Information on final beneficiaries of companies will no longer be available
Last week, the EU Court of Justice struck down the obligation for member states to publish information on the final beneficiaries of companies. The court held that public access to information on company ownership constitutes a "serious interference with the fundamental rights to privacy and personal data protection". Slovakia and the rest of the EU countries disclosed this information based on an EU directive and will now have to amend their legislation. The information will still be available to police, banks or lawyers, but not to the general public. Anti-corruption activists are disappointed, while business lobby groups are happy.
The Court also limited the publication of details on unsuccessful bids in public tenders.
