The German government has approved two new laws that seek to increase pay transparency and provide better maternity protection for women, both during and after pregnancy.

Recent law reform in Germany aims to simplify rules on the confiscation of assets resulting from criminal offences, and to transpose an EU directive on the proceeds of crime into German law.

Employees in Germany will have rights from next month to request information about the pay of co-workers. The new law comes amid debate in Germany about excessive executive pay.

Legal and regulatory roundup from around the UK and Europe: EU tax, tightened money laundering legislation, gender pay gap regulation in the UK, review of governance codes in Germany and the UK, and Belgian FSMA guidelines.

Changes to Germany’s Corporate Governance Code focus on greater transparency, ethical standards and sustainability.

Politicians line up to condemn high levels of executive pay after pension payments for Martin Winterkorn, VW’s former CEO, are published.