, embracing a risk-based approach, crafting strategies, rolling out targeted supervisory programmes, and strengthening co-operation at domestic and international levels. The report notes that numerous authorities have brought national practice into line with EBA...
Regulatory Technical Standards ( RTS) on Settlement Discipline The European Securities and Markets Authority ( ESMA) has issued its final report proposing amendments to the Regulatory Technical Standards on Settlement Discipline, designed to improve settlement efficiency across the EU and help the shift to a shorter settlement cycle ( T+1) by......
According to an official paper dated 8 October 2025, the European Commission intends to publish guidance on the EU AI Act’s relationship with other digital rules starting in Q3 2026, implying the documents could appear shortly before or after core provisions begin to apply. An annex to the Apply AI Strategy—an effort to accelerate AI uptake in priority industries—states the Commission will ‘develop guidelines on the EU AI Act’s interplay with other Union law from Q3 2026’. The annex outlines timelines for planned AI measure. Some projects are pinned to precise quarters, while others are slated to kick off from a broader window, implying activity may not commence until that point. Overall, the schedule signals a staggered roll-out across actions......
Asset management & investment funds— EU & international developments— September 2025 The three European Supervisory Authorities (the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority— ESAs) annual report on voluntary PAIs disclosures under SFDR The ESAs have released their fourth annual report on PAI disclosures under the SFDR. It concludes that financial market participants are supplying more comprehensive and higher quality disclosures, with large multinational groups most advanced. Smaller firms, by contrast, frequently blend generic environmental, social and governance or promotional material with SFDR content, leaving it unclear whether PAIs are being taken into account. The report also observes that more FMPs now provide entity‑level information in clearly labelled sustainability or SFDR sections on their websites, improving transparency and ease of access. It outlines examples of good and below‑average disclosure practices and offers...
A Greek scientist has won €50,000 in damages for mental distress and reputational harm An EU court ruled on 1 October 2025 that the Commission’s anti-fraud office, through a press release, exposed the scientist’s personal data and allowed readers to identify her, warranting compensation. The case has drawn attention as it clarifies when someone is considered identifiable under EU data protection law, how to weigh the means that might enable direct or indirect identification, and how to assess losses arising from being identified. Judges of the lower-tier General Court found she was owed damages after she proved the publication caused non-material harm to her professional career, health, reputation and honour. The court added that OLAF’s statement could have suggested her guilt to her professional peers, even though, at the time of the ruling, the individual was not yet...
In this issue: EU fundamentals Commercial Competition and state aid Corporate Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases October 2025 infringement package The European Commission has unveiled its October 2025 infringement package, identifying the EU Member States facing proceedings for breaches of obligations arising under EU law. The dossier covers letters of formal notice, reasoned opinions, and referrals to the Court of Justice addressed to Belgium, Malta, Estonia, Austria, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and a number of additional countries. Actions relate to multiple instruments and rules, notably Directive 1999/31/ EC ( Landfill Directive), Directive ( EU) 2020/2184 ( Drinking Water Directive), and Directive 2011/92/ EU (...
In its 2026 work programme, ESMA noted that teams are already busy laying the necessary groundwork to commence fresh supervision across these fields and of consolidated tape providers, set to deliver price and volume market data via a unified electronic stream. ' Through broad engagement and advance preparation work, ESMA supervisory units are now readying themselves to assume these new duties', ESMA Director Natasha Cazenave said in a statement. The authority added that the broadened supervisory scope ties into new or updated EU rules now applying across financial services. ESMA will, from 2 July 2026, begin registering environmental, social and governance ( ESG) rating firms under the new ESG ratings regulation. This framework, enforced by ESMA, sets standards for how providers issue ESG assessments used to gauge companies’ financial exposure to those risks. In June 2026, ESMA will oversee external reviewers of green bonds,...
This note reviews the issues surrounding the recycling representations and the company’s response to them. As this matter illustrates, accusations of ‘greenwashing’—with tangible legal exposure—have intensified over the past two years, even amid shifting EU legislation. The legal risk attached to environmental claims has risen sharply. At national level in particular, multinational brands risk waves of challenges from rivals and consumer organisations, with significant financial and operational fallout. The stakes are high, as missteps can prompt complaints that carry real consequences indeed. Achieving the right equilibrium—clear, truthful claims that neither swamp shoppers with detail nor clutter the tight packaging ‘canvas’ in a visually appealing manner—remains demanding. Many are grappling with how to be precise and transparent while fitting messages onto a narrow labelling ‘landscape’. As brands progress on this steep learning curve, teams can draw lessons from cases like this. The complaint and issues raised with the...
In this issue: EU fundamentals Banking and finance Commercial Competition and state aid Corporate Dispute resolution Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases September 2025 infringement package The Commission has issued its September 2025 infringement package, detailing the EU Member States it is pursuing for non-compliance with obligations under EU law. This round includes formal notices sent to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Czechia, Finland, Luxembourg and Malta in relation to Directive ( EU) 2024/1640 (the 6th Anti- Money Laundering Directive), Directive ( EU) 2023/2864 (the ESAP Omnibus...
The EU’s executive reported that Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden had not ensured access to data on the beneficial ownership of trusts and other entities by the July 2025 cut-off. According to the European Commission, as of now 11 Member States have yet to confirm their full transposition by this initial legal deadline. It added that phasing in the sixth AML directive is crucial to avoiding weaknesses in their financial systems and......
In this issue Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Free movement, immigration and employment The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee has endorsed a report proposing amendments to the draft EU Traineeship Directive. Backed by 42 votes to nine, it provides a clear definition of a traineeship, mandates written agreements, limits placements to six months, and secures social protection for trainees. The measures are designed to deter employers from using traineeships to conceal standard employment relationships. The Committee also voted to launch interinstitutional negotiations, with discussions with the Council slated to begin after the next plenary, assuming no objections arise. See: LNB News 23/09/2025 21. Financial services The European Banking Authority ( EBA) has released its advice and recommendations in answer to the European Commission’s call for advice on the assessment and review of the EU covered bond...
AI chatbots such as Open AI’s Chat GPT and the Google-backed Character. AI are moving into the child safety spotlight Having until now largely slipped through the cracks of Europe’s content‑moderation laws, standalone AI chatbots are edging into the child safety spotlight. The EU’s DSA has trained its gaze on online platform operators such as social media and pornography sites, while the UK’s OSA 2023 is framed around user‑to‑user and search services, plus pornography platforms — leaving chatbots outside platform ecosystems in a regulatory grey area. In the US, the issue has already broken into public view, with parents alleging serious harms to children from chatbot exchanges, spurring: a congressional debate on 16 September 2025; a US Federal Trade Commission investigation the week before; and several lawsuits against providers over the preceding months. That intensity of scrutiny is prompting European questions about how online...
In this issue: Competition and state aid Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Competition and state aid Commission accepts commitments offered by Microsoft in relation to abusive tying of Teams The European Commission has confirmed it will accept commitments put forward by Microsoft to tackle concerns that it misused a dominant position by linking or bundling its communication and collaboration tool, Teams, with its business suites Office 365 and Microsoft 365. See News Analysis: EU Competition law—daily round-up (12/09/2025). Commission consults on revised tech transfer competition rules and guidelines The Commission has opened a public consultation on draft updates to Regulation ( EU) No 316/2014 ( Technology Transfer Block Exemption...
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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