News
Lieven Peeters wins the Client Choice Award in 2020!
One of our Real Estate & Regulatory partners, Lieven Peeters, received the Client Choice Award 2020 for Leisure Industries in Belgium during an ILO event last week in London.
CJEU sheds light on the “Country of Origin” concept
In the run-up to the entry into force of specific rules on country of origin labelling for primary ingredients, the CJEU has recently clarified both the concept of the “country of origin” under the FIC Regulation and its interplay with other regulations such as the Regulation on the common organisation of the agricultural products markets and the Union Customs Code.
Day X: posting of the notice announcing the date of the elections
On day X, i.e. between 11 and 24 February 2020, depending on the chosen election day, the Works Council and/or the CPPW, or, in their absence, the employer, must provide the employees with the following written information:
(1) The name(s) and address(es) of the Technical Business Unit(s);
(2) The date and time schedule of the elections (day Y);
(3) The election calendar;
(4) The number of mandates for the Works Council and/or the CPPW per body and per category of employees;
(5) The person in charge of the distribution of the voting letters;
(6) The provisional voters’ lists or the place(s) where they can be consulted;
(7) The list of high-level executive personnel (‘leidinggevend personeel/personnel de direction’) (including their names and the content of their function) or the place where they can be consulted;
(8) The list of the managerial personnel (‘kaderleden/cadres’) (including their names and the content of their function) or the place where they can be consulted (for the Works Council election only);
(9) If applicable, the right to vote electronically.
Although this obligation relies on the Works Council and/or the CPPW, it is the employer that usually prepares the information, which is then posted after the approval of the Works Council and/or the CPPW.
Property law and real estate structures finally modernised: Book III of the Belgian Civil Code has been approved!
On 30 January 2020, the new Book III on Goods was approved by the Belgian parliament. What are Book III’s characteristics?
’Cash for car’ crashed
On 23 January 2020, the Constitutional Court annulled the law introducing a mobility allowance (cash for car).
New Belgian Act on medicinal product shortages
On 3 February 2020, the Belgian Act of 20 December 2019 amending various legal provisions concerning shortages of medicinal products was published in the Belgian State Gazette.
The 2020 Action Plan of the Social Information and Investigation Service : its highlights and focus areas
The Social Information and Investigation Service (“SIOD/SIRS”) has published its 2020 Action Plan “Fight against Social Fraud and Social Dumping”. This plan reveals the strategy and the top priorities of the inspection services for 2020. The 2020 Action Plan is built around five strategic objectives, resulting in 55 specific actions. We summarize the highlights of the 2020 Action Plan below so that you can see at a glance if and when your sector is being targeted this year.
ALTIUS has contributed to the 2020 Edition of the ‘European Employment Law Update’ that covers 34 countries in Europe
‘European Employment Law Update’ is an annual guide that compiles updates on employment law from leading law firms all over Europe.
ALTIUS appoints a new Counsel!
ALTIUS is proud to announce that Sophie Lens has been appointed as Counsel from January 2020.
Employers, be aware of the “hidden protection period” kick-off!
The “hidden protection period” is one of the most remarkable features of the social elections process. The hidden protection period is the period during which candidates already benefit from the specific dismissal protection, even though the candidate lists are only being disclosed to the employer 65 days later. Hence, there is a 65 days-gap during which an employer is not aware of an employee’s candidacy for the social elections and related dismissal protection, reason why it is highly recommended not to proceed with any dismissals during the hidden protection period to avoid a substantial financial liability.
Depending on your election date, the hidden protection period starts between 12 January and 25 January 2020.
Patenting blockchain
While much has been written already regarding blockchain and its many exciting applications for the future, not much has been said on how you can adequately and legally protect your blockchain once it has been developed.
The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Real Estate 2020
One of our partners, Lieven Peeters, is pleased to announce that the International Comparative Legal Guide to: Real Estate 2020 has been published.