Assistant lawyer Natālija Ķīse compiled the material.
Competition
The General Court’s judgement on the recovery of State aid awarded to JCDecaux by Belgium is upheld by the Court of Justice
Delivered: 26 September 2024
In the appeal case JCDecaux Street Furniture Belgium v. Commission (C-710/22 P), the Court of Justice rendered its decision regarding the annulment of Decision C (2019) 4466 of the European Commission of June 24, 2019, insofar as it directs the recovery of State aid awarded to JCDecaux by the Belgian State. The lawsuit centres on an agreement between JCDecaux and the public of Brussels for the placement of bus shelters and other items referred to as “street furniture for information” on public property, some of which may be utilised for commercial purposes. The Court of Justice dismissed the appeal by upholding the General Court’s decision.
First steps are taken by the Commission to define Apple’s interoperability responsibilities under the Digital Markets Act
Published: 19 September 2024
In order to help Apple meet its interoperability requirements under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’), the European Commission has initiated two specification processes. As mandated by the DMA, Apple is required to offer free and efficient interoperability to third-party developers and companies whose hardware and software features are managed by Apple’s operating systems, iOS and iPadOS.
General Court annuls European Commission’s decision in Google Adsense case
Delivered: 18 September 2024
Despite upholding most of the European Commission’s findings, the General Court has revoked a fine on Google for approximately €1.5 billion. The reason for annulling the fine is that the Commission’s assessment of the duration of the contract conditions it deemed abusive was made without considering every relevant consideration.
Data protection
The CJEU rules that not every instance of a GDPR violation necessitates the use of a supervisory body’s corrective action authority
Delivered: 26 September 2024
A German savings bank discovered that one of its staff members had repeatedly accessed a customer’s personal information without permission. Since the savings bank’s data protection officer felt there was no specific risk to the consumer, they chose not to notify them of this. The Court of Justice ruled that when a data breach occurs, supervisory agencies are not always obligated to issue fines or carry out corrective measures.
Technology
To encourage the development of safe and reliable AI, more than 100 companies sign the EU AI Pact
Published: 25 September 2024
The EU AI Pact was signed by more than 100 businesses, including global conglomerates and European small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs), that agreed voluntarily to support ethical AI development. The Pact encourages cooperation between the EU Al Office, business, public society, and academia by supporting industry initiatives to start implementing the EU’s Al Act’s principles before it is fully implemented.
Dispute resolution
Council adopts position on measures to facilitate dispute resolution
Adopted: 25 September 2024
A set of measures to modify the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework to meet the demands of the digital era have been adopted by the Council as part of its negotiation mission. Due to modest amounts at stake, drawn-out legal processes, or a lack of faith in the prospect of a satisfying resolution, many customers that conflict with a business choose not to pursue legal action. Through ADR procedures, customers can resolve conflicts with organisations without going to court.
See also: Press release.
Internal market
EU Court Rules on Online Cosmetic Product Labelling Requirements
Delivered: 19 September 2024
The CJEU explained that EU’s Directive on Electronic Commerce does not cover the “coordinated field” when it comes to national laws requiring specific language labelling for goods sold online, including cosmetics. Consequently, for products sold within their respective borders, Member States are free to apply their own labelling rules.
