Legislative proposals prepared by the EU Commission at own initiative or in response to a request from another institution, member state/s or EU citizens.

An agreement reached by all contracting parties, in this case the Member States, as regards a particular topic which supplements a previous agreement – or Treaty - and is annexed to the Treaty itself. It has the same legal force of the Treaty of which it forms part.

Law360, Expert Analysis: On 15 May 2026, the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted an additional protocol to the Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism, known as the Warsaw Convention, marking a significant evolution in the international asset recovery landscape. Helen Briant and Nick Fearon, trainee solicitors, and Lucy James, partner, all at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, examine the implications of the Council of Europe’s additional protocol to the Warsaw Convention, including its impact on cross-border asset recovery and the evolving enforcement landscape.

The EU has provided updated information on the implementation timelines for both the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). The EES will become operational gradually, with a phased implementation starting in October 2025 which will last until 9 April 2026. During this period European countries will progressively integrate components of the system, including biometric data collection. During the transition phase, not all travellers will have their biometric data collected, nor will their personal information necessarily be registered in the system. In addition, passports will continue to be stamped as usual during this period. For details on data collection at border crossings, individuals are advised to contact the border authorities of the respective European country using ESS. Starting from 10 April 2026, the EES will be fully operational at all external border crossings of participating European countries. The ETIAS is planned to start operations in the last quarter of 2026.

The EU public procurement case tracker records and summarises the most recent European case law developments relating to public procurement. This tracker lists key cases from the Court of Justice of the European Union, focusing primarily on judgments which are available in English and which relate to core subjects and principles of interest concerning public procurement and public contracts. 2026 Case citation Court and Date Summary Adão da Fonseca-Engenheiros Consultores, Lda v Metro do Porto, S.A. and Betar Consultores, Lda, Case C-888/24ECLI:EU:C:2026:560 Court of Justice (Third Chamber)9 July 2026 Abstract: The request for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Articles 80 and 82 of Directive 2014/24/EU as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1828. The request concerns the lawfulness of a design contest procedure following which the design of the applicant company in the main proceedings was not selected.Held: The Court held that Articles 80 and 82 of Directive 2014/24/EU (as amended) must be interpreted as precluding the participants in a design contest from being able to require that they be heard by the jury of

The European Union (EU) has published an agreement with Morocco extending preferential tariff treatment to products originating in Western Sahara, with provisional application from 3 October 2025. The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters amends Protocols 1 and 4 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, requiring products from Western Sahara subject to Moroccan customs controls to receive the same trade preferences as those under the Association Agreement. The agreement establishes new labelling requirements for fruit and vegetables to indicate their place of origin, with products identified by reference to the region of origin (Dakhla and Laayoune) on proofs of origin. Protocol 4 applies mutatis mutandis for defining originating status, while the EU may grant Moroccan authorities necessary authorisations to draw up certificates of conformity proving compliance with Union marketing standards. The agreement replaces the 2018 agreement and responds to the Court of Justice judgment of 4 October 2024 in Joined Cases C-779/21 P and C-799/21 P. The EU has committed to provide funding for key sectors including water, energy and combating desertification, alongside increased humanitarian aid to Tindouf camps. Discussions with the Council of the EU and European Parliament are required for the agreement's conclusion.

Ireland-Finance & Financial Services analysis: This article, was written by Stephen D’Ardis of Arthur Cox LLP.

The European Parliamentary Research Service releases an ‘at a glance’ document outlining the implementation timeline of the EU AI Act. The EU AI Act published in July 2024, will take at least three years to fully implement. The EU AI Act establishes a regulatory framework that categorises AI systems according to their risk levels and general-purpose AI models based on their capabilities. Additional regulatory instruments, including guidelines, standards and codes, are expected to complement the EU AI Act's implementation. The full regulatory framework is anticipated to be operational by mid-2027.

The Council reaffirmed the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions without any modifications. The list still comprises the same 11 jurisdictions as before however, the Council highlighted that not all these jurisdictions have achieved full cooperation on tax matters and has motivated them to enhance their legal frameworks to address the identified issues.

MLex: The European Commission is ready to continue negotiations with Chinese EV makers on individual undertaking deals in parallel to those held with the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery, MLex has learned. EU trade defence rules give the EU’s executive arm wide discretion as to what type of undertaking offers it can accept from companies under a countervailing investigation. China’s Commerce Ministry last week warned the EU against sealing separate deals (outside the government-controlled track) with certain Chinese producers that have links to the EU’s EV makers.

The Council of the EU has approved conclusions on its negotiating position for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on biological diversity (COP16), reaffirming its pledge to protect biodiversity. The conclusions reinforce commitments to protect a third of the planet by 2030 and to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework. The Council also suggests establishing the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund to increase financing for the framework and adopting a science-based risk assessment to make decisions about living modified organisms based on the Cartagena protocol on biosafety.

Type of act, non-binding in nature, that the EU institutions can adopt to exercise the competences conferred upon them by the Treaties which is part, together with opinions, of sub-set of acts known as EU soft law.