STOP PRESS: Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 as regards the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Digital Omnibus on AI) was published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026. This Practice Note will be updated shortly to reflect amendments to Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. For further information on the changes introduced by the Digital Omnibus on AI, see Practice Note: EU Digital Omnibus—tracker and News Analysis: Digital Omnibus proposal—re-writing the EU's digital rulebook. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (the EU AI Act) was published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU) on 12 July 2024, setting out a cross-sectoral regulatory approach to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems across the EU. The intention is to introduce a harmonised approach to AI regulation across the EU, facilitating a ‘uniform legal framework in particular for the development, marketing and use

The EU AI Act aims to regulate the placing on the market, putting into service and use of AI systems in the EU. It classifies AI systems according to a four-tiered framework which includes prohibited, high-risk, limited and minimal-risk AI systems. It also regulates general purpose AI (GPAI) models. The EU AI Act was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 12 July 2024, and entered into force on 1 August 2024. It is amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 as regards the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Digital Omnibus on AI), which was published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026. For more information on the Digital Omnibus on AI, see Practice Note: EU Digital Omnibus—tracker and News Analysis: Digital Omnibus proposal—re-writing the EU's digital rulebook. If you would like to check if and how the EU AI Act may impact your business, you should consider the following

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. This Practice Note provides an overview of the European Union’s anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) legal and regulatory framework as it applies to financial services firms, covering: • the legislative framework relevant to financial services • European Banking Authority (EBA) Guidance on AML/CTF • the EU’s central AML/CTF database, EuReCA • European proposals and measures on AML/CTF • key actors involved in European AML/CTF supervision and enforcement For an overview of the role of supranational bodies and international co-operation on AML/CTF, including the FATF and Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), see Practice Note: Introduction to the supranational AML/CTF framework for financial services. For an overview of the UK’s AML/CTF legislative and regulatory framework including the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/692 (MLRs) and the role of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG), see Practice

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is no longer maintained from 1 June 2024. Links to detailed practical guidance on each element of the EU’s AML/CTF legal framework and regulatory requirements can be found in the Financial crime and sanctions (EU Law)—overview. The European Commission’s 2020 Action Plan for a Comprehensive EU policy on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) (Action Plan) and its 2021 legislative package aims to overhaul the European Union’s AML/CTF legal framework and regulatory requirements. In particular, it will replace the Fourth Money Laundering Directive (EU) 2015/849 (MLD4) (as amended by the Fifth Money Laundering Directive (EU) 2018/843 (MLD5)). The package will: • establish a single EU-level supervisory Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) which, among other things, will directly supervise selected cross-border financial entities • establish a unified AML/CTF regulatory framework which, among other things, will harmonise customer due diligence (CDD) measures and beneficial ownership, resting on a directly applicable AML/CTF Regulation (the AML Regulation) (also referred to as the EU

Corporate Crime analysis: On 21 April 2026, the Council of the European Union gave the final approval on a new directive on combatting corruption (the Directive). The Directive replaces a fragmented set of older EU instruments with a single framework for corruption offences, penalties and prevention measures across Member States. Ruxandra Murariu, senior associate at Rahman Ravelli Solicitors, explains that the reform matters because it gives the EU a more consistent criminal-law basis for addressing corruption with a cross-border dimension. It also sits alongside the wider EU enforcement ecosystem, including the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), anti-money laundering and asset recovery measures, public procurement rules and whistleblowing protections.

This Practice Note provides guidance on the codified EU Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive (Directive 2010/13/EU). The EU AVMS Directive contains a set of rules that apply to content and advertising in relation to AVMS. The Original EU AVMS Directive covered traditional TV (linear services) and on-demand programmes (non-linear services). This Practice Note also covers the Revised EU AVMS Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/1808). This Practice Note uses the term ‘EU AVMS Directive’ to mean the EU AVMS regulatory regime outlined initially in Directive 2010/13/EU and subsequently amended by Directive (EU) 2018/1808. Where references are meant to refer solely to Directive 2010/13/EU, the term ‘Original EU AVMS Directive’ is used. Where references refer solely to Directive (EU) 2018/1808 the term ‘Revised EU AVMS Directive’ is used. Historical regulatory context In the early 1980s, TV viewers had a relatively limited choice of programming—state-owned and other terrestrial ‘free to air’ broadcasters held a dominant position in the

The EU Birds Directive—summary EU Council Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010) (the EU Birds Directive) (as it continues to have effect in the EU) is one of two EU directives relating to wildlife and nature conservation, the other being EU Council Directive 92/43/EEC (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992) on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, commonly referred to as the EU Habitats Directive. Together, the two directives establish a network of breeding and resting sites known as Natura 2000, and put in place the other protections for rare and threatened species and habitats. The EU Birds Directive was adopted to enable the EU to meet its obligations for bird species under the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (also known as the Bern Convention) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as the Bonn Convention). It provides a framework for the conservation and management of wild birds and human interactions with wild birds in Europe. It sets

This Practice Note provides an overview on Directive (EU) 2021/1883, the revised EU Blue Card Directive, thereinafter referred to as EU Blue Directive only. The EU Blue Card Directive replaces Directive 2009/50/EC as of 19 November 2023. The Republic of Ireland and Denmark are not bound by the provisions laid down in the EU Blue Card Directive. Key information EU Blue Card Directive Title Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment, and repealing Council Directive 2009/50/EC European Commission proposal 7 June 2016 Publication in the OJEU 28 October 2021 Entry into force 17 November 2021 Deadline for transposition 18 November 2023 National transposition measures See Eur-Lex information on national transposition measures, as provided by Member States Application 18 November 2023Council Directive 2009/50/EC is repealed Background and objective of

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, known also as the EU Charter, is a binding legal document that lists the fundamental rights, freedoms and principles protected under EU law and has the same legal status as the EU Treaties.

Context European Green Deal In December 2019, the Commission published its ‘European Green Deal’, described as ‘a roadmap for making the EU’s economy sustainable by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities across all policy areas and making the transition just and inclusive for all’. The Green Deal outlined an ambitious set of ‘deeply transformative’ legislative and policy measures to be taken in the following areas: • climate action—notably, the Green Deal formed the basis of legally binding targets for a 55% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050 (see Practice Note: EU Climate Regulation—snapshot) • biodiversity restoration • water, air and soil pollution • energy • industry • built environment • transport, and • agriculture For more information on progress against the Green Deal’s objectives, see Practice Note: The European Green Deal—tracker. Major progress was made between 2019 and 2024 in terms of new legislation and policy under the banner of the European Green Deal, but a palpable political shift began to be felt as the 2024 European election year

This Practice Note looks at Regulation (EU) 536/2014, the EU Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR), which governs clinical trials in the EU. It discusses the key aspects of the CTR that clinical trial sponsors and pharmaceutical companies must be aware of. The CTR, which became applicable on 31 January 2022, is directly effective in all EU Member States and the EEA and introduced the biggest change to the legal framework surrounding clinical trials in the EU since 2001. The CTR has had a global impact as all interventional trials which take place even partially in an EU Member State or the EEA must comply with its regulatory regime, at every stage of the trial life cycle. As the UK had already left the EU when the CTR became applicable, it does not apply in Great Britain (ie England, Wales and Scotland) but, due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, parts of the CTR applied in Northern Ireland and was later amended to become the ‘Windsor

This Practice Note considers Council Directive 86/653/EEC (OJ L 382/17), the EU Commercial Agents Directive. It covers the definition of a commercial agent, the scope and application of the EU Commercial Agents Directive and the impact of the EU Commercial Agents Directive upon the agency contracts. It also considers the relationship between a commercial agent and a principal as provided by the EU Commercial Agents Directive, the remuneration of the agent and the termination of a commercial agency arrangement. For more information on pre-2025 and post-2025 EU cases related to the EU Commercial Agents Directive, see Practice Notes: EU Commercial Agents Directive cases—tracker [Archived] and EU commercial law—key developments tracker respectively. Background Historically, EU Member States had different rules regarding the rights and obligations of commercial agents and their principals. This created legal uncertainty and made it difficult in practice for market operators to use commercial representation across different Member States. The general objectives of the EU Commercial Agents Directive, adopted in 1986, were to create a single market for commercial representation and eliminate