On June 2, 2020, the French Minister of Justice sent to all competent public prosecutors a circular for immediate application specifying France’s “criminal justice policy in the fight against international corruption”.
This circular sets out guidelines for legal action at all stages of criminal proceedings, from the information gathering stage to the determination of the mode of prosecution.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more specifically the so-called “lockdown-lifting” strategy, the French Government decided to implement an app called “StopCovid” available on smartphones, the aim of which is to alert its users that they have been in close proximity to people who have been tested positive for COVID-19 and who use the same app, as this proximity entails a risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
This is one of the digital devices implemented by the Government as part of this overall “lockdown-lifting” strategy.
While France is entering the first phase of its end-of-lockdown plan, the Government’s strategy to combat a resumption of the epidemic is now based on monitoring “contact tracing”, i.e. the swift identification of any person who has been close to a patient in order to also test him/her and, if necessary, isolate him/her to avoid the spread the of the disease.
French authorities are planning an “information system” based on two medical databases: Sidep and Contact Covid. As the design of the StopCovid app. is still under way, its deployment was not included in the end-of-lockdown plan presented on April 28, 2020.
The combination of sick leave and short-time work is a headache for many employers.
The Government has adopted new measures very recently.
Here is something to get a clearer picture.
On April 24, 2020, the Versailles Court of Appeals handed down an insightful decision concerning the implementation of employee protection measures by employers in the current health context and lockdown imposed by the Government on March 16.
Ruling on an appeal lodged by the American giant Amazon against the order issued by the Nanterre Judicial Court on April 14, 2020, the Versailles Court of Appeals upheld the order in that it provided for a mandatory obligation to implement a comprehensive national health and safety prevention plan for employees, with prior consultation with staff representatives. This decision is in line with the need to reconcile the necessity to maintain a business activity with the preservation of employees’ health.
In the context of the Covid-19 epidemic and its impact on the European Union’s economy, the European Commission published on March 26, 2020 a communication designed to alert Member States to the need to protect strategic European assets from foreign direct investments.
While reaffirming the European Union’s openness to foreign investments, the European Commission encourages Member States to protect assets that cover the health needs of their citizens and, more generally, to safeguard Europe’s strategic capacities.
Strategic Lawyering