In The Spotlight
We may have taken our sweet time with this one – but isn’t that the spirit of the season? Fresh off the glittering CEE Winter Gala in Budapest – where lawyers traded legal briefs for cocktails and celebrated the highs of 2024 – the December issue of CEE Legal Matters is finally here! Whether you’re wrapping presents, baking gingerbread, or just catching your breath amid the holiday buzz, let’s dive into the stories shaping the CEE legal markets as we head into 2025!
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White & Case has advised TPG Real Estate on the EUR 470 million sale of CT Real Estate to funds managed by Blackstone. Schoenherr, working with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, advised Blackstone. Talers reportedly advised TPG Real Estate as well.
Lambadarios has advised BriQ REIC on its merger with Intercontinental International REIC. Machas & Partners advised Intercontinental International REIC.
Koutalidis, working with Clifford Chance, has advised Attica Bank on a EUR 220 million synthetic securitization of its SME and Large Corporate portfolio.
Filip & Company has advised Mozaik Investments on its sale of a minority stake in 5 To Go to Invenio Partners and Accession Capital Partners. Schoenherr advised ACP. Dentons reportedly advised Invenio Partners.
Havel & Partners, working with Milbank, has advised Capiton on the sale of Gritec to the Viessmann Generations Group. Rowan Legal advised the Viessmann Generations Group. Frankfurt-based Schalast and the Nuernberg office of Roedl & Partner reportedly advised the Viessmann Generations Group as well.
CMS has advised ABB on its investment in Engineering Software Steyr.
TGS Baltic has advised HeavyFinance on forming a partnership with Multitude Bank – backed by the European Investment Fund’s Sustainability Guarantee – to bring more than EUR 17.5 million in funding for farmers in Lithuania and Poland.
Ellex has advised Delfi Lithuania on its acquisition of the EBIT and HR Week conferences in Lithuania and Latvia.
Cobalt has advised Hanza on the acquisition of the Leden Group.
Rowan Legal has advised AMiT on its acquisition of the Bustec Group. Act Legal reportedly advised the sellers.
Linklaters has advised Investika Real Estate Fund and its joint venture partner Bud Holdings on the acquisition of a 212,500-square-meter logistics portfolio in Poland from commercial real estate developer 7R. A&O Shearman reportedly advised 7R.
Vukmir & Associates, working with Taylor Wessing’s teams in Germany and Ireland, has advised Lightspeed Venture Partners on leading the EUR 5.8 million seed financing round in Orqa. Flynn O'Driscoll reportedly advised Orqa.
Montenegro-based Jovovic, Mugosa & Vukovic and Serbia-based Zivkovic Samardzic have joined the South East Europe Legal Group.
BDK Advokati has entered North Macedonia via a cooperation agreement with a local qualified independent Attorney at Law Josif Filipovski. Moreover, the firm has expanded its presence in Bosnia & Herzegovina with the addition of Melika Basic.
Ergun has promoted former Senior Associate Irmak Yensel Nergiz to Partner.
Bojovic Draskovic Popovic & Partners (BD2P) has rebranded to Draskovic Popovic & Partners (D2P) following Marija Bojovic's departure.
Former Hogan Lovells Partners Beata Balas-Noszczyk, Tomasz Grygorczuk, and Bartosz Romanowski have joined DWF.
Jakub Celinski and Pawel Grabowski have been elected as the new Managing Partners of Dentons’ Warsaw office with their term to begin on January 1, 2025.
Peterka & Partners has appointed Bratislava-based Attorney at Law Michal Rampasek as the new Co-Leader of its Polish desk.
Former Rowan Legal Lawyers Lucie Kacerova and Jan Mekota have joined forces to establish Kacerova Mekota Advokati in Prague.
Magdalena Pyzik-Walag has become the new Managing Partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta.
Former Noerr Poland Head Pawel Zelich has joined DZP as Partner and Head of the German Desk.
Former Baker McKenzie affiliate law firm Esin Attorney Partnership Co-Head of the Competition Practice Sinan Diniz has joined KST Law as a Partner.
Former Rymarz Zdort Maruta Partner Agnieszka Skorupinska has joined Baker McKenzie as a Partner in its International, Commercial and Trade practice. She will lead the firm's Warsaw-based sustainability and energy transition practice.
Law 5162/2024 (“New Law”), which aims to enhance business innovation and competitiveness through tax incentives for investments in start-ups, introduces significant changes in Law 4172/2013 (Income Tax Code) and Law 5038/2023 (Immigration Code) providing substantial benefits and opportunities to Angel Investors.
With the Cybersecurity Act entering into force in February 2024, Croatia was, unexpectedly, one of the first EU member states to implement NIS2, and it seems this happened just in time. Throughout this year as well as in 2023, government and financial institutions, companies, and even airports and hospitals were targets of multiple cyberattacks. Unsurprisingly, these resulted not only in temporary loss of availability of crucial services but also in loss of data – at times even life-and-death patient data.
Six years after the introduction of the GDPR, many businesses still treat it as if it were a “new law,” a regulation to be addressed later, rather than a priority today. It took years for the GDPR and data protection in general to even make their way onto Q&A lists in legal due diligence, competing alongside other established legal risks when analyzing target companies.
Energy law in Croatia is governed by a series of laws and regulations designed to ensure energy security, promote renewable sources, and support environmental protection. The key legal framework in the energy sector in Croatia includes the Energy Act (Zakon o energiji, Official Gazette no. 120/12, 14/14, 95/15, 102/15, 68/18) and the related Energy Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2030, with a view to 2050, adopted on February 28, 2020. The Energy Act, which has seen a few amendments since its adoption, is still slowly trying to meet the challenging EU requirements in terms of the green transition, which emphasize renewable energy integration, energy efficiency, and environmental responsibility.
The Croatian M&A market in 2024 is experiencing significant changes, largely driven by two key factors: the rise of sustainability and ESG considerations alongside a notable surge in energy-sector transactions. These trends reflect both global movements and Croatia’s commitment to the EU’s broader climate goals.
Currently, the Croatian AML Act (Official Gazette no. 108/2007, 39/2019, 151/2022) uses the term “virtual assets,” while the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) (EU Regulation 2023/1114), along with subsequent Implementing Act for MiCA (Official Gazette no. 85/2024) adopted by Croatian Parliament in July 2024), uses the term “crypto-assets.” Clearly governing the same, the terms used are similar, but slight nuances persist in definitions. Yet, inconsistency of legal terms should be avoided to prevent misinterpretation and confusion in legal applications.
Even though renewables have been very popular in Croatia for quite some time, the good old hydrocarbons are once again creating a significant buzz.
Historically, Poland’s Renewable Energy Sources (RES) sector has relied heavily on long-term project finance, with loan tenors of 15-18 years from project completion. In the current local financial landscape, high interest rates persist with WIBOR remaining elevated despite attempts at correction, and the cost of long-term interest rate swaps continuing to soar.
For years, Poland has held the unenviable position of leading the race in delays when implementing various EU laws, especially in the digital sector. This has resulted, and continues to result, in multimillion-euro fines that Poland is compelled to pay to the EU.
Employers often find themselves contemplating whether they should disclose the reasons for an employee’s termination to the entire workforce. While the motivations behind this consideration can be well-intentioned – such as educating remaining employees about unacceptable behaviors, promoting transparency, and preventing the spread of misinformation, there are legal implications to take into account.
Companies will have an additional year to comply with new EU rules aimed at preventing deforestation, which will prohibit the sale of products in the EU that originate from deforested land
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have decided to postpone the application of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year, now taking effect on 30 December 2025 instead of the original 2024 deadline. The decision comes in response to concerns raised by EU member states and stakeholders about the feasibility of meeting the requirements within the initial timeframe.
In November 2024, multiple sources reported that the Hungarian government is considering the introduction of significant construction regulations in 2026, based on a leaked draft.
RADULESCU & MUSOI provided comprehensive legal support for the successful completion of the transaction through which DigiRay, whose majority shareholder is the investment fund Black Sea Fund, acquired the three Maraffka clinics in Ploiești.
Schoenherr has won Best Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 CIJ Awards Hungary gala in Budapest. In the last three years, Schoenherr's real estate practice has played a prominent role in landmark deals in Hungary.
IMMOFINANZ takes further step to optimise group structure. IMMOFINANZ Group holds 100% of the shares in S IMMO following completion of the squeeze-out.
RTPR announces the successful closing of a new M&A transaction in the energy industry, the sale of the renewable energy portfolio of Evryo Group, owned by funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management, to PPC Group.
Nechala and partners advised the seller, Mr. Heimo Wallisch, on the successful sale of EASYS s. r. o.
Vienna, 04 November 2024. The experienced tax partner Nicolas Wolski (42) will take over as Head of Tax at bpv Huegel with November 2024.
JŠK advised PRE Group on its acquisition of 100% stake in solar power plant supplier SolidSun.
The Reverse Share Split at a ratio of 10:1 to reclassify the company's share capital was resolved at the Annual General Meeting on 14 June 2024.
The IMMOFINANZ Group acquired a further approx. 38% of S IMMO shares from CPI Property Group SA for a purchase price of around EUR 608.5 million.
Drakopoulos is pleased to announce the launch of its new Data and Digital practice, dedicated to providing comprehensive legal solutions to clients navigating the increasingly complex landscape of data protection, digital transformation, AI, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
The Montenegrin Law on Business Organizations prohibits the return of contributions to shareholders. But is capital reduction with simultaneous payment to shareholders permissible? This article explores the legal ambiguities and practical challenges arising from this question.
The ITR Tax Awards recognise the best tax consultants and tax lawyers every year. bpv Huegel was awarded twice this year.
Austria is facing a challenging economic landscape marked by rising insolvencies, sectoral struggles, and shifting legislative priorities, according to Schoenherr Partner Markus Piuk, who highlights the resilience of the legal profession and the transformative potential of AI in reshaping it.
An in-depth look at Emre Atayilmaz of AECO Law covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.
In the Inside Track, General Counsels across CEE share the nuances of their roles, challenges, and strategies for success. As summer is a time to unwind, we asked: With summer here, what is your one favorite yearly activity to disconnect and switch off?
On November 23, CEE Legal Matters reported that Cobalt had advised BaltCap Latvia Venture Capital Fund and funds managed by Imprimatur Capital, together with other shareholders, on the sale of Blue Bridge Technologies to Everfield. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Henning Schreiber, Head of Acquisitions at Everfield, to learn more about the acquisition.