Compliance & Ethics

Europe’s top administrative watchdog has issued a reminder to the European Commission that urgency is no justification for abandoning its own standards. In a recent decision, European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho concluded that the Commission strayed from its Better Regulation framework while rushing forward proposals on sustainability due diligence, migrant smuggling, and agricultural policy. Those rules exist to safeguard transparency, evidence, and public participation in EU lawmaking, even when timelines tighten.

The UK has recently published a series of consultation papers pertaining to its Employment Rights Bill, originally introduced in October 2024 as a sweeping reshaping of UK employment law. These papers aim to clarify the goals and practicalities set out by the original, as yet codified, legislation. While the Bill is being pushed through as a cornerstone reformation effort towards employment laws in the UK. However, Many of its most consequential changes, such as protections against unfair dismissal, particularly regarding new mothers, are not totally defined in the legislation itself. These papers are designed to facilitate feedback to, and to clarify the intent behind these provisions.

Italian consumers have been hearing a familiar story lately of ordering one thing online, receiving another or receive nothing at all. This week, Italy’s competition regulator decided enough was enough.

Europe’s lawmakers say they’ve seen enough. After a disturbing scandal in France involving child-like sex dolls and weapons sold on Shein’s marketplace, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are demanding the European Commission stop negotiating and start enforcing the rules.

Apple has taken its dispute with India’s competition watchdog to the Delhi High Court, a move first reported by Reuters, arguing that the country’s tougher penalty rules could expose the iPhone maker to fines as high as $38 billion.

Federal officials have closed out the week with a one-two punch against False Claims Act misconduct, showing us how fraud takes different forms across the government programs millions of Americans rely on. One case centers on pandemic-era laboratory testing that investigators say sidestepped medical necessity and relied on kickbacks to fuel volume. The other involves international mail delivery, where logistics records were allegedly massaged to secure payments for timely performance that didn’t occur.

The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has recently released updated guidance explaining how it evaluates corporate compliance programs during investigations and enforcement decisions, including newly added standards related to the “failure to prevent fraud” offense introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA).