#Ethics & Compliance
Four questions about the new affair splashing the Rassemblement National at the European Parliament, over suspicions of fund misappropriation by a group of far-right parties
As part of an investigation opened in July 2025 by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into a potential misuse of funds allocated by the European Parliament to political groups, within which MEPs from the Rassemblement National sat, a series of searches took place in various European countries on 30 June 2026. These searches notably targeted French communications companies. According to a report by the European Parliament’s Directorate for Financial Affairs, which led to the case being referred to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, part of the misused funds allegedly went toward communications services, benefiting two companies linked to associates of Marine Le Pen. > Read the article.
Lithuania continues to make progress on its anti-corruption reforms
The GRECO (Group of States against Corruption) of the Council of Europe issued its report on 1 July 2026 on the state of the fight against corruption in Lithuania as part of its fifth evaluation round. The report concludes that the State has satisfied the majority of the recommendations issued in 2021 during the initial evaluation, which aimed to strengthen the fight against corruption in the public and institutional sphere. The Lithuanian State has thus notably strengthened its Code of conduct for political officials, as well as training for senior officials on ethics and integrity, and has also regulated the practice of gifts and invitations. Finally, the report proposes further improvements and invites Lithuania to keep it informed of the follow-up actions taken. > Read the article.
Duty of vigilance: TotalEnergies targeted by a lawsuit for “serious harm to the environment and human rights” in Nigeria
A coalition of four NGOs (Les Amis de la Terre France, Hawkmoth, HEDA Resource Centre and Social Action) has announced that it has summoned TotalEnergies before the Paris judicial court, on the basis of the French law on the duty of vigilance. The NGOs are asking the court to order the company to disclose documents in order to verify the proper application of its duty of vigilance. TotalEnergies holds a 10% stake in a joint venture, JV Renaissance, which operates oil and gas assets in southern Nigeria. This joint venture has repeatedly been implicated in hydrocarbon leaks and open-air gas flaring. This summons comes as TotalEnergies announced, in January 2026, the sale of its stake in this joint venture to the Nigerian consortium Vaaris. > Read the article.
#Dispute resolution & regulatory investigations
“Carbon-neutral” or “100% recyclable” bottles: Volvic convicted for “misleading commercial practices”
The Paris judicial court has ruled against Volvic, a subsidiary of the Danone group, for misleading commercial practices in the labeling of its water bottles. The court found that the claims “carbon neutral”, “100% recycled”, and “100% recyclable” were likely to mislead consumers, particularly because the emissions linked to bottle manufacturing are not fully offset by carbon absorption mechanisms. Volvic was ordered to pay 75,000 euros in damages to the consumer association CLCV, which brought the case, as well as to publish the ruling on the homepage of its website for six months. The Danone group has announced it will appeal the ruling. > Read the article.
