Government Regulation and Public Sector Law

Den 9 september 2026 presenterade Europeiska kommissionen sitt förslag till en ny förordning om offentlig upphandling och koncessioner, the Public Procurement Act. Förslaget innebär en genomgripande reform av EU:s upphandlingsregelverk där de tre nuvarande direktiven föreslås upphävas och ersättas av en gemensam och direkt tillämplig EU-förordning. Reformen syftar inte endast att förenkla nuvarande regler utan även att i större utsträ

The Government has published its Autumn 2026 Legislation Programme, identifying 32 bills for priority publication and 32 bills for priority drafting. This article explores a selection of measures likely to be of interest to businesses, spanning digital economy, strategic infrastructure, litigation reform, financial regulation, competition law, corporate structures, employment, pensions, and healthcare sectors.

The Swedish Supreme Administrative Court has issued a landmark judgment clarifying how to determine whether mixed contracts involving both existing leased premises and new construction fall under public procurement rules or the lease exemption. The case examined a municipality's lease agreement covering both existing school premises and a landlord-constructed extension, raising critical questions about contract classification when elements of both lease and works contracts are present.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that Latvian legislation requiring unrestricted public access to shareholder information violates fundamental rights protections under the EU Charter. While the Court acknowledges the legitimacy of anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism, and sanctions objectives, it finds that these goals can be achieved through less intrusive measures that restrict access to competent authorities, obliged entities, and persons with legitimate interests. The judgment le

A UK regulator's £4.7 million penalty against Citibank reveals how operational weaknesses in payment screening and account restrictions can undermine sanctions compliance. The enforcement action identifies specific process failures that allowed nearly 1,000 prohibited transactions worth £19.72 million to proceed despite sanctions restrictions.

Den 6 juli 2026 publicerade Finansdepartementet en promemoria med lagförslag för att anpassa svensk rätt till EU:s nya penningtvättspaket. Förslagen innebär omfattande förändringar av det svenska penningtvättsregelverket, inklusive ett bredare tillämpningsområde som omfattar fler verksamheter och holdingföretag samt nya krav på registrering hos Bolagsverket och Finansinspektionen.

The Supreme Court of Cyprus has issued a landmark ruling establishing that the state's obligation to investigate missing persons from the 1974 Turkish invasion is triggered automatically by disappearance under suspicious circumstances, regardless of whether remains have been located. The judgment clarifies that humanitarian efforts through the Committee on Missing Persons do not substitute for the required criminal investigation, and that neither political considerations nor practical difficulties justify f

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered a landmark ruling on whether political parties may invoke freedom of expression to justify using reputed trademarks in their campaigns. When Belgian political party Vlaams Belang adopted the IKEA trademark for its immigration reform programme, Inter IKEA Systems challenged the use, forcing European courts to balance intellectual property rights against fundamental freedoms. The judgment establishes a nuanced framework requiring case-by-case assessment

El Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos examina la validez de la renuncia a la motivación del laudo arbitral en el contexto del derecho a un proceso equitativo. ¿Puede una parte renunciar legítimamente a recibir un laudo motivado sin vulnerar garantías procesales fundamentales? La sentencia analiza los requisitos para que tal renuncia sea compatible con el Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos y su relación con la doctrina del Tribunal Constitucional español.

Sweden has modernized its defense materiel regulations following NATO membership, introducing significant changes to export controls, manufacturing permits, and security protocols. The reforms balance streamlined processes for defense industry cooperation with strengthened oversight mechanisms, particularly affecting main contractors' responsibilities and technology secrecy provisions.

Sweden has adopted its first national strategy for supply preparedness, establishing three overarching goals and 19 priority measures to ensure the flow of critical goods and services during crises. The strategy emphasizes the central role of private sector collaboration with public authorities, particularly through procurement processes and continuity planning for companies operating critical infrastructure.

The Court of Justice of the European Union's Advocate General has issued a landmark opinion establishing that EU member states may exclude companies from public procurement on national security grounds, but only under strict conditions requiring proportionality assessments, due process protections, and comprehensive judicial review. This opinion, arising from Lithuanian legislation enacted after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, could significantly influence pending EU legislative proposals on public procuremen