Brexit

Masterclass - Stibbe will host a masterclass entitled 'Alcohol and drug testing in the workplace' on 6 June in Amsterdam. During this masterclass, employment law expert Johan Zwemmer and privacy experts Frederiek Fernhout and Judica Krikke will discuss the Dutch Data Protection Authority's general prohibition of these tests and discuss whether and how employers should implement.

Short Reads - The first year of the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") is over. Although early noises predicted an entirely new data protection regime, the European legal framework did not change substantially, the major changes being an expansion of the territorial scope to non-EU countries and stronger powers of enforcement. In spite of fears and rumours of immediate enforcement and huge fines, most regulators focused on helping companies achieve compliance, or they enforced without directly imposing fines.

Articles - The UK is set to leave the EU. Yet, Brexit will only have a small impact on public procurement, since even a ‘hard Brexit’ would entail no substantial differences with the current regime.

Short Reads - On 4 February 2019, the Dutch State Secretary of Finance sent a letter to the Dutch Parliament announcing transitional rules for Dutch taxes (other than customs legislation) if there will not be a Brexit withdrawal agreement (i.e. a no deal Brexit). The letter includes an outline of the transitional rules.

Masterclass - Stibbe in Amsterdam organiseert op 6 juni de masterclass 'Alcohol- & drugstesten op de werkvloer'. Tijdens deze masterclass bespreken arbeidsrechtexpert Johan Zwemmer en privacydeskundigen Frederiek Fernhout en Judica Krikke het algemene verbod van de Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens op deze testen voor werkgevers en leggen zij onder meer uit hoe hiermee moet worden omgegaan.

Articles - The recent Brexit negotiations and votes by the British Parliament increase the risk of a hard Brexit, or at least a Brexit following which the UK would leave the EEA. In such case, chemical substances registered in the UK will no longer be legally registered under REACH, and import and export of hazardous chemicals will require prior approval. This blogpost elaborates on a few of the consequences for businesses.

Articles - FSMA gives local guidance - Belgian legislature prepares contingency measures The UK is due to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. Unless specific arrangements granting the UK at least a temporary status quo will be adopted before 29 March 2019, the UK financial industry will be considered third-country entities and will therefore be seriously restricted in carrying on their activities in the EEA, including Belgium.

Short Reads - On 4 February, the Dutch Minister of Finance published an amendment to the Exemption Regulation under the Financial Supervision Act (Vrijstellingsregeling Wft). The amendment provides for a temporary exemption from the licencing requirement for investment firms that provide investment services on a cross border basis from the United Kingdom in the Netherlands to professional parties or trade for their own account.