Q&A

Significant ECJ decision leads to closure of public beneficial ownership registers

by Kate Troup and Ottilia Csoti

The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) recently ruled that full public access to registers showing the beneficial ownership of companies is incompatible with fundamental rights set out in the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. These include the right to respect for private and family life and the right to the protection of personal data. Some EU member states have closed their public registers in response to the judgment, including Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Malta and Luxembourg.