The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has announced that North Macedonia has become the 28th signatory to the Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (the 2019 Judgments Convention). This is the 10th HCCH Convention to which North Macedonia has become a Contracting Party. The 2019 Judgments Convention, which facilitates the international circulation of judgments in civil and commercial matters by setting conditions for recognition, enforcement and refusal, will enter into force in September 2023.

In March 2022, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) changed its name and is now known as the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). For the avoidance of doubt, this Practice Note refers to the NSTA, even if at the relevant time it was known as the OGA. References to the NSTA include in its historic capacity as the OGA. Similarly, this Practice Note refers to any published documents or strategies using the new NSTA name, even if officially published under the name of the OGA. For example, what was formerly known as the ‘OGA Strategy’ is referred to in this Practice Note as the NSTA Strategy. The NSTA is still referred to in legislation by its historic name, the OGA; however, these functions are carried out by the NSTA. Statutory references found in legislation outside of this Practice Note also, therefore, refer to the NSTA in practice since March 2022. Note that additional commentary on the issues discussed in this Practice Note in the context of the regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net

CASE HUB (Appeals lodged at General Court–see Case T- 58/14 Stührk Delikatessen Import v Commission (Shrimps cartel) and Case T- 54/14 Goldfish and Others v Commission (North Sea shrimps cartel)) ARCHIVED–this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 27 November 2013; it is no longer maintained. See, timeline. Case facts Outline European Commission Article 101 TFEU investigation into a cartel in the market for North Sea shrimps (case number AT.39633) Latest developments Fines totalling €28m were imposed on 27 November 2013. Klaas Puul was awarded immunity from

The North Wales Safeguarding Board published a Child Practice Review titled 'Our Bravery Brought Justice', which prompted an oral statement to the Senedd by Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle MS. The review presents nine detailed recommendations designed to improve child safeguarding practices across Wales.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has voted to give democratic consent to the continued application of articles 5 to 10 of the Windsor Framework for the next four years. This is the first time democratic consent to the framework has been voted on by the Assembly.

The Northern Ireland Office has published correspondence from Secretary of State Hilary Benn to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly concerning a Windsor Framework decision under Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The letter refers to a decision the government is making with the European Union on 2 February 2026, to include the Non-Road Mobile Machinery Regulation in the Windsor Framework.

The Northern Ireland Office has published explanatory materials pertaining to the democratic consent process for Articles 5-10 of the Windsor Framework. These materials, provided for the benefit of Members of the Legislative Assembly, fulfil the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's obligations under Schedule 6A of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This action supports the implementation of the post-Brexit arrangements specific to Northern Ireland, ensuring that the region's elected representatives have the necessary information to participate in the consent mechanism for the continued application of certain EU laws within Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Office has published a statement from the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris. Heaton-Harris met with representatives of Northern Ireland political parties to discuss executive formation and the importance of restoring the executive before 18 January 2024. Additionally, Heaton-Harris emphasised that Northern Ireland has been without locally elected politicians for 23 months. Heaton-Harris noted that if an executive is not reformed by 18 January 2024, various decisions and steps to be taken will be set out in due course.

This Practice Note provides practical guidance on the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme established by the Windsor Framework. The guidance covers the movement of retail goods form the UK to Northern Ireland. Introduction Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement the UK and EU agreed on the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. The protocol dealt with the trade aspects to safeguard the Good Friday agreement. Specifically, it recognised that Northern Ireland is part of the UK’s customs territory. However, many traders experienced issues in the movement of goods between the UK and Northern Ireland even though the goods were traded duty free. This was because the goods were otherwise treated as crossing an international border. In other words, these goods were subject to customs control which included the requirements for multiple declarations, checks and, where relevant, rules of origin requirements. For guidance on the protocol, see Practice Note: Trade in goods with Northern Ireland. In order to overcome these issues, the Windsor Framework was negotiated to establish a new arrangement for the movement of goods between

The Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has launched a call for written evidence as part of its new inquiry into Article 2 of the Protocol/Windsor Framework. Article 2 is intended to safeguard against any reduction in rights, protections or equality of opportunity in Northern Ireland arising from Brexit. Through this inquiry, the Committee will assess how Article 2 functions in practice, its effects in Northern Ireland and across the wider UK and its legal enforceability considering the UK Supreme Court’s decision in Dillon v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Written submissions must be submitted by 9 July 2026. The Committee will also hold a series of oral evidence sessions, commencing on 10 June 2026 and expected to run through to autumn 2026.

The Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has announced its first inquiry examining Northern Ireland's voice within the Windsor Framework. The inquiry will assess various engagement mechanisms, including the Stormont Brake and applicability motion procedure. Written submissions are invited until 30 April 2025, with oral evidence sessions beginning on 19 March 2025. The Committee will build upon evidence gathered by the House of Lords European Affairs Sub-Committee from May 2024, focusing on the effectiveness of structures enabling Northern Ireland stakeholders to engage with EU legislation.

This Practice Note provides practical guidance on the 16 May 2024 changes to the Joint Committee’s Decision No 1/2023. As such it provides practical guidance on the changes as they apply to Northern Ireland specifically on the change in terms of which Northern Ireland now benefits from the UK’s tariff rate quotas and not the EU’s tariff rate quotas. Introduction As a result of Brexit, the EU and UK entered into the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. As part of this agreement the parties agreed to the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Northern Ireland Protocol had the aim of protecting the EU’s internal market, however, it created a range of issues for Northern Ireland which, had the Northern Ireland Protocol remained as is, would have become unworkable. As a result, the EU and UK entered into discussions with a view to find solutions to the issues the Northern Ireland Protocol presented. In February 2023, the EU and UK reached a deal which is known as the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework sought to overcome