In previous newsletters we reported on the series of Dutch and European measures regulating remuneration policy at financial institutions and listed companies (see, for example, our newsletters of 9 August 2010 and 29 March 2011).

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation in charge of assigning and coordinating Internet identifiers, has opened a first application round for the registration of new generic top level domains ("New gTLDs") on 12 January 2012.

On 8 January 2012, an act implementing Directive 2009/109/EC (the "Directive") was adopted by the Belgian Parliament (the "Act"). The Act entered into force on 18 January 2012.

On 22 July 2010, the Luxembourg Competition Inspectorate ("Inspection de la concurrence") addressed to two Luxembourg notaries public a decision with a request for information within the meaning of Article 13(3) of the 2004 Competition Act ("loi du 17 mai 2004 relative à la concurrence ").

It was argued, on the one hand, that management by-laws would only have lapsed with regard to what the umbrella zoning plan regulates.

To date, 2011 has been rather calm as far as new corporate legislation is concerned.

Since 1 October 2012 policy rules have applied to the entry into derivative transactions by housing associations.

Since the publication of the CJEU's judgment on 22 November 2022, the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg UBO registers have blocked public access to UBO data.

While the Directive applies only to cross-border disputes, the legislator took the opportunity to implement a general legal framework for mediation.

Whilst some countries have had comprehensive rules on controlled foreign corporations for years, Luxembourg only introduced such rules recently, further to the implementation of a European directive.

A bill implementing some of the contents of the EU Third Energy Package in Dutch law was passed by the upper house of the Dutch parliament on 10 July 2012, having been passed by the lower house on 28 February 2012.

In building permit cases administrative authorities that fail to reach a decision on an objection within the statutory time limit are by no means the exception.

The Act of 19 March 2012, amending the Belgian Company Code with regard to the liquidation procedure.

Important amendments to the public offer rules were recently published and are expected to enter into effect on 1 July 2012.

Since the entry into force of the Financial Collateral Act of 15 December 2004 (the "Collateral Act") implementing Directive 2002/47/EC on financial collateral arrangements as regards linked systems and credit claims (the "Collateral Directive"), financial collateral arrangements have benefitted from increased flexibility and legal certainty in Belgium.

2011 has been rather calm as far as new corporate legislation is concerned.

On 6 September 2013, the bill amending the Competition Act entered into force.

On 20 December 2012, the Belgian Constitutional Court rendered an important judgment relating to the tax treatment of fines imposed by the European Commission for cartel violations, which will certainly have significant consequences for large companies.

Effective 1 July 2013, the Royal Decree of 14 January 2013 will introduce new general rules for the performance of public contracts and public works concessions.

The European Commission has recently published an "EU Cyber Security Strategy", including a proposal for a Directive on Network and Information Security.