The European Commission (“Commission”) has launched a four-week feedback period — open until June 3, 2026 — on a draft delegated act to revise the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (“ESRS 2.0”). Ultimately, EU companies in scope of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) will have to draft their annual sustainability statements in accordance with the ESRS 2.0. Non-EU ultimate parent companies may also use the ESRS 2.0 to publish one globally consolidated CSRD sustainability statement.
Continue Reading European Commission Publishes “ESRS 2.0” for Public Consultation: Draft Closely Follows EFRAG’s Technical Advice with Additional Simplifications for CompaniesEuropean Union
10 Takeaways: European Commission Draft Guidelines on AI Transparency under the EU AI Act
By Jadzia Pierce, Marty Hansen & Sam Jungyun Choi on
Posted in Artificial Intelligence (AI), European Union
On May 8, 2026, the European Commission (“Commission”) published draft guidelines (“Guidelines”) on the implementation of the transparency obligations under Article 50 of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”), opening a targeted consultation that runs until June 3, 2026.
The Guidelines are non-binding, but they are the first Commission instrument to provide interpretive guidance across the full scope of Article 50. They were prepared in parallel with the related, but more narrowly scoped, Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content (“Code of Practice” or “Code”), the second draft of which was published on March 5, 2026.
Continue Reading 10 Takeaways: European Commission Draft Guidelines on AI Transparency under the EU AI ActImportant Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) on Artificial Intelligence and Compute Infrastructure Continuum
EU Member States are currently designing two possible new Important Projects of Common European Interest (“IPCEIs”) to support the development of AI and compute infrastructure in the EU (together the “Digital IPCEIs”), subject to European Commission (“Commission”) approval.
On 10 March 2026, the “matchmaking” phase under the IPCEI on Artificial Intelligence (“IPCEI-AI”) was officially launched in Berlin. It brings together companies whose AI projects have been pre-selected through national calls for expressions of interest (“CEIs”) in each participating Member State. Its objective is to form European consortia eligible for State co-funding under the IPCEI-AI. National CEIs in 17 participating Member States are now closed; Finland and Lithuania are still expected to launch their CEIs.
A second digital IPCEI on Compute Infrastructure Continuum (“IPCEI-CIC”) was launched in late 2025 by 15 Member States. Several of these participating Member States – including Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain – have not yet launched their CEIs.
Continue Reading Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) on Artificial Intelligence and Compute Infrastructure ContinuumFuture of Defense Across EMEA
Europe has switched to a wartime mindset and is surging defense spending to levels not seen since the Cold War: 20% growth in 2024 and in 2025, and a total of around $450 billion across the EU. Europe is also ramping up defense production locally, and seeking to accelerate this process through preferential funding schemes. Ukraine has become a military powerhouse and a global leader in defense tech, such as drones and counter-drone systems. And the tech Ukraine has other countries need, particularly in the Middle East. The upcoming NATO summit in Ankara in July and the prospective EU-GCC summit later this year in Saudi Arabia will continue to shape investment priorities across EMEA. For private equity firms, technology companies, prime defense contractors, and scale-ups operating in the defense sector, this shift creates opportunities to meet rising demand, while also introducing additional regulatory complexity that must be navigated carefully to secure market access and long-term strategic positioning.
Continue Reading Future of Defense Across EMEANew EDPB Guidelines on the Use of Personal Data in Scientific Research
On April 15, 2026, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published draft Guidelines 1/2026 on the processing of personal data for scientific research purposes (Guidelines). The Guidelines are open for public consultation until 25 June 2026. They aim to clarify how the GDPR applies to academic, public‑sector, and commercial research, including research that relies on AI, large data sets, and the reuse of personal data. The Guidelines do not cover the application of other EU or Member State law regulating scientific research or the processing of genetic, biometric, or health data specifically.
Continue Reading New EDPB Guidelines on the Use of Personal Data in Scientific ResearchBrazil declares Açaí a National Fruit: What Are the Real Practical Implications for EU Companies?
By Bart Van Vooren on
On January 8, 2026, Brazil published Law 15,330/2026, officially recognizing açaí berry as a Brazilian national fruit in a bid to protect it from so-called “biopiracy”, i.e., the illegal exploitation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge (“ATK”). Açaí berry is a ‘superfood’ rich in nutrients which grows almost exclusively along the Amazon River, and particularly in Brazil, its largest producer and exporter, producing about 1.74 million tons of açaí and generating around BRL 7.7 billion in 2024.
The legislative recognition of açaí berry as a national fruit – following the earlier designation of cupuaçu in 2008, which itself responded to attempts to register “cupuaçu” as a trademark in Japan – is largely symbolic in nature. Law 15,330/2026 does not introduce new substantive rights or regulatory mechanisms, as Brazil already comprehensively governs access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from their use, under Law 13,123/2015 and through its implementation of the Nagoya Protocol. Its practical significance therefore lies less in creating additional protection than in drawing renewed political and public attention to the enforcement of Brazil’s existing access and benefit‑sharing regime.
Continue Reading Brazil declares Açaí a National Fruit: What Are the Real Practical Implications for EU Companies?MEPs Adopt Joint Position on Proposed Digital Omnibus on AI
By Jadzia Pierce, Dan Cooper & Atli Stannard on
On 18 March 2026, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (“IMCO”) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) adopted their joint negotiating position on the European Commission’s proposed Digital Omnibus on AI (which we previously analysed here). The position will now proceed to a plenary vote, expected on 26 March 2026. The Council of the EU had previously adopted its negotiating position on 13 March 2026. This sets up trilogue negotiations between the Parliament, Council, and Commission.
Continue Reading MEPs Adopt Joint Position on Proposed Digital Omnibus on AIItalian DPA Fines Bank over the Transfer of Customer Data in the Context of a Corporate Transaction
By Kristof Van Quathem on
On March 12, 2026, the Italian Data Protection (“Garante”) adopted a decision concerning the transfer of personal data of banking customers from Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (the “Bank”) to Isybank S.p.A., a newly established digital bank within the same corporate group. The Garante found that the Bank’s processing in connection with the transfer of approximately 2.4 million customers to Isybank was unlawful.
We set out the decision’s key findings below.
Continue Reading Italian DPA Fines Bank over the Transfer of Customer Data in the Context of a Corporate TransactionEuropean Commission Publishes the Proposed Industrial Accelerator Act
On 4 March 2026, the European Commission (the “Commission”) published its proposal for a regulation establishing a framework for the acceleration of its industrial capacity and decarbonisation in strategic sectors (“Proposed Industrial Accelerator Act”, or “Proposed IAA”), accompanied by four annexes. The initiative is intended to strengthen the EU’s industrial base while accelerating decarbonisation in key manufacturing sectors considered strategically important (i.e., energy-intensive industries, net-zero technology manufacturing, and the automotive manufacturing ecosystem). These sectors currently represent less than 15% of EU GDP, and the Commission’s objective is to increase this share to 20% by 2035. The Proposed IAA was delayed three times before publication and underwent significant rewriting, which reflects both internal debates within the Commission and diverging reactions from Member States. It also reflects the challenges posed by the broader geopolitical context, as the Commission aims to address economic security concerns through industrial policies whilst navigating international trade relationships and commitments.
The Proposed IAA introduces a regulatory framework combining three policy tools. First, it establishes demand-side measures designed to create “lead markets” for low-carbon and “Made in EU” industrial products through public procurement and certain public support schemes. Second, it introduces conditions for allowing certain foreign direct and indirect investments (“FDI”) in strategic sectors, aimed at maximising the industrial benefits of such investments within the EU. Third, it includes measures to streamline permitting procedures and facilitate industrial clustering, with the objective of accelerating the deployment of manufacturing projects.
This blog summarises the key aspects of each tool and their potential implications for companies active in the covered industries or looking to invest in the covered industries.
Continue Reading European Commission Publishes the Proposed Industrial Accelerator ActEDPB Publishes Report on Stakeholder Event on Anonymisation and Pseudonymisation
On February 18, 2026, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) published its Report on Stakeholder Event on Anonymisation and Pseudonymisation of 12 December 2025 (the “Report”). The Report summarises feedback from a remote stakeholder event convened to inform the EDPB’s ongoing work on Guidelines 01/2025 on Pseudonymisation (version for public consultation available here) and forthcoming guidance on anonymisation. The event gathered input from 115 participants spanning industry, NGOs, academia, law firms, and public sector bodies.
The objective of the Report is to capture stakeholder insights on how the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) applies to anonymisation and pseudonymisation, particularly following the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (“CJEU”) judgment in EDPS v SRB (C‑413/23 P). (See our previous blog post here.)
Continue Reading EDPB Publishes Report on Stakeholder Event on Anonymisation and Pseudonymisation