Partnerblog

Unlike a dismissal, which is a unilateral act, a termination by mutual consent is based on the agreement of both employer and employee. It stems from the general contractual principle that parties may end a contract through their mutual will.

In a decision dated 6 May 2026 (No. 97/2026), the Belgian Data Protection Authority (DPA) once again underlines how far-reaching the GDPR right of access really is.

From June 19, 2026, all online traders active within the EU are required to provide a “withdrawal button” on their websites and apps. The introduction of this withdrawal button represents a significant shift in the online consumer cancellation landscape. In this alert, we provide an overview of what this requirement means in practice and why compliance is so important.

With the transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1619 ("CRD VI”), Belgium introduces far-reaching amendments to the Law of 25 April 2014 on the status and supervision of credit institutions (the “Banking Law”).

The Act of 18 May 2026 introduces several changes to existing employment law rules on works regulations, part-time work, night work and notice periods. The changes entered into force on 1 June 2026. Below we discuss the five main changes.…

A new program law introducing changes to automatic wage indexation from 1 June 2026 was published in the Belgian official state journal. This newsflash explains the wage moderation mechanism and its implications, and outlines a couple of attention points for HR.

In three landmark decisions issued on 20 May 2026, the Belgian Council of State has ruled that article VI.25, §1, §1 of the Belgian Economic Law Code (‘BEC’) prohibiting the use of the term ‘sales’ (‘solden’/’soldes’) or equivalent terms outside…

Under the GDPR, personal data must be retained for no longer than necessary in light of the purpose of the processing. While certain retention periods are expressly defined under Belgian law – in particular in tax and social security matters…

Nike's Total 90 football boots were among the most iconic sports products of the early 2000s, worn by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo. Two decades later, just ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, the brand is back. Its revival, however, has triggered a complex trademark dispute that holds valuable lessons for trademark owners everywhere.

The European legislator is taking another step towards a more sustainable internal market with the new Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (the “Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation” or “PPWR”). Whereas previous directives allowed room for national interpretation, Europe has now explicitly opted for a directly applicable regulation. This has far-reaching consequences for every link in the distribution chain: from manufacturers to importers, from wholesalers to retailers.

The GDPR gives individuals strong rights to access their personal data. But those rights are not absolute: organisations may refuse data subject access requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive. On 19 March 2026, the Court of Justice of the…

The AI literacy obligation under Article 4 of the EU AI Act applies to all providers and deployers of AI systems commercialized or used in the EU — including where those entities are based outside the EU. It is a fundamental obligation to ensure staff and other individuals involved in AI deployment and/or development are educated and trained on risks, benefits and safeguards, ultimately supporting more informed human decision-making.

The rules on voluntary overtime are changing substantially. A new act, amending Article 25bis of the Labour Act of 1971, was recently adopted by the Chamber of Representatives and still awaits publication in the Belgian Official Gazette. The Act significantly broadens the existing framework by increasing the annual overtime limit. The draft provides for entry into force on 1 April 2026, with retroactive effect.

In a fragile geopolitical context, where reliance on fossil fuels has become increasingly unstable and costly, Europe faces a dual imperative: safeguarding its economic resilience while accelerating decarbonisation.

In its decision of 27 January 2026 (No. 10/2026), the Belgian Data Protection Authority (DPA) issued a decision following a complaint by a student worker whose supervisor had shared private WhatsApp messages in a work-related WhatsApp group with other colleagues.

On 27 November 2025 the European Parliament and the Council of the EU announced that they’d reached a provisional political agreement on the texts of the proposed Directive on payment services and electronic money services (PSD3)1 and the Regulation on payment services in the EU (PSR),2 originally published by the European Commission in June 2023.