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This article examines different forms of technological collaboration between Member States' public administrations as currently present in the EU, namely institutional and transactional, drawing from examples in two sectors – telecommunications and food. The article argues that different collaboration forms can be explored more systematically by policy makers when faced with techno-regulatory choices. It subsequently argues that when developing techno-regulatory tools for the implementation and enforcement of EU law, national regulatory authorities should place technological cooperation at the forefront of their policy considerations. It concludes with a plea for an increased reciprocity in technological collaboration based on open-source solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What type of enforcement is the most effective to punish violations of food law or to prevent them from occurring in the first place? This article examines the question of which mix of private and public enforcement exists in European Union (EU) food law and whether this mix corresponds to the recommendations of existing social science research. Based on this research, we contend that EU-determined enforcement mechanisms differ in effectiveness across Member States. New technologies have the potential to stimulate a novel mix of public and private enforcement tools at the EU and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report examines the pending Proposal for a directive on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain, and its proposed amendments. It provides a general overview of the current content of the Proposal and analyses the proposed rules from a legal perspective. We find that: (1) the CAP legal basis may prove insufficient for regulation that covers the entire agri-food chain; and may (2) result in a strained relationship with the competition and consumer acquis; (3) the empirical basis for the prevalence of unfair trading practices, and the effect of their prohibition is relatively dire, which results in uncertainty with regard to the achievement of the future UTPD's intended effect and effectiveness; (4) the choice for specific targeted prohibitions instead of general umbrella clauses may lead to ad hoc regulation that leaves large loopholes; (5) the institutional enforcement mechanism makes it likely that the Proposal contributes to the foundation for a new area of EU law, which will increasingly regulate practices in business-to-business relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the court case "James Elliott Construction Ltd v Irish Asphalt Ltd" examining the impact of the judgment in the case on access to justice, European Union (EU) private law and transnational contract law construction, and liability of standardization organizations. Court concludes that standards have a public legal impact in spite of the fact that proof of compliance can be validated by other means than compliance with the EU standard.

In Scotch Whisky Association the Court of Justice held that a minimum unit pricing mechanism on alcoholic drinks constituted a measure equivalent to a quantitative restriction under art. 34 TFEU, because it prevents the lower cost price of imported products being reflected in the selling price to the consumer, and therefore hinders market access. Both the Advocate General and the Court used this judgment to introduce some remarkable insights particularly on the future of the market access formula, the relationship of the Common Agricultural Policy to the freedom of goods, and how national courts need to make recourse to scientific evidence when applying the proportionality test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]