On 30 March 2026, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled in Modero's proceedings against the award decision of a Brussels hospital.
The Court confirms the earlier decision of the Enterprise Court: the award to the tenderer is illegal and is suspended.
The Court finds that the transfer of sensitive patient data to Tunisia does not comply with European privacy laws. The Court ruled that Tunisia offers insufficient guarantees. The tenderer in question could not adequately refute that and the hospital should have checked that better itself, it says. To illustrate, an excerpt from the Court's judgment:
“Les obligations et/ou les pouvoirs découlant de la législation tunisienne et les pratiques des autorités publiques tunisiennes depuis juillet 2021, dénoncées par le Parlement européen, par Amnesty international et Human Rights Watch (pièce 12 des sociétés MODERO) sont incompatibles avec les instruments de transfert visés à l'article 46 du RGPD, telles les clauses contractuelles types.”
In concrete terms, this means that the relevant tenderer may not carry out the assignment for the time being. In the meantime, Modero will continue to invoice based on its own quote. The hospital has 30 days to decide how to act on this judgment.
We are satisfied with the verdict. Our sector works with vulnerable people and must meet the highest standards of data protection. This judgment confirms that position.