Actions for Damages in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany

Articles - Climate change cases can occur in many shapes and forms. One well-known example is the Urgenda case in which the The Hague Court condemned the Dutch government in 2015 for not taking adequate measures to combat the consequences of climate change. Three years later, the Court of Justice of The Hague  upheld this decision, and it is now pending before the Dutch Supreme Court. This case is expected to set a precedent for Belgium, i.a. Since both the Belgian climate case and the Urgenda case are in their final stages of proceedings, this blog provides you with an update on climate change litigation.

Short Reads - On 1 October 2019, legislation will enter into force ending the KEI pilot scheme for digital litigation at the courts of Gelderland and Central Netherlands (Midden-Nederland). However, certain new procedural rules, which were part of the digitalisation pilot, will remain in force and will apply to all Dutch courts.

Articles - Oliver Stevens and Sophie Bourgois co-authored an article on the regulation of the legal profession in Belgium.

Short Reads - Op 1 april 2019 is de Wet afwikkeling massaschade in collectieve actie (WAMCA) in het Staatsblad gepubliceerd.  Deze wet maakt het eenvoudiger om massaschadegevallen collectief af te wikkelen via de Nederlandse rechter. Wij verwachten dat de wet binnenkort in werking treedt.