Registered mail with return receipt requested, when used as part of electronic documentation, no longer constitutes prima facie evidence of a document’s receipt. The Hamburg Regional Labor Court (LAG) ruled on this in its judgment of July 14, 2025 (4 SLa 26/24), and the Federal Labor Court has now dismissed the appeal filed against that […]

Digital sovereignty is an important strategic success factor, and many measures are also required by law. Through legislation such as the Data Act, NIS-2, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the AI Act, among others, European lawmakers require companies to organize their IT systems in a way that ensures they are manageable, controllable, and accountable. Digital […]

First published on November 19, 2025; thoroughly updated   Co-author: Séverine Sieprath, Director of Audit, KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft   The Packaging Implementation Act (VerpackDG), which aligns German law with the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), may enter into force on August 12, 2026, at the same time as the PPWR. The European Commission has withdrawn its […]

On June 10, 2026, the Federal Government presented a draft of the “Act on the Modernization of Arbitration Law.” Its aim is to adapt the legal framework for dispute resolution through arbitration tribunals to the needs of today. The reform is also intended to increase the efficiency of arbitration tribunals and strengthen Germany’s appeal as […]

More and more often, architects and engineers are sending additional invoices to their clients. “The project is dragging on, construction costs are rising, and our costs are rising too, so we need a higher fee“But is such a demand justified? When do cost increases entitle the planner to additional compensation, and when do they not? […]

The planned 12th amendment to the German Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB) is expected to bring several significant changes for businesses, including higher thresholds for merger control, a broader transaction value threshold with a new notification procedure, and a new procurement screening mechanism designed to make it easier to detect collusive agreements in public […]

First published on December 2, 2025 The EU Pay Transparency Directive has been in force since June 2023 and should have been transposed into German law by June 7, 2026. Germany did not meet this deadline, meaning that the old legal situation continues to apply for the time being. According to ECJ case law, the […]

The industrial electricity price is in the starting blocks: With the publication of the funding guideline on May 6, 2026, the long-awaited legal framework for the German industrial electricity price is now in place. The European Commission had already approved the regulation under state aid law on April 16, 2026. This clears the way for […]

The amendment to the Environmental Appeals Act (UmwRG) passed by the Federal Cabinet on January 21, 2026 is intended to speed up infrastructure projects. The draft law restricts the rights of environmental and nature conservation associations and thus limits measures that could delay projects. At the same time, however, it also expands the group of […]

EU Inc. could noticeably change the transaction market in Europe. This is because it changes central assumptions about social structures. If shares are transferred digitally, notarial constraints are eliminated and companies can choose their registered office independently of their operating business, familiar processes in financing, M&A and structuring will shift. For investors and corporate groups, […]