European Union
EU strengthens water quality regulatory framework with new obligations on pollutants
Directive (EU) 2026/805 introduces relevant changes to European water regulations to update environmental quality standards, expand control over pollutants –including emerging pollutants– and strengthen monitoring and reporting mechanisms, in line with the European Green Deal and the Zero Pollution Action Plan.The CJEU outlines the forum of the 'anchor defendant' in actions for 'antitrust' damages directed against a plurality of defendants
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has specified the scope of Article 8.1 of the Brussels I Bis Regulation in actions for damages for infringements of competition law with multiple defendants. The judgment clarifies that the anchor defendant forum can be applied even if that defendant has not been the addressee of the sanctioning decision and confirms that the mere fact that the alleged harm occurred outside the European Economic Area (EEA) is not, in itself, sufficient to treat the claim as manifestly unfounded at the jurisdictional stage.Economy Ministry initiates public consultation on preliminary bill transposing EU corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CS3D)
The Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business has opened the public consultation on the draft bill to implement Directive (EU) 2024/1760 on corporate due diligence into Spanish law.AI and copyright: from ‘machine-readable’ to ‘machine-actionable’ in the opt-out from TDM: a question of vocabulary or technical governance?
The debate regarding reservation of rights (opt-out) for AI training has shifted from principles to infrastructure. The German decision in the LAION case rekindles the key issue: how to turn ‘machine-readable’ into a ‘machine-actionable’ mechanism that is interoperable and proportional.Data Economy, Privacy and Cybersecurity Newsletter - February 2026
In this newsletter, we offer the latest updates on everything related to the data economy, privacy, and cybersecurity. We cover the most recent rulings from relevant authorities and agencies, key court decisions, and the most important news in this field.The EU adopts a comprehensive legal framework to strengthen the defense industry and guarantee supply in Europe
Regulation (EU) 2025/2643, approved on December 16 and published in the Official Journal on December 29, establishes a European Defence Industry Programme and measures to ensure the availability of strategic products. With a €1.5 billion funding allocation for 2025-2027, it aims to strengthen the European industrial base and support the reconstruction of Ukrainian industry.Spain and the EU strengthen the circular economy agenda: new PEMAR 2025-2035 and new measures on plastics
The end of 2025 has been marked by the new National Framework Plan for Waste Management, which redefines the waste management strategy in Spain, while, in parallel, the European Union keeps promoting a first pilot to accelerate the circularity of plastics as a prelude to its future Circular Economy Law.The CJEU’s Mio/Konektra ruling on the copyright protection of works of applied art: interpreting the interpreter
In a case concerning the copyright protection of furniture designs, the Court revisits its settled case law on the originality requirement for the protection of utilitarian objects, while further delineating the relationship between copyright and design law under EU law.