ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND COMPETITION LAW
1) European Commission: consultation on new Draft Merger Guidelines
On 30 April 2026, the European Commission launched an open consultation on the new Draft Merger Guidelines, intended to replace the 2004 Guidelines on horizontal mergers and the 2008 Guidelines on non-horizontal mergers since the changed geopolitical and commercial context, also in the light of the evolution of the case practice of the European Commission and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
2) European Commission: temporary framework for State aid for sectors affected by the crisis linked to the conflict in the Middle East adopted, to be operative until 31 December 2026
On 29 April 2026, the European Commission adopted a new temporary State aid framework aimed at enabling Member States to support the EU economy in the context of the Middle East crisis and the consequent energy shocks.
3) Administrative Court of Campania: in-house providing and award of services to third parties
By judgment No. 742/2026, published on 20 April 2026, the Administrative Court of Campania – Salerno Division clarified that the in-house providing model does not necessarily require the contracted company to perform the service entirely through its own human and instrumental resources. The award to third parties of specific services is therefore permitted, provided that the relevant operators are selected in compliance with the principles of public procurement (evidenza pubblica).
4) Council of State: the presence of a landscape constraint does not constitute an obstacle where the unauthorized works are exclusively internal in nature
By judgment No. 2993/2026, published on 15 April 2026, the Council of State ruled on the possibility of regularising an unauthorised building work carried out in an area subject to landscape protection constraints.
5) Administrative Justice Council for the Region of Sicily: in matters of unlawful plot development (lottizzazione abusiva), the automatic application of ablatory measures against a subsequent purchaser of the area in question is unlawful
By judgment No. 246/2026, published on 14 April 2026, the Administrative Justice Council for the Region of Sicily addressed the question of the limits of the repressive powers of Municipalities in matters of unlawful plot development (lottizzazione abusiva) and the protection of purchasers in good faith.
STRUCTURED FINANCE, CAPITAL MARKETS AND FINTECH
6) EBA: consultation on amendments to the RTS on the assignment of risk weights to specialized lending exposures under the Supervisory Slotting Criteria Approach
On 7 May 2026, the European Banking Authority launched a public consultation on the proposed amendments to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/598, containing the regulatory technical standards on the assignment of risk weights to specialized lending exposures under the Supervisory Slotting Criteria Approach, developed pursuant to Article 153(9) of Regulation (EU) 2013/575.
EMPLOYMENT LAW
7) Italian Supreme Court: on mobbing in cases of repeated unjustified reprimands
By judgment No. 12547, published on 4 May 2026, the Italian Supreme Court confirmed that the implementation of particularly persistent and unjustified monitoring by the employer may be relevant, together with other conduct, for the purposes of establishing a case of workplace mobbing.
8) Decree-Law No. 62 of 30 April 2026, containing urgent provisions on fair wages (salario giusto), employment incentives (incentivi all’occupazione) and the fight against digital labour exploitation (caporalato digitale) published in the Official Gazette
On 30 April 2026, Decree-Law No. 62 of 30 April 2026, containing “Urgent provisions on fair wages, employment incentives and the fight against digital labour exploitation”, was published in the Official Gazette. The Decree-Law entered into force on 1 May 2026.
REAL ESTATE
9) Decree Law No. 66 of 7 May 2026, containing urgent provisions for the Housing Plan, has been published in the Official Gazette
On 7 May 2026, Decree-Law No. 66 of 7 May 2026, the so-called “Housing Plan” (Piano Casa), was published in the Official Gazette. The Decree introduces a comprehensive measure aimed at the recovery and regeneration of the public residential housing stock, with a focus on urban regeneration and the increase in the supply of housing at capped rents.
BANKING/FINANCIAL/INSURANCE REGULATION
10) ESMA: consultation on guidelines on stress test scenarios under the MMF Regulation
On 5 May 2026, the European Securities and Markets Authority launched a public consultation on a new approach for the update of the parameters relating to the stress test scenarios provided for under the regulatory framework for money market funds under Regulation (EU) 2017/1131.
11) Bank of Italy: the guide to prudential supervision of banks and financial intermediaries updated and restructured
On 5 May 2026, Bank of Italy published the 17th update to Circular No. 269 of 7 May 2008, containing the Guide to supervisory activity, as part of the broader process of simplification of the prudential supervisory framework applicable to banks and non-banking supervised intermediaries.
12) ESMA: simplified reporting requirements for funds
On 4 May 2026, the European Securities and Markets Authority, as part of the broader program of simplification and reduction of reporting burdens launched in 2025, published a report on the integrated collection of fund data.
13) ESMA: consultation on draft guidelines on endorsement under the ESG Ratings Regolation
On 29 April 2026, the European Securities and Markets Authority launched a public consultation on the draft guidelines on the endorsement of non-EU ESG ratings, developed in implementation of Regulation (EU) 2024/3005 on the transparency and integrity of environmental, social and governance rating activities.
14) EBA: final guidelines on supervisory independence and on management of conflicts of interest under the CRD
On 28 April 2026, the European Banking Authority published the final Guidelines on supervisory independence under Directive (EU) 2013/36 (the Capital Requirements Directive), developed pursuant to Article 4 bis para.9 of the same Directive.
15) EIOPA: draft technical standards on resolution colleges and reporting requirements (IRRD) submitted to the European Commission
On 24 April 2026, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority submitted to the European Commission two draft technical standards to support the implementation of Directive (EU) 2025/2169 on the recovery and resolution of insurance undertakings, whose operation is envisaged from 2027.
16) FSB: guidelines on insurers subject to the recovery and resolution planning requirements
On 29 April 2026, the Financial Stability Board published the final report containing the guidelines on the scope of application of the recovery and resolution planning requirements for insurers, in line with the FSB’s key attributes of effective resolution regimes for financial institutions.
RESTRUCTURING AND INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS
17) EBA: amendments to the guidelines on the definition of default
On 7 May 2026, the European Banking Authority published the final report amending the guidelines on the application of the definition of default, developed in implementation of Article 178 of Regulation (EU) 2013/575, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1623, which mandates the EBA to review and update the Guidelines.
CASE LAW
18) Italian Supreme Court: on failure to agree in writing individual contractual clauses and burden of proof
The holder of a bank account who brings an action for the recovery of sums received by the bank on the ground of the nullity of individual contractual clauses for their failure to be agreed in writing cannot subsequently allege the failure to agree the contract itself in writing, the burden of proving which lies in any event on the claimant and cannot be considered satisfied by the mere non-compliance of the bank with a request under Article 119, fourth paragraph, of the Consolidated Banking Act.
19) Italian Supreme Court: the clause of a guarantee contract (contratto di fideiussione) derogating from Article 1957, first paragraph, of the Italian Civil Code is unfair where the guarantor is a consumer
The clause of a guarantee contract (contratto di fideiussione) derogating from Article 1957, first paragraph, of the Italian Civil Code by exempting the creditor from compliance with the six-month time limit for bringing proceedings against the principal debtor is an unfair term and void where the guarantor is a consumer, with the consequence that its invalidity must be raised by the court of its own motion (d’ufficio).
OTHER RELEVANT NEWS
20) European Commission: consultation on draft delegated regulations on simplified and voluntary sustainability standards
On 6 May 2026, the European Commission launched a public consultation on (i) the draft Delegated Regulation amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 relating to the simplification of certain sustainability reporting standards, and (ii) the draft Delegated Regulation supplementing Directive (EU) 2013/34 by establishing sustainability reporting standards for voluntary use by undertakings protected by the value chain cap.
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CRCCD NEWS edited by
Elena Ghi and Claudia Marcuzzo
Contributors to this edition:
Alberta Berruti, Sofia Cavallina, Federico Li Pomi, Matteo Manenti, Anna Manfredini, Nicolò Orlich, Flaminia Pallini, Benedetta Pedrolli, Mohammad Shamal, Luca Simoni, Gregorio Torazzi, Raffaela Tortora, Chiara Uggias, Giulia Vianello.