COVID-19 Key EU Developments, Policy & Regulatory Update No. 18

European Securities and Markets Authority Takes Steps to Improve Transparency in Light of Disruption to EU Financial Markets Arising from COVID-19 Pandemic

A look at Government Guidance on dealing with contractual obligations. Our recommendations for safely navigating contract disputes.

Business and consumers alike have largely welcomed a) the relaxation in the rules about which businesses can now open and b) the introduction of guidance...

The impact of Covid-19 is being felt by businesses across the whole country, but what is to happen to their contractual obligations?

People are saying these times are unprecedented but that is something of an exaggeration.

When the number of COVID-19 cases dropped over the Summer, the Government abandoned its original "work from home" message and encouraged office workers to return to the workplace.

As consumers consider recouping pre-lockdown spend, Alex Hammond explores what this means for retailers as they begin to re-open in the next few weeks.

The Coronavirus Act 2020 came into force on 25 March 2020 and contains a package of measures to deal with the Coronavirus crisis. As promised by the government, there are provisions to protect tenants from the impact of the crisis.

On 7 October 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that an estimated 1.1 million people in the UK were experiencing self-reported long COVID.

The government's Covid-19 vaccination programme is being watched with intense interest. This much-touted key to the end of lockdown is also generating lots of queries about whether employers can...

The Code is voluntary, but it will likely become an important reference point for demonstrating compliance with Article 50 of the AI Act.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI, determining that when an AI agent acts at a user's direction, it is the user—not the AI company—who "accesses" computer systems under federal and California computer fraud statutes. This landmark appellate decision addresses how existing computer-access laws apply to agentic artificial intelligence and has significant implications...

A federal court has struck down New York's Climate Change Superfund Act, which sought to recover $75 billion from fossil fuel companies based on historical emissions. The ruling found the Act preempted by the Clean Air Act, marking the first judicial decision on state climate superfund legislation and establishing that EPA's rescission of the endangerment finding does not alter preemption analysis.

The European Commission has proposed replacing the EU's three core procurement directives with a single, directly applicable Regulation that would fundamentally reshape how companies compete for public contracts across Member States. The reform introduces mandatory quality criteria thresholds, embeds ESG considerations as evaluation factors, and establishes new security and European-preference provisions that could restrict participation based on ownership, supply chain exposure, and strategic dependencies.

On December 3, a federal court in the Central District of California granted plaintiffs' request for preliminary approval of a proposed $22 million settlement ...

The European Commission has initiated infringement procedures against 20 EU Member States for failing to transpose the EmpCo Directive by the March 27, 2026 deadline. This directive aims to combat greenwashing by requiring substantiation of environmental claims and third-party certification for sustainability labels, with full implementation expected by September 27, 2026.

The European Commission has adopted final Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU, introducing a "workable effects approach" that narrows presumptions while expanding guidance on objective justifications and recognizing sustainability benefits as valid efficiencies for the first time. These Guidelines replace the 2008 Enforcement Priorities Guidance and are expected to significantly impact enforcement practices across EU Member States and beyond, particularly for digital market

On July 16, plaintiffs in a putative class action filed a motion for preliminary approval of their settlement agreement with a video game ...

The IRS has proposed new regulations that would impose nondiscrimination requirements on private schools seeking to maintain their tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3). These regulations would prohibit policies discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in admissions, financial assistance, and other school programs. The proposed rules raise important questions about how private schools can structure their programs while complying with federal tax law requirements.

The Situation: Surging interest in digital tokens has caught the attention of regulators in Hong Kong.