Juridique et Administratif

📅 From November 25 to December 9, 2024, nearly 5 million employees from small businesses (TPEs with fewer than 11 employees) will cast their votes to elect representative trade unions. Held every four years, this election influences the unions' bargaining power in collective negotiations. The GHR (representing HCR and RCLS employers) aims for high voter turnout to ensure that the employees' voices are heard in sector-specific and broader interprofessional negotiations. More info at [election-tpe.travail.gouv.fr](https://election-tpe.travail.gouv.fr/).

📊 The French law passed on November 29, 2023, led to the creation of the Enterprise Value Sharing Plan (PPVE), with its implementation awaiting a decree. The decree was published in the Official Journal on June 30, becoming effective on July 1, 2024. A webinar for in-depth analysis and a review of fiscal and social frameworks will be hosted by Ghislain DE SAINT MARCQ of Malakoff Humanis EPSENS on December 10 at 10 am.

📋 An arrêté issued on January 3, 2025, and published on January 11, 2025, updates documentation requirements for employers hiring foreign workers in France. Changes reflect the 2024 Immigration Law, increasing the employer's proof obligations for work authorization. Employers must now submit job offer copies, attestations of job offer postings for three consecutive weeks within the prior six months, and for seasonal workers, proof of decent housing along with the employer's ID and signed work contracts. Students who finished studies in France or hold a "Job Search and Business Creation" residency must provide diplomas, CVs, and work attestations or payslips. There's also a new mandate for all hirings, initial or renewal, to include social charge payment certification from the last six months.

🍩 Baillardran, claiming authenticity since 1988, faces allegations of using industrial flavors, colored white rum, and no actual butter, contradicting their stated use of premium ingredients like Madagascar vanilla and bourbon rum. Despite over 30 years as artisanal canelé makers from Bordeaux, the brand allegedly sold frozen and defrosted pastries. Baillardran denies intentional deceit and did not send a representative to the hearing.

🍺 L’Autorité belge de la concurrence a lancé une instruction contre AB InBev (Corona, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Bud) pour des pratiques potentiellement anticoncurrentielles en Belgique. Plusieurs acteurs du secteur brassicole ont signalé des conditions commerciales suspectes, notamment avec les grossistes et les établissements horeca. L’auditeur général a trouvé des « indices sérieux » d'abus de position dominante et d'accords anticoncurrentiels. AB InBev, tout en affirmant respecter la législation, s'est engagé à collaborer.

🏦 In 2014, Kai Yuan Holdings acquired the Paris Marriott Champs-Élysées from ADIA for €344 million. The five-star hotel on Champs-Élysées Avenue boasts 192 rooms and suites, conference facilities, restaurants, and a fitness center. A renovation campaign was recently initiated, blending Art Nouveau and Art Déco with modern aesthetics while honoring its history as the home of Maison Louis Vuitton from 1914 to 1954. De Pardieu Brocas Maffei, founded in 1993, employs over 160 lawyers, including 39 partners, and is internationally recognized for business law.

💳 On January 14, 2025, the French Senate voted for a two-year law allowing the purchase of non-immediately consumable food products with meal vouchers. The reinstatement of this derogation, dropped on December 31, 2024, is set to cause over one billion euros in lost revenue for the restaurant industry, as reported by the National Commission of Meal Vouchers. Catherine Quérard, President of the GHR, calls urgently for a modernization law for meal vouchers to adapt to the new work and lifestyle realities.

🏠 Booking's report praises small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in Europe, representing 99.8% of the sector and nearly 10% of the continent's annual wealth. In partnership with Statista, Booking emphasizes the importance of these businesses, highlighting challenges like avoiding American hotel chain models where chains assert independence from OTAs. A 2021 European Commission survey found 80% of independent hotels saw an increase in bookings after joining OTAs. Booking argues customer reviews now carry more weight than traditional hotel ratings. Rural accommodation benefits from OTA visibility, with Oxford Economics data from 2019 showing platform sales in rural areas more than double the market's 16%. As of 2023, Hotrec data indicates 55% of bookings were made directly with hotels, with OTAs accounting for only 29.1% of total bookings. The report, citing a 2024 Statista study, states 74% of European tourism business leaders find online travel platforms increase profitability. Contrarily, the "chainification" trend is less prevalent in Europe, with Booking noting the importance of local recognition. An industry conference by elloha on January 8, 2025, revealed a positive outlook for 2025, with 55% expecting a good year. The report also addresses political aspects, suggesting small businesses look to government policies for stability amid economic uncertainties.

🏗️ Thai government lifted construction height restriction in Phuket from 80 to 140 meters, affecting "zone 6" excluding coastal areas, protected hills, and densely populated regions. Previously unbuildable lands above 80 meters can now have low-rise buildings (max 6 meters high, less than 90 m²) with 70% green space. All buildings require environmental impact assessments. The change could significantly increase property values for lands above 80 meters altitude.

🏗️ In Phuket, Thailand, the government lifted the 80-meter height restriction for construction, allowing buildings up to 140 meters in designated zones, excluding coastal areas, protected hills, and densely populated regions. This change benefits landowners whose properties exceeded 80 meters in altitude and were previously unbuildable. New regulations require constructions to have a maximum height of 6 meters, a modest surface area below 90 m², and maintain at least 70% of natural land with green spaces. Environmental impact assessments are mandatory for potential flood or landslide risks. These rules limit building forms to individual structures rather than complexes or villas, potentially increasing property values above 80 meters.