Menu

Integrating ESG in the Blue Economy and Emerging Risks in Maritime Transport

The blue economy promotes sustainable ocean use for economic growth while protecting ecosystems.
As it expands, integrating ESG principles is vital—especially for maritime and insurance sectors, where it’s a legal and strategic priority.
Key focus areas include workforce training in green technologies and ensuring safe, fair, and supportive working conditions, aligning with ESG goals and boosting employee retention.

Temporary Agency Work via Platforms: Even Private Households Can Be Considered Hirers

Organisations that hire flexible workers through digital platforms – such as platform companies, staffing agencies, HR professionals and clients – need to stay alert. The ruling in the Helpling case shows that these platforms don’t automatically fall outside of employment law. Even when working with freelancers or self-employed workers, there’s still a chance they may be classified as employees or temporary workers.

Temporary agency work should not become a loophole to avoid permanent contracts

The question of whether a temporary worker can work for thirteen years with the same client company without ever being offered a permanent contract is currently before the Dutch Supreme Court. This is the first time that the highest court in the Netherlands has addressed the limits of long-term outsourcing in the context of the European Temporary Agency Work Directive. On March 21, 2025, Advocate General De Bock provided her opinion, stating that the argument of a ‘flexible workforce’ is not sufficient to justify thirteen years of temporary work. According to her, this constitutes an abuse of the temporary staffing arrangement. She strongly criticized the court that previously ruled that long-term outsourcing was acceptable.

AML – How to Effectively Implement Transaction Monitoring?

A financial institution should actively monitor its customers’ payment traffic through transaction monitoring with the aim of identifying unusual activity (including unusually large transactions, transactions to/from high-risk countries, or deviations from a customer’s expected payment behaviour etc.). But transaction monitoring is also essential for lenders, factoring companies and crowdfunding platforms, where payments are usually made via bank transfers or direct debits, to comply with Wwft rules. Read more about this in our latest article.

Navigating the Waters of Director’s Personal Liability and Its Inheritance: A Legal Perspective

Personal liability for a company’s debts can now be inherited. A director’s personal liability for a company’s outstanding debts does not simply disappear on death. Instead, this responsibility is transferred to the director’s heir(s).
Strategic decision-making, transparency and the need for comprehensive legal and financial preparation are of great importance to anyone involved in or connected to the business sphere. Understanding these dynamics and preparing for their implications is crucial for both protection and forward planning.

The Dutch National Bank (DNB) scolded – founders DeGiro can be trusted

Wwft continues to occupy minds. The court overturns DNB’s earlier decision that founders of DeGiro are untrustworthy dismissing much of the evidence. At issue are six facts presented by DNB, which, by court order, may now not be used to prove any untrustworthiness of DeGiro’s founders.

  • © ACG International 2023