Blogs

In practice, it is not uncommon for a municipality to grant an environmental permit for construction or for deviating from the zoning plan, even though there may be a private law obstacle to realizing the structure.

On 28 May 2025, Minister Van Hijum (Social Affairs and Employment) informed the House of Representatives about the implementation f the agreements from the “Healthy towards retirement” accord. This negotiated agreement between the government and representatives of employers and employees was presented on 18 October 2024 and focuses on measures to help workers reach retirement age in good health. A key element is the adjustment and extension of the relief from the final levy on early retirement schemes (RVU). This blog briefly explains what an RVU is and outlines the proposed changes.

A connection period of 25 weeks is, in this case, considered reasonable. Obtaining an electricity connection has become a lengthy process due to shortages of personnel and materials, longer permit procedures, and grid congestion. Can a grid operator be held liable for delays in the connection process? The Court of Appeal of ’s-Hertogenbosch recently ruled on this matter.

Hybrid working is here to stay! Working from abroad is also possible. However, this comes with several legal complexities. What should employers be aware of?

In recent years, we’ve seen that new laws and regulations are placing increasingly specific requirements on ICT service providers. Consider, for example, the GDPR (which outlines tasks and responsibilities for the “processor”), the Cybersecurity Act (which mandates supply chain security and directly applies to “business-to-business ICT service providers”), and the AI Regulation (which imposes specific obligations and responsibilities on the “provider”). It’s no surprise, then, that this trend is also reflected in more and more guidelines and codes of conduct, including the Notarial Information Security Code of Conduct (hereinafter: “KNB Code of Conduct”). Given that the Royal Dutch Notarial Association (KNB) had 3.497 members at the beginning of 2025, there’s a good chance that, as an ICT service provider, you count at least one affiliated notary among your clients. This blog outlines what the Code of Conduct means for you as an ICT service provider.

The Act implementing the Pay Transparency Directive for men and women is on its way. It will enter into force no later than 7 June 2026. All Dutch employers are expected to prepare for significant changes. Transparency will become mandatory, as will addressing pay disparities between men and women.

On 1 July 2025, the Act on the Abolition of Pledge Prohibitions will enter into force. Under current law, it is still possible to contractually exclude the assignment or pledging of a receivable. This will be prohibited under the new legislation. The aim of the Act is to make it easier for businesses to obtain external financing by removing restrictions on the use of receivables as collateral.

On May 19, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Van Hijum submitted the legislative proposal ‘More Security for Flexible Workers’ to the House of Representatives.

When the municipality of Amersfoort intended to award a contract for a management system to the winning bidder, a losing bidder initiated preliminary relief proceedings. The bidder questioned the expertise and independence of the review committee. In his ruling, the preliminary relief judge provides a clear overview of the legal framework applicable to such a situation.