Reinier advises national and international companies
reinier.russell@russell.nl +31 20 301 55 55The bill for the new European General Data Protection Regulation includes extremely high fines of up to EUR 100 million or 5% of the global annual turnover of a company. When are you likely to incur such a fine?
In our recent newsletter on privacy, we reported that there will be a new law to provide the same data protection regulations throughout the European Union. One important aspect of these regulations will be the introduction of new penalties including extremely severe sanctions for (repeated) breaches of privacy of EU citizens.
In the Netherlands, fines are imposed by the CBP (College bescherming persoonsgegevens; Data Protection Agency). At the moment, the CBP can impose a maximum fine of EUR 4,500. The latest fines however, could be up to maximum of EUR 100,000,000 or 5% of the global annual turnover of a company, depending on which amount is higher.
You may be fined for the following violations, for instance:
Be sure to organize your data processing (HRM, ICT, online shop, website, software, cameras, GPS, etc.) in conformity with the new General European Data Protection Regulation. This regulation is expected to become effective in the course of 2015/2016. Thus, there is still plenty of time to make necessary adjustments in order to prevent fines.
Russell Advocaten will inform you regularly on the most recent developments regarding this General European Data Protection Regulation and its potential consequences for your business. Would you like to know more about the application of the new General Data Protection Regulation, or do you have any other questions on how to organize your company in the context of the new data protection regulation? Please contact:
The salary thresholds for highly skilled migrants and European Blue Card holders are adjusted annually. What will be the amounts for 2026? Also, stricter rules for the highly skilled migrant scheme are proposed. What might change?
As of 1 January 2026, the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft) will change. Cash payments of EUR 3,000 or more will then be prohibited. What does this mean for the retail sector and the art trade?
On-call contracts offer many advantages for both employers and on-call employees. However, there are also a few rules that they need to take into account. What are they?
What shall we do with the drunken employee? Sack him? That isn’t always allowed. Alcohol abuse may be the result of an addiction and in that case the prohibition on termination during illness may apply. What do you have to take into account when dismissing an employee due to alcohol consumption?
24 November 2025 was Equal Pay Day in the Netherlands: the day of the year when men have earned on average as much as women in a whole year. How can the European Directive on wage transparency ensure that men and women are paid equally?
A franchise agreement is often linked to an agreement for the lease of business premises. What happens if the franchisor and franchisee have a conflict? Does the lease agreement remain in force if there are problems with the franchise?
