From compliance to workforce readiness, explore common organizational barriers to adopting agentic, physical and sovereign AI—and how the future of AI is evolving.
As organizations accelerate their adoption of advanced AI trends in 2025, the path forward is marked by both opportunity and complexity.
As of today, the EU Data Act comes into force across the European Union. Part of a broader package of digital legislation, this regulation establishes clear rules for accessing and sharing data generated by connected products and related services (primarily Internet of Things – IoT – products). It also introduces important safeguards against unfair contract terms in data-sharing agreements and facilitates switching between data processing services.
US fund managers (USFMs) regularly set up an office in Europe to accommodate European deal sourcing, European capital raising and/or to manage their European asset acquisition vehicles. As the Netherlands offers an attractive legal and social environment, it is usually on the shortlist of jurisdictions for setting up such office.
Can mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures (concentrations) that escape concentration supervision by falling under the applicable notification thresholds nevertheless be subsequently reviewed – and even disallowed – under the prohibition on abuse of a dominant position? In the Towercast judgment, the European Court of Justice affirmed that the EU prohibition on abuse of a dominant position (Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)) can apply to concentrations that fall below the notification thresholds.
AKD publishes a monthly newsletter to inform you of the most important recent developments in competition law and adjacent regulation (such as FDI) at EU level and in the Benelux. This month featuring the spot trading cartel, the cigarette cartel and competition law and arbitration and more. This newsletter brings you entirely up-to-date!
From 2 August 2026 the EU AI Act will be fully applicable. Parts of the AI Act already entered into force on 2 February 2025, and as from 2 August 2025, various other provisions became applicable, including rules for general-purpose AI models (GPAI models) and penalties for violations of the AI Act. The other provisions that entered into force relate to notified bodies (Chapter III, Section 4), governance (Chapter VII), and confidentiality (Article 78). In this News Update, we will look in more detail at the obligations for providers of GPAI models and the penalties for violations.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (hereinafter: “EUDR”) creates a uniform legal framework to prevent the placing on the market of commodities and products associated with forest degradation. It applies to operators and traders who import, export or make available certain relevant raw materials and products on the European Single Market. These products include all products that consist wholly or partly of the raw materials cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood. With the regulation, the EU obliges its member states and affected companies to ensure sustainability and forest protection along the supply chain. The aim is to minimize the EU’s contribution to global deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. The EUDR entered into force on 29.06.2023. From 30.12.2025, the regulation will apply to most market participants and traders. For micro and small businesses, the provisions will not take effect until six months later – on 30.06.2026. Companies that import, trade in or export affected goods must adapt their processes and documentation to the new requirements.
The Directive on equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women (“Pay Transparency Directive“), adopted in 2023, aims to narrow the pay gap between men and women by promoting more pay transparency. The Directive must be transposed into Dutch legislation by 7 June 2026. The purpose of the measures is to counter pay differences and improve employees’ access to information. However, this does not mean that employees will ‘gain’ the right to equal pay on 1 January 2026 – this right has been legally enshrined for decades. Two recent judgments of the Gelderland District Court and the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights reaffirm the importance of equal pay.
On 25 June 2025, the European Commission published its Proposal for a Regulation on the safety, resilience and sustainability of space activities in the Union. Informally known as the EU Space Act, it introduces the first harmonised legal framework for space activities across the EU. Aiming to strengthen the internal market and reinforce strategic autonomy, the Proposal also addresses cybersecurity and environmental risks. While the Regulation is expected to apply from 1 January 2030, businesses should already assess its potential impact on operations, compliance strategies, and long-term planning.
