News
Europe – Slovakia – By judgment of 24 June 2025 (Case 351/23, GR REAL v. PO, RT), The Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union considered that consumer protection and the requirement of effective judicial protection require that a consumer may contest the legality of the transfer of ownership to a third-party purchaser following a procedure for the forced execution of a mortgage on his family home, when this third party, having become the owner, proceeds to evict him, provided that there were consistent indications, at the date of the sale in question, as to the potentially abusive nature of these clauses, and that the consumer had used the legal remedies which could reasonably be expected of an average consumer, with a view to obtaining judicial review of said clauses
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats The Prešov Regional Court (Slovakia) heard a dispute in which a company, which was awarded a family home following an extrajudicial auction, is seeking to evict the building's former owners. The persons to be evicted are...
Europe – In two judgments of 11 June 2025 (cases T-681/22, Spain v. Commission and T-781/22 Madre Querida and Others v. Commission), the General Court of Justice of the European Union dismisses the actions brought against the regulation of the European Commission of 15 September 2022 ((EU)2022/1614 – OJEU 19 September 2022) determining the areas hosting or likely to host vulnerable marine ecosystems to be protected in certain deep-sea fishing grounds
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats Spain and several fishing companies filed appeals in 2022 against Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1614 of 15 September 2022 determining the existing deep-sea fishing zones and establishing a list of areas...
Luxembourg – La chambre des Députés a voté, ce 10 juin 2025, la réforme sur les logements abordables
La chambre des Députés a voté, ce 10 juin 2025, la réforme sur les logements abordables (article 29bis de la loi modifiée du 19 juillet 2004). L’article 29bis avait été inséré dans la loi précitée par la loi du 30 juillet 2021 (dite « Pacte logement 2.0 ») relative au...
Belgique – Région wallonne – Entrée en vigueur ce 1er juillet 2025 du nouveau Code wallon du tourisme
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats Introduction Le décret du 8 février 2024 « remplaçant le Code wallon du tourisme et portant dispositions diverses » (CWT) [1] entrera en vigueur ce 1er juillet 2025. Ce texte est complété, par une partie réglementaire...
Europe – By judgment of 18 June 2025, the General Court of the EU considered that a Union institution, receiving a request for access to a document, cannot justify its refusal to disclose it on the basis of the exception relating to the protection of commercial interests when the information contained in this document constitutes information which “relates to emissions into the environment”
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats By judgment of 18 June 2025 (T-222/23 - Arysta Lifescience v. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the General Court of the EU held that an EU institution, receiving a request for access to a document, cannot justify its...
Luxembourg – Arrêt de la Cour administrative du 25 avril 2025 : La présence d’espèces protégées sur un site ne constitue pas systématiquement un obstacle dirimant à l’urbanisation
La présence d’espèces protégées sur un site ne constitue pas systématiquement un obstacle dirimant à l’urbanisation Par un arrêt de la Cour administrative du 25 avril 2025, le PAG de la commune d’Esch-sur-Alzette a été annulé partiellement. Pour fonder sa décision, la...
Europe – The European Commission unveiled its European Oceans Pact on June 5, 2025
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats On June 5, 2025, the European Commission unveiled the outlines of its European Oceans Pact. This document contains a comprehensive strategy on maritime issues aimed at "better protecting the oceans, promoting a prosperous...
Europe – Poland – The Court of Justice of the European Union held, by judgment of 5 June 2025 (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji w m.st. Warszawie v. Veolia Water Technologies and others – C 82/24) that the principle of equal treatment and the obligation of transparency as referred to in Article 10 of Directive 2004/17/EC of 31 March 2004 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors, must be interpreted as precluding the application by analogy to a works contract, by virtue of a case-law interpretation, of provisions of national law governing the guarantee in sales contracts whose content has not been expressly specified either in the tender documents or in this works contract, when the applicability of such provisions is not sufficiently clear and foreseeable for a reasonably informed and normally diligent tenderer
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats The Regional Court of Warsaw (Poland) had, in the context of a dispute, by decision of 21 December 2023, referred a preliminary question concerning the interpretation of Article 2 of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European...
Europe – Greece – By judgment of 5 June 2025 (Commission v. Greece – C‑359/24), the Court of Justice of the European Union finds the Hellenic Republic in breach of obligations for not having updated the management plans for its river basin districts and its flood risk management plans within the time limits prescribed by Directives 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy and 2007/60/EC of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats This is an action for failure to fulfil obligations brought by the Commission against the Hellenic Republic. On 15 February 2023, the Commission sent the Hellenic Republic a letter of formal notice stating that, by...
Europe – On 28 May 2025, the European Union ratified the ‘Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’ treaty (BBNJ Treaty)
HAVET & VANHUFFEL - Association d'avocats On 28 May 2025, the European Union and six of its Member States - Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia - ratified the International Treaty on the High Seas (BBNJ). This text, adopted on 23 June 2023 and...