News and current topics from various practice areas and industries

Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems determined to lead Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal on October 31st. Given the latest events, (no breakthroughs in talks between United Kingdom and EU, and the “suspension” of Parliament from September 11th to October 14th) the conclusion must be that the risk of United Kingdom leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement (so-called “hard Brexit” or “no-deal Brexit”) is vastly increasing.

On July 2, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy issued a proposal for the opening of offshore areas for renewable energy production, along with a proposed regulation on offshore renewable energy production, for public consultation. Below is an overview of the most important updates.

ESA has published a new study on the private enforcement of State aid rules, finding that few make use of the regulations. Revisions are suggested in order to strengthen enforcement in the future.

Hjort lawyer, Pernille Hasselgård, has published an article in The European Competition and Regulatory Law Review. In the article, she discusses the use of media as a means of sending signals to competitors and whether this might infringe the prohibition against anti-competitive cooperation. Over the last couple of years, the European Commission and several national competition authorities have shown keen interest in this issue.

Consumers increasingly want to make choices that are good for the environment. This is a trend that has been picked up by marketing departments worldwide, and as consumers we are increasingly told that the products we buy and the businesses we buy our products from, favor the environment. But all that glitters, it not gold, and some of this marketing is nothing but “greenwashing.” Consumer authorities have begun to take steps against such misleading marketing.

Space Norway will offer satellite-based broadband for both civil and military users in the Arctic, using two satellites that Space-X will launch from the United States in 2022.