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Greenberg Traurig and Filip & Company have advised Polish chemical group Qemetica on its acquisition of PPG's precipitated silica business for approximately PLN 1.2 billion (USD 310 million). Hogan Lovells advised PPG.

Cobalt has advised PSA on its acquisition of 50% of Parnu Sadam shares from Transcom.

CK Legal Chabasiewicz Kowalska has advised Kruk on its latest issuance of series AP2 bonds.

Wolf Theiss has advised Raiffeisen Bank International on the issuance of EUR 650 million fixed to reset rate additional tier 1 notes and on its tender offer for the repurchase of EUR 650 million fixed to reset rate additional tier 1 notes issued in 2017. Freshfields Bruckhaus Derringer reportedly advised the banks.

White & Case's Turkish affiliate GKC Partners has advised Esas Holding on the placement of approximately 19.2 million ordinary shares in Pegasus Airlines to two international institutional investors and an international financial investor residing outside of Turkiye.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Polski Fundusz Rozwoju on a PLN 82.5 million in long-term financing to fund and refinance the construction of photovoltaic plants sponsored by Projekt Solartechnik. Rymarz Zdort Maruta advised Projekt Solartechnik.

Dentons has advised Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thueringen, Pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, and Berlin Hyp on the EUR 180 million loan extended to Immofinanz to replace the previous financing of the Myhive Warsaw Spire project.

Sayenko Kharenko, working with Hogan Lovells, has advised the International Finance Corporation on two risk-sharing facilities for Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine totaling approximately USD 210 million equivalent, one of which IFC cooperated on with the US International Development Finance Corporation. Redcliffe Partners and Mayer Brown reportedly advised the DFC.

Sadik & Capan has advised Koc Holding on its acquisition of 65% shares in Stembio. Acar Ergonen advised the seller, Ibrahim Ozsu.

Bernitsas has advised China State Grid on its acquisition of a 20% stake in Greece's Independent Power Transmission Operator's subsidiary Ariadne Interconnection which is responsible for implementing the electricity interconnection between Attica and Crete.

Walless has successfully represented Voltas in a EUR 1.7 million business interruption insurance case in Lithuania.

E+H has advised Austrian Ski Association's subsidiary Austria Ski Team Handels- und BeteiligungsgesmbH on a joint venture concerning the online platform Skizeit.

Renatus Kollar and Lucia Raimanova have been appointed as Co-Managing Partners of A&O Shearman's Bratislava Office.

Dragne & Asociatii has promoted Mihai Iorga to Partner.

Martin Jurecko has joined CMS as a Partner in its Bratislava office's Real Estate practice.

Evo Legal Founder Arina Stivrina has joined Walless’ Latvia team as an Associate Partner.

CMS has appointed Warsaw-based CMS Partner Malgorzata Urbanska as the firm's new Co-Head of the Global Antitrust, Competition & Trade Group alongside Partner Marquard Christen.

Ments has launched a new Dispute Resolution practice in Slovakia with the addition of Counsel Tomas Langer and Associate Anna Kocurova.

Vizdoaga Law Office and Dolea & Co have announced a collaboration between the two firms.

Former Biris Goran Real Estate Partner Daniela Lazea has left the firm after 17 years and has joined Global Vision as General Counsel.

Former Eurobank Head of Legal Services Division Alexia Kefalogianni has joined Bernitsas Law as Counsel.

Oppenheim has partnered up with the Korean law firm Jipyong by signing a memorandum of understanding, leading to Jipyong opening a Korea Desk in Hungary.

Former Dogan Holding Chief Legal Counsel Ebru Ersoy has become the new Chief Legal Counsel at Nurol Bank.

Schoenherr has promoted Vienna-based Stefanie Aichhorn-Woess, Alfred Amann, Johannes Frank, Ayla Ilicali, Christoph Jirak, Sara Khalil, Sebastian Lukic, Johannes Stalzer, and Stefanie Stegbauer, Zagreb-based Kresimira Kruslin, Warsaw-based Daniel Radwanski, and Bucharest-based Nora Olah to Partner (already announced in August this year).

The longstanding partnership between Hungary and Serbia has taken another step forward with the recent amendment to the double taxation convention. These agreements are crucial for eliminating double taxation on income and assets for both individuals and companies, fostering a more favorable business climate.

Non-material damage is determined by Serbian law as inflicting on another physical or psychological pain or causing fear. Also, the law prescribes that the court shall, after finding that the circumstances of the case and particularly the intensity of pains and fear, and their duration, provide a corresponding ground thereof – award equitable damages for physical pains suffered, for mental anguish suffered due to reduction of life activities, for becoming disfigured, for offended reputation, honor, freedom or rights of personality, for the death of a close person, as well as for fear suffered.

Since 2016, the term “Black Friday” has been registered as a trademark in Germany, granting exclusive rights to a single company, Super Union Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong, for its use in advertising. This registration covered over 900 goods and services, restricting other businesses from using the term in their promotions. However, recent legal developments have definitively resolved this contentious issue.

The Serbian Parliament has passed the amendments to the Energy Act, introducing significant reforms to the nation’s energy policy – a landmark change is lifting the long-standing moratorium on nuclear power plant construction, which has been in place since 1989 following the Chernobyl disaster. The updated legislation also includes broader measures aimed at modernizing Serbia’s energy sector.

On 22 November 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine published Resolution No. 1332 dated 22 November 2024 ‘Some Issues of Reservation of Persons Liable for Military Service during Martial Law’ (the ‘Resolution’), which updates the reservation procedure and clarifies certain criteria of criticality.

Starting from 20 November 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine (“NBU”) enacted amendments to the existing currency control restrictions under the moratorium on foreign currency cross-border transfers (“Moratorium”). These amendments aim to facilitate international trade cooperation and technical assistance projects while simultaneously strengthening compliance measures for certain exemptions.

On 10 October 2024, the Ministry of National Economy published a draft Government Decree on the National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority and another one on the amendments to the Government Decrees related to the establishment of the National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority.

On 25 October 2024, new rules for the registration of inventions and utility models in Ukraine ("Rules") came into force. Pursuant to Order of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine No. 23301 dated 9 September 2024, the Rules set out the requirements for the drafting, filing and examining of an invention and utility model applications.

The UK government recently unveiled guidance on a major update to its corporate fraud laws: the “failure to prevent fraud” offence, introduced through the 2023 Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCT). Taking effect on September 1, 2025, this law could have serious implications for companies operating within the EU.

Unlike many neighboring countries, the Trademark Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly addresses bad faith trademark applications as both relative grounds for refusal and as a basis for contesting a trademark through court proceedings. In other words, trademark applications filed contrary to the principles of good faith and fair dealing can be challenged either through an opposition before the Institute for Intellectual Property or by filing a lawsuit before the competent court. While this dual system theoretically provides two distinct avenues of recourse, practical experience shows that both mechanisms tend to merge into a single, judicially driven process. Below, we analyze the key lessons drawn from recent case law concerning bad faith trademark filings.

The IT sector, a cornerstone of modern economies, is not immune to market fluctuations and corporate restructuring. While its growth trajectory often defies broader economic downturns, redundancies in IT have become a reality in Serbia and across Europe due to shifts in demand, technological evolution, and economic uncertainties. This article delves into the redundancy procedure in Serbia’s IT sector, contrasts it with practices in Europe, and explores the causes and potential outcomes of such measures, with real-world examples.

The acquisition by a joint-stock company of its own shares, also known as share buy-back, is permitted under Romanian law, as provided by Articles 103 – 109 of the Companies Law no. 31/1990 (“Companies Law”). The operation is, however, limited by certain conditions, based on reasons such as the goal to avoid speculation by the company on the price of its own shares or the difficulty to accept that the company can be, at the same time, a shareholder (being thus both debtor and creditor)[1].

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.

RTPR has assisted the shareholders of 123FormBuilder – 212 Regional Fund II, Catalyst Romania, Florin Cornianu and Adrian Gheara – in relation to the sale of the company to American group Kiteworks.

Oliver Koppany will be joining Jalsovszky as Foreign Legal Counsel from September, focusing on US-Hungarian business connections.

Paul Pfeifenberger (36) specialises in real estate and has been with bpv Huegel since 2015.

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As Schonherr Head of Intellectual Property and Dispute Resolution practices in Bulgaria Ventsislav Tomov explains, Bulgaria’s delicate political situation and unreliable judicial system are creating a challenging environment for both local and international businesses. Amid these uncertainties, internal corporate investigations are on the rise, driven by cultural clashes between Western investors and Bulgarian management as well as growing concerns over compliance and governance.

Jarvis Legal, a cloud-based platform for legal practice management, has been a part of the LexisNexis family since Jul 2024. Jarvis Legal CEO Alexandre Yeremian shares its journey – from tackling inefficiencies to pioneering AI innovation – and plans for its global future.

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.