Sayenko Kharenko has advised the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark on a EUR 3.17 million loan facility to Ristone Holdings.

RPCK has advised Farm-ING on its conversion from a GmbH into a flexible company.

Brandl Talos has advised Highland Europe on its investment in SmaXtec as part of a round led by KKR. Dechert's Munich-based office advised the shareholders of SmaXtec. Gibson Dunn and Wolf Theiss reportedly advised KKR. 

Schoenherr has advised ImWind and Bloch3 on obtaining an environmental impact assessment permit in Austria for the Rustenfeld wind farm.

Everlegal has advised VisionFund on establishing its Ukrainian entity and obtaining a financial company license, enabling it to provide non-banking financial services such as granting loans and banking metals.

Nyerges & Partners has advised KER Toki on obtaining an electricity supply license from the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority.

Dentons has advised Piraeus Bank on project financing for a solar power plant developed by Metlen Energy & Metals in Romania.

Koutalidis has advised Piraeus Bank on a secured bond loan issuance of up to EUR 275 million by Aktor Concessions, with Piraeus Bank acting as both bondholder agent and paying agent, and subscribing to the full amount.

Former Metrostav in-house Counsel Hana Nevralova has joined JSK as a Partner. At the same time, the firm elevated former Managing Associate Daniel Pospisil to its partnership ranks as well.

Allen Overy Shearman Sterling has advised Doosan Skoda Power on its CZK 2.53 billion initial public offering on the Prime Market of the Prague Stock Exchange. Clifford Chance advised the joint global coordinators Raiffeisen Bank and Wood & Company.

Akol has advised Visne Madencilik on its initial public offering and listing on Borsa Istanbul.

Koutalidis has advised Piraeus Bank on a secured bond loan issuance of up to EUR 275 million by Aktor Concessions, with Piraeus Bank acting as both bondholder agent and paying agent, and subscribing to the full amount.

At the beginning of each year Bulgarian Competition Protection Commission announces (the “CPC”) its priorities. The priorities for 2025 do not differ very much from those set in the previous years and show consistency.

In terms of competition, the year 2024 was marked by 2 important milestones – the first part of the year, until the appointment of the new Plenum of the Competition Council, during which the authority focused on finalizing some internal issues (rulings and other procedural matters), and the second part of the year, when the new Plenum of the Competition Council started its activity, showing the first signs of the strategy for the next two and a half years.

Divjak, Topic, Bahtijarevic & Krka has advised on the concentration notification for a joint venture between Koncar and Siemens Energy Group, resulting in the formation of Koncar - Transformatorski Kotlovi.

The Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products ("ACAA") is an intermediary step for Ukraine to benefit from the mutual recognition of product quality between the EU and Ukraine until our country becomes a full EU Member State.

On 10 January 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s issued a Determination pursuant to Section 1(a)(i) of Executive Order 14024 (“the EO 14024 Determination”) and a Determination pursuant to Section 1(a)(ii) of Executive Order 14071 (“the EO 14071 Determination”).

On December 6, 2024, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic approved the Act on Digitalisation of the Financial Market (ZDFT), which represents an important step in adapting the Czech legal framework to European regulations in the area of digital financial markets.

Turunc has advised Netcad on its pre-IPO funding round with Hedef Portfoy, Findoor Girisim Sermayesi Yatirım Fonu, Ral Girisim Sermayesi Yatirim Ortakligi, and two Neo Portfoy funds participating. Atar Avci reportedly advised Hedef Portfoy.

Paksoy, working with Linklaters' Brussels office, has advised Ontex Group on the sale of its Turkish subsidiary Dilek Grup. Peynircioglu Erem advised the buyers.

Bulboaca & Asociatii has advised Superbet Group on a EUR 1.3 billion investment from American investment funds Blackstone and HPS Investment Partners.

Schoenherr, working with Ashurst, has advised Aviva Investors on the acquisition of a 51% majority shareholding in Connected Infrastructure Capital.

Dentons has advised Piraeus Bank on project financing for a solar power plant developed by Metlen Energy & Metals in Romania.

DLA Piper has advised the H&M Group on a long-term corporate power purchase agreement with R.Power to supply 50 gigawatt-hours of solar-generated electricity annually for H&M’s operations in Poland.

Musat & Asociatii has won an appeal before the High Court of Cassation and Justice against a prior decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, allowing the retrial of the review application in the case concerning the torturers of Romanian anti-communist dissident Gheorghe Ursu.

Ellex has offered pro bono representation in a same-sex parenthood case before the national courts in Lithuania, resulting in the first-ever recognition of same-sex parents.

On April 22, 2024, Everlegal announced it had been appointed to provide legal support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – the UN Refugee Agency – for its activities in Ukraine.

Former Metrostav in-house Counsel Hana Nevralova has joined JSK as a Partner. At the same time, the firm elevated former Managing Associate Daniel Pospisil to its partnership ranks as well.

Former Dorda Partner Bernhard Mueller has joined PwC Legal's affiliated Vienna office of Oehner & Partner as a Partner.

The past year has demonstrated that an ongoing conflict is not an obstacle to development and investment. Despite infrastructure being targeted by shelling, Ukraine’s real GDP grew by 4% in the first nine months of 2024, with expectations that this figure will reach 4.3-4.6% in the coming years. To maintain this growth, Ukraine must actively engage private investments to rebuild its damaged infrastructure and assets.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner has advised German battery manufacturer Varta in StaRUG restructuring proceedings.

Pohla & Hallmagi has advised Fort Aero on obtaining court approval for its reorganization plan previously approved by creditors.

Koutalidis has advised Sfakianakis Group on the restructuring of its debt with a total value of approximately EUR 300 million.

A new regulation, in force from January 28, 2025 establishes additional obligations and reporting requirements on Romanian companies with 50 or more employees in respect of hiring disabled people.

As the first publicly listed Bulgarian company in the gaming industry, Telematic Interactive Bulgaria has set its sights on aligning employee engagement with corporate growth through an ambitious Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Being part of the team that advised Telematic on this project, in this article, I’ll provide a detailed look at the motivations behind this decision, the structure of the ESOP, and the intricate legal challenges faced during its implementation.

Remote work has transformed from an emergency measure during the pandemic into a mainstream practice, with profound implications for Romania's employment landscape. However, the legal and practical challenges associated with remote work continue to evolve, requiring employers to stay agile and informed.

MFW Fialek has advised Enterprise Investors on its acquisition of a majority stake in Salus Centrum Medyczne.

Bernitsas has advised CVC and Hellenic Healthcare Group on the disposal of a 60% stake in HHG to PureHealth Holding PJSC in a transaction that values HHG at EUR 2.2 billion.

Greenberg Traurig has advised Diagnostyka on its initial public offering and admission to trading on the regulated market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. White & Case advised the underwriters. Baker McKenzie advised Diagnostyka's majority shareholder Mid Europa.

Baciu Partners has successfully represented Asociatia Suporter Club UTA in a case against Asociatia Fotbal Cub UTA Arad.

Dragne & Asociatii has successfully represented Baneasa Business & Technology Park and Baneasa Rezidential in a real estate dispute that lasted more than 12 years and involved more than 1,000 parties.

Vasil Kisil & Partners has successfully represented Kamianske Agro, part of the Dnipro Agro Group, in a tax dispute exceeding UAH 18 million.

Cobalt, working with Dentons, has advised AirBaltic on the sale of a minority stake to Lufthansa Group. Eversheds Sutherland Bitans advised Lufthansa Group.

TAV Macedonia Legal Affairs Manager Emilija Evtimova-Spaseska discusses her journey from law firm partner to in-house counsel and her role in overseeing legal operations for Skopje and Ohrid airports.

Kyriakides Georgopoulos has advised Aviation Capital Group and High Ridge Aviation on the sale and transfer of two Airbus A320-251N aircraft from ACG to HRA and their lease novation with Greek operator Sky Express. 

Kyriakides Georgopoulos announced that the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund's sale of a 67% stake in the Heraklion Port Authority to a consortium consisting of Grimaldi Euromed and Minoan Lines (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 11, 2024) closed on September 18, 2024.

PeliPartners has advised Bogdan Idu and his group companies on the sale of an LPG maritime terminal in Romania to Nawaf Salameh Family Office Group.

Your Legal Partners’ Katerina Politopoulou, Maria Golfinopoulou, and Prokopis Linardos Talk About the Deal of the Year in Greece.

Turunc has advised Netcad on its pre-IPO funding round with Hedef Portfoy, Findoor Girisim Sermayesi Yatirım Fonu, Ral Girisim Sermayesi Yatirim Ortakligi, and two Neo Portfoy funds participating. Atar Avci reportedly advised Hedef Portfoy.

Schoenherr, working with Ashurst, has advised Aviva Investors on the acquisition of a 51% majority shareholding in Connected Infrastructure Capital.

Bulboaca & Asociatii has advised Superbet Group on a EUR 1.3 billion investment from American investment funds Blackstone and HPS Investment Partners.

Sayenko Kharenko has provided pro bono support for a cultural initiative that aims to set war-time poems, written by Ukrainian defenders, to music. 

Musat & Asociatii has won an appeal before the High Court of Cassation and Justice against a prior decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, allowing the retrial of the review application in the case concerning the torturers of Romanian anti-communist dissident Gheorghe Ursu.

Ellex has offered pro bono representation in a same-sex parenthood case before the national courts in Lithuania, resulting in the first-ever recognition of same-sex parents.

Kolcuoglu Demirkan Kocakli has promoted Busra Ozden to Partner.

NKO Partners has advised CTP on the acquisition of land in Kragujevac, Serbia, from Stellantis’ subsidiary Fiat Srbija. Karanovic & Partners advised Fiat Srbija.

Kinstellar has advised TSH Investment on the acquisition of the Park Center shopping mall in Sofia from Revetas Capital Advisors. Schoenherr advised Revetas on the deal.

1 January 2025 marked the entry into force of the obligation for Romanian established taxpayers that carry out taxable operations in Romania to report in the Romanian invoicing System the invoices issued in B2C transactions.

The Hungarian Government has made a significant amendment just weeks into 2025 by increasing the VAT exemption threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite the autumn tax package for 2025 remaining silent on this matter, the new limit has been set at HUF 18 million, up from the longstanding HUF 12 million. This increase applies retroactively from 1 January 2025. Taxpayers have until the end of February to opt in for the exemption.

Vasil Kisil & Partners has successfully represented Kamianske Agro, part of the Dnipro Agro Group, in a tax dispute exceeding UAH 18 million.

In 2024, EU data protection authorities imposed a total of EUR 1.2 billion in fines. This brings the total value of fines to EUR 5.88 billion since the GDPR became applicable, DLA Piper's latest report reveals.* The technology sector has been hit the hardest, with data protection focusing on managerial responsibility and privacy issues in AI tools.

Last year, a new regulation on artificial intelligence (“AI Act”) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This new AI Act lays down legal framework for the development, placing on the market, putting into service and use of artificial intelligence systems (“AI systems”) in the EU, in order to, inter alia, promote the uptake of human centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence, protect against harmful effects of AI systems and to support innovation.

Filip & Company has advised Dante International and HeyBlu IFN on the acquisition of Orange Money IFN.

Popescu & Associatii has promoted Adina Vlaicu, Andreea Mihalache, and Mirel Radescu to Partner.

On 26 December 2024, the Law “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and Other Legislative Acts of Ukraine to Improve Mechanisms for Holding Legal Entities Accountable for Bribery of Foreign Officials” No. 4111-IX entered into force. It is meant to implement the OECD Council’s Recommendation on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

On 6 December 2024, the Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Public Notaries entered into force. These two laws were adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia on 28 November 2024.