BLOMSTEIN, together with lindenpartners, supported DiliTrust, a leading CLM provider in Europe, on its acquisition of the legal tech startup PACTA. The BLOMSTEIN team, led by Roland Stein and Anna Huttenlauch, advised on investment control and merger control aspects of this transaction.

Trump is back and so are his tariffs (see our previous briefing on his return to office). As the EU has once again entered his crosshairs, the trading bloc is gearing up to defend its economy. For instance, President Trump has announced 25 % tariffs on steel and aluminium imports (set to kick in early March) as well as “reciprocal” tariffs, likely implying tariff hikes to match trading partners’ tariff rates for US goods. Meanwhile, domestic EU industries are already under considerable pressure, notably due to Chinese imports such as electric vehicles (EVs).

On the third anniversary of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has once again tightened its sanctions regime against Russia and Belarus. The most important amendments concern Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (the Russia Regulation) and Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 (the Belarus Regulation). The respective amending Regulation (EU) 2025/395 and Regulation (EU) 2025/392 introduce additional and largely parallel restrictions on Russia and Belarus. While the extension of sanctions against the Russian “shadow fleet” or the import ban on Russian aluminium was already reported in the press, the sanctions package includes additional measures that deserve closer attention. We detail the most important aspects of these changes below.

Up until this point, there has been a strong emphasis on collaboration and unison for the EU and U.S. sanctions issued to address Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine. Now, while U.S. sanctions will not disappear overnight, there appears to be some increasing daylight in the approaches taken by the U.S. versus the EU, chiefly due to the new Trump administration’s dramatic shift in foreign policy and diplomacy. We provide highlights of the changed dynamics and potential trajectory for U.S. sanctions with respect to Russia below.

With the start of 2025, the European Union has entered a new phase of technology regulation. Over the recent past, AI competition policy has already undergone significant shifts, with increased scrutiny on Big Tech investments, ‘acqui-hires’ being treated as mergers, and growing concerns over algorithmic collusion. This is the scene that Teresa Ribera has stepped foot on as the EU's new competition chief. She has inherited a regulatory framework built on robust AI oversight from her predecessor Margrethe Vestager. However, given that her mandate is broader than just competition enforcement and now includes the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal, the crucial question is: How will Commissioner Ribera's blend of competition oversight and environmental vision shape Europe's AI industry?

Last week it became official: Germany’ will not implement the Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (known as the NIS-2 Directive) to improve cybersecurity in the EU under the current administration. See below for some guidance on what that means:

Am 15. Januar ist das 4. Maßnahmenpaket zur Beschleunigung und Optimierung der Exportkontrollverfahren des Bundeministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) und des Bundesamts für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle (BAFA) in Kraft getreten. Zielsetzung des Maßnahmenpaketes ist es, durch die Erweiterung bestehender bzw. die Einführung neuer allgemeiner Genehmigungen zur Ausfuhr bzw. Verbringung bestimmter Rüstungs- und Dual-Use-Güter die Anzahl anhängiger Genehmigungsanträge beim BAFA deutlich zu verringern. Zugleich sollen jene Anträge, die eine umfassende Einzelfallprüfung erfordern, schneller bearbeitet werden.

The European economy is under mounting pressure from China's rapid technological advances and industrial policy, trade uncertainties linked to the new Trump administration in the USA, and growing geopolitical instability, which impact the competitive landscape in several global markets and increase disruption risks in supply chains. In this challenging economic and political climate, enhancing the competitiveness of European businesses and reinforcing the resilience of the Single Market have become key political priorities, as outlined in the European Council's Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal.

Eine Vergabe eines öffentlichen Auftrags an ein bestimmtes Unternehmen ohne europaweite Ausschreibung ist nur in engen Ausnahmefällen zulässig. Ein in der Praxis häufig herangezogener Grund ist, dass aufgrund von Ausschließlichkeitsrechten, beispielsweise Urheberrechten, nur ein Unternehmen den Auftrag ausführen kann. Diese Möglichkeit hat der Europäische Gerichtshof (EuGH) in einer bemerkenswerten Entscheidung eingeschränkt – mit erheblichen Folgen für Unternehmen und an das Vergaberecht gebundene Auftraggeber.

Reporting obligations under foreign trade law often place substantial bureaucratic burdens on companies and individuals. The changes and clarifications that took effect on 1 January 2025 are therefore particularly welcome: for instance, reporting thresholds have been significantly raised and reporting deadlines harmonised. In addition, the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung – AWV) now explicitly stipulates that the transfer of crypto assets constitutes a reportable payment once the thresholds are met; moreover, new classification numbers for crypto assets have been introduced. We provide a summary of the key changes.

As in the previous Series A 2021 and Series B 2023 financing rounds, BLOMSTEIN also supported the DeepTech company Helsing in its EUR 450 million Series C financing round with regard to foreign direct investment control law.