Posting workers to Belgium : all you need to know (Altius)

Author: Altius Publication date: 01/03/2021 Mobile workers are key for many employers seeking to develop their businesses across various countries around the world. A globalised economy triggers enhanced workforce mobility. Managing such a global workforce is challenging for HR-managers, who often face complex set-ups that raise specific employment, immigration, social security and tax questions. In…

Lees meer

Champagne: in victory, one deserves it! (Altius)

Authors: Olivier Vrins and Manon Verbeeren (Altius) Publication date: 14/01/2021 On 21 December 2020, the Opposition Division of the EUIPO rejected the registration application for the ‘CHAMPAWS’ trade mark for pet beverages because it evoked the ‘CHAMPAGNE’ PDO. This decision expressly confirms that Article 103(2)(b) of Regulation No 1308/2013 also applies where the goods that are protected…

Lees meer

Covid-19 update: A new record keeping obligation and compliance check for employers and users relying on foreign workers or self-employed individuals in the construction, cleaning, meat, agriculture and horticulture sectors (Altius)

Author: Emma Van Caenegem (Altius) Publication date: 25/08/2020 As part of some new measures that aim to reduce the further spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Belgian government has recently imposed a new record keeping obligation upon certain employers and users who are temporarily relying on foreign employees or self-employed individuals. In-scope employers and users…

Lees meer

New unfair trading practices in the food supply chain (Altius)

Authors: Mathieu Maniet and Carmen Verdonck (Altius) Publication date: 06/07/2020 Within the agricultural and food supply chain, significant imbalances in bargaining power between suppliers and buyers of agri-food products are frequent. Those imbalances in bargaining power are likely to lead to unfair trading practices. The Directive 2019/633 (the “Directive”) aims to ensure that agri-food companies…

Lees meer

I am a public contractor and am having difficulties performing a contract because of the coronavirus outbreak (Altius)

Author: Vera Van Thuyne and William Timmermans (Altius) Publication date: 12/03/2020 What if you are a service provider to public authorities, but your employee who normally performs this contract must stay in quarantine? What if your supply chain has been disturbed and prices for a necessary product have skyrocketed? Public contracts contain specific rules on unforeseen…

Lees meer

Does the coronavirus crisis allow me to rely on ‘hardship’ towards private contract parties? (Altius)

Authors: Fauve Bex, Charlotte Vermeersch and Alexander Hansebout (Altius) Publication date: 12/03/2020 The coronavirus crisis could make the ability of a business to perform pending contracts harder. Even though so-called ‘hardship’ clauses are perfectly valid and enforceable under Belgian law, hardship is not generally accepted as a principle of Belgian contract law. Until the rules on…

Lees meer

Is my cancellation clause robust? (Altius)

Authors: Fauve Bex, Charlotte Vermeersch and Alexander Hansebout (Altius) Publication date: 12/03/2020 Service providers generally provide for a cancellation clause in their contracts or general conditions. During the coronavirus crisis such clauses are now being tested. So, are such clauses enforceable? In a B2B relationship, the parties are free to agree on the consequences of a cancellation or…

Lees meer