Eu Law

The European Commission has recommended the opening of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as well as setting out a route for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia to eventually join the bloc. Speaking yesterday after the Commission adopted the 2023 enlargement package, Commission presi

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) should overturn a 2020 ruling that Apple does not owe €14 billion in back taxes in Ireland, an advocate-general has told the court. The European Commission and the Irish government have long been at odds as to whether Apple benefited from an unl

The European Ombudsman has upheld a complaint by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) in relation to the European Commission's failure to disclose a list of companies consulted on a controversial technology law. The issue arose after the ICCL requested documents pertaining to the decision-ma

The European Commission appeared to backtrack on a controversial suspension of aid payments to Palestine after Ireland and other countries questioned the legal basis for the move. In a statement yesterday, the Commission confirmed that it has ordered an urgent review of EU assistance for Palestine t

The UK has been fined €32m (£28m) by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over its use of yacht fuels used in the final days of EU membership. The court stated that the UK government had failed to prohibit the use of “marked fuel”, known in the UK as red diesel, &

Six major technology companies have been designated by the European Commission as "gatekeepers" under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) and now have six months to bring their services in compliance with the law. Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft have been designated in respect of 2

Women in the UK will continue to have the right to equal pay with men even after an EU protection expires at the end of the year, the UK government has confirmed. The law, designed to assist workers whose jobs have been outsourced, was removed in a post-Brexit elimination of EU laws. However, t

The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against Ireland over its failure to implement an EU directive on motor insurance. Directive 2009/103/EC on motor insurance, as amended by Directive (EU) 2021/2118, sets up a mechanism to compensate victims of road traffic accidents in cas

Ireland has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU biodiversity conservation laws, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. The court yesterday handed down its judgment in the case C-444/21, brought against Ireland by the European Commission with support from the German g

Ireland's new mass surveillance regime is "certain" to be challenged in the European courts, a leading digital rights expert has said after the government confirmed it has obtained a High Court order requiring telecom providers to retain data for the next 12 months. The Communications (Retention of

The EU has moved significantly closer to adopting laws regulating artificial intelligence in a move welcomed by civil liberties campaigners. The European Parliament has approved regulations meant to set a worldwide benchmark for the technology, which covers a broad spectrum from automated medical di

Legislation strengthening ComReg's powers and transposing the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) into Irish law has come into effect. The Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Act 2023 provides greater protections and means of redress for customers.

The European Commission has confirmed that it will bring legal proceedings against the Polish government over a controversial new law ostensibly aimed at curbing Russian influence in the country. The decision comes two days after Poland's justice minister condemned the Court of Justice of the Europe

The new Unified Patent Court (UPC) has become operational with effect from today, with 17 EU member states initially participating in the new body — though Ireland is not yet one of them. The UPC has jurisdiction over the new unitary patents as well as existing European patents and will allow

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has begun hearing an appeal of a ruling that Apple did not receive illegal state aid from Ireland and does not have to pay €14 billion in back taxes. The European Commission concluded in 2016 that Ireland broke EU state aid rules by granting und