Have you noticed the latest development in the placement of behavioural advertising? You have basically a binary choice between consenting to the processing of a "complex" bundle of your personal data for behavioural advertising purposes or paying a fee. After paying the fee, you can use the platform without being targeted by behavioural advertising.

Latvia has recently taken significant steps to amend its arbitration law, introducing a set-aside mechanism among other necessary changes. This article provides an overview of the background to these changes, the specifics of the new set-aside mechanism, and other amendments made to the Latvian arbitration law.

The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) recently organized thematic controls of real estate developers of residential projects to verify their compliance with the legal provisions on consumer protection.

Workplace harassment is a global issue that undermines the dignity of people and the productivity of employers. Recognizing the need for firm legislative measures, Romania has legislated significant changes to create a safer and more equitable work environment. A key development is the 2023 Methodology for Preventing and Combating Gender-Based and Moral Harassment at Work (Methodology), approved by Government Decision No. 970 on October 12, 2023. This article examines the content of this methodology, its integration with international legal instruments such as the ratification of the 2019 ILO Convention No. 190, and the recent adoption of the EU Whistleblowers’ Directive.

Life sciences in Romania, encompassing pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices, is a sector marked by both significant challenges and promising opportunities. As the country continues to integrate into the European Union’s regulatory and economic frameworks and as those frameworks evolve and become more complex, Romania faces the constant task of aligning its local industry with European and international standards. This alignment is crucial for fostering innovation, ensuring public health, and attracting foreign investment. The industry’s growth is influenced by many factors, such as financing, pricing and reimbursement, regulatory compliance and product liability, and sustainable public procurement tools and processes.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is an independent body of the European Union (EU) tasked with investigating criminal cases infringing the financial interests of the EU. The EPPO was formally established in 2017 and started operations in 2021. The first and current head of the European Chief Prosecutor is Laura Codruta Kovesi, former Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (Directia Nationala Anticoruptie; DNA), the Romanian agency tasked with investigating corruption cases.

The Romanian Parliament has recently passed a new piece of legislation (“Law 124/2024”) allowing local authorities to extend until 31 December 2026 the validity term of the general urbanism plans (in Romanian: “planuri de urbanism generale” or “PUG”), which were drawn up and approved before 2003. Law 124/2024 entered into force on 10 May 2024 and approved Government Ordinance no. 33/2023 regarding the prolongation of certain validity terms in the urbanism and construction field (“GO 33/2023”).

The Hungarian Parliament recently adopted amendments to the notarial procedure, introducing significant changes that affect the reading of documents during notarial acts from 1 January 2025.

On 5 June 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 650 (hereinafter referred to as “Resolution No. 650”), which approves the Procedure for Reservation of Persons Liable for Military Service during Martial Law by means of the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services (hereinafter referred to as “Portal Diia”).

The bill on the protection of whistleblowers in Poland is at the final stage of the legislative process and the core provisions have been set.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) has embarked on a transformative journey in its energy sector as both Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBH) initiated comprehensive amendments of the energy legislative framework in an effort to reshape the country’s energy sector landscape and align the legislation with Energy Community regulations, EU acquis, and international standards and best practices.

Renewable energy is a key priority within the EU due to its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This has intensified following the energy crisis experienced in 2021 and 2022. Against the backdrop of the post-crisis environment, and driven by the REPowerEU initiative, Croatia is adopting crucial legislation – the Rules on the organization of the wholesale electricity markets (Rules).

The Romanian Energy Regulator (ANRE) recently published a proposal for a new procedure regarding the passporting in Romania of energy or natural gas supply and trading licenses issued in other EU countries, based on ANRE’s confirmatory decisions (New Passporting Procedure).

On December 29, 2023, Law no.429/2023 on amendments of the Law on natural gas no.108/2018 entered into force. The amendment contains some provisions regarding the creation and maintenance of natural gas stocks. Thus, the government will undertake the necessary measures to ensure the use, until November 1 of each year, of the natural gas storage capacity in the storage facilities of other countries that are part of the Energy Community and of the member states of the European Union.

In mid-2023, the Bulgarian Parliament finally formed a steady Government. The Parliament also introduced predictability in the regulatory environment for renewables along with several legislative developments.

As the year 2024 unfolds, Greece stands as a shining beacon of opportunity in the energy sector, particularly in the realm of renewable energy. The Greek energy market has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, embracing a diverse and sustainable energy mix that positions the country as an attractive investment destination.

As always in Slovakia, political changes are accompanied by personnel changes. Thus, having a new government and new deputies to the parliament has initiated the change of the key personnel, including the head of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (URSO) and of the Slovak electricity transmission system, Plc. (SEPS).

Poland stands out as an EU member state with extremely high reliance on power generated from coal and lignite. In 2023, 63% of its electricity was produced from these resources. Still, this marks the lowest-ever share of coal and lignite-fired electricity in Poland’s annual production thanks to the rapid growth of wind and solar plants.