2018 CEE Deal of the Year Shortlists

These shortlists were chosen by panels of experts on the ground in each CEE jurisdiction from over 200 submissions made by law firms all over Europe. These experts have kindly agreed to volunteer their time and effort to the process in order to further develop and strengthen the CEE legal community, and we are grateful for their assistance.

The nominations are presented alphabetically. In several countries there are more than three nominations, where the first round of voting resulted in a tie for third place. The listing of firms that worked on these deals, however, is not necessarily complete, and as we learn of more firms that were involved we will of course update the list accordingly. To contact us with such information, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The winners will be announced at the 2019 Deal of the Year Awards Banquet in Budapest. For more information about the event, including how to buy tickets, please visit the event website here.

Now, without further ado:

Austria:

• Advent Acquisition of GE's Distributed Power Business (Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; Schoenherr; and Shearman & Sterling)
• OMV Bond Issue (Weber & Co. and White & Case)
• Starwood Capital Group Acquisition of Stake in CA Immo from Immofinanz (bpv Huegel and Schoenherr)
• Vonovia's Public Takeover of BUWOG (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Schoenherr)

Bosnia & Herzegovina:

• ArcelorMittal Zenica, Finnfund, KPA Unicon Oy, and City of Zenica Public-Private Partnership (CMS and Karanovic & Partners)
• Banja Luka - Prijedor Motorway Concession Project (Dimitrijevic & Partners, Hunton Andrews Kurth, and JPM|Jankovic Popovic Mitic)
• Virgin Pulse’s Acquisition of Business and Assets of Piksel Interactive d.o.o. Tuzla (CMS and Karanovic & Partners)

Bulgaria:

• Bulgaria Blvd. 69 Corporate and Debt Restructuring (CMS and Deloitte Legal)
• OTP's Acquisition of Société Générale Expressbank and Subsidiaries (CMS, Jones Day, Kalo & Associates, and Schoenherr)
• PPF’s Acquisition of Telenor’s Telecom Business in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary (Allen & Overy; BDK Advokati; Boyanov & Co.; Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov; Karanovic & Partners; Latham & Watkins; Schoenherr; Szecskay Attorneys at Law; and White & Case)

Croatia:

• Enterprise Investors’ Acquisition of the Studenac Retail Chain (Savoric & Partners and Schoenherr)
• Meteor Group’s Acquisition of Badel 1862 (Ostermann & Partners and Law Office Svilar)
• Sazka’s Acquisition of Controlling Interest in Super Sport (Allen & Overy; Clifford Chance; Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic; Hondl, Konic, Simunovic, Batur; KPMG Legal; Karanovic & Partners; Tilosanec Law)

Czech Republic:

• Advent’s Acquisition of Zentiva from Sanofi (CMS, Dentons; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Kirkland & Ellis, and Ropes & Gray)
• Avast Software IPO (Kinstellar, Latham & Watkins, and White & Case)
• R2G Rohan’s Acquisition of First Quality Nonwovens Inc. and First Quality Nonwovens Co., Ltd. from First Quality Enterprises (Dentons, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and White & Case)

Estonia:

• European Diversified Infrastructure Fund II’s Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Utilitas (Cobalt and Triniti)
• Port of Tallinn IPO (Baker McKenzie; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Cobalt; Sorainen)
• The Blackstone Group’s Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Luminor (Allen & Overy; Cobalt; Ellex; Hamilton Advokatbyra)

Hungary:

• Hungary’s Exchangeable Bond Repurchase and Redemption (DLA Piper; Kinstellar; and Linklaters)
• PPF’s Acquisition of Telenor’s Telecom Business in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary (Allen & Overy; BDK Advokati; Boyanov & Co.; Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov &  Velichkov; Karanovic & Partners; Latham & Watkins; Schoenherr; Szecskay Attorneys at Law; and White & Case)
• Vodafone’s Acquisition of Liberty Global’s Operations in Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania (CMS; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Lakatos, Koves & Partners; Ropes & Gray; Shearman & Sterling; Slaughter & May)

Latvia:

• Bergs Timber’s Acquisition of Norvik Timber Industries Companies in Latvia, Estonia, and the United Kingdom (Advokatfirman Vinge KB; Pennington Manches; TGS Baltic)
• European Investment Bank Financing to HansaMatrix (Cobalt and Eversheds Sutherland Bitans)
• IRI Investments’s Acquisition of SIA IRI Forest Assets Latvia from Storebrand Livsforsikring AS, SPP Pension & Forsakring AB, NORSKOG, and Gundars Skudrins (Ellex and TGS Baltic)
• The Blackstone Group’s Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Luminor (Allen & Overy; Cobalt; Ellex; and Hamilton Advokatbyra)

Lithuania:

• The Blackstone Group’s Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Luminor (Allen & Overy; Cobalt; Ellex; and Hamilton Advokatbyra)
• UAB Kesko Senukai Digital’s Acquisition of 1A (Motieka & Audzevicius; Kronbergs Cukste Levin; Skrastins & Dzenis; and Law Firm Tark)
• UAB Lietuvos Energija Green Bond Issue (Clifford Chance; Dentons; Ellex; and TGS Baltic)

Poland:

• Polish Development Fund’s Acquisition of PESA Bydgoszcz S.A. (Linklaters and Weil Gotshal & Manges)
• Revetas’ Acquisition of TriGranit from TPG Real Estate (DLA Piper; Dentons; Glinska & Miskovic)
• Santander Bank Polska’s EMTN Programme (Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance)

Romania:

• Advent International’s Acquisition of Zentiva from Sanofi (CMS; Dentons; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Tuca, Zbarcea & Asociatii; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges)
• Black Sea Oil & Gas – Transgaz Gas Transmission Contract (Ijdelea Mihailescu)
• Black Sea Oil & Gas EPCIC Contract with GSP Offshore (Ijdelea Mihailescu and Stronachs)

Russia:                             

• Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Joint Venture with Anadolu Efes (Asters; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; ELIG Gurkaynak Attorneys-at-Law; Georgiades & Pelides; Herguner Bilgen Ozeke; Linklaters; Norton Rose Fulbright; and Sayenko Kharenko)
• Merger of CJSC Transmashholding and LocoTech-Service LLC (Allen & Overy; Bellpark Legal; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Harneys; Herbert Smith Freehills; Michael Kyprianou; and Stibbe)
• Qatar Investment Authority’s Acquisition of a Minority Stake in Rosneft from QIA-Glencore Consortium and Repayment of a Margin Loan to Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Latham & Watkins; Linklaters; Wong Partnership)
• SOGAZ’s Acquisition of VTB Insurance (Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners)

Serbia:

• BC Partners’ Acquisition of United Group (BDK Advokati; Kalo & Associates; Kirkland & Ellis; Linklaters; Paul Weiss; Polenak; Reed Smith; Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners; Schoenherr; Selih & Partners; and Tus Novokmet Smrcek)
• Belgrade Airport Privatization (Allen & Overy; Andric Law Office; BDK Advokati; CMS; Dentons; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Vasiljevic Bogdanovic; and Zivkovic Samardzic)
• Zijin Mining Group’s Acquisition of Majority Stake in RTB Bor (Karanovic & Partners; and Marjanovic Law)

Slovakia:

• Karlovarske Mineralni Vody’s Acquisition of Pepsi-Cola’s Operations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary from Mid-Europa (Baker McKenzie; Cechova & Partners; Kocian Solc Balastik; and Lakatos, Koves & Partners)
• Slovak Investment Holding Investment in GA Drilling (Allen & Overy and Taylor Wessing)
• Zapadoslovenska Energetika’s acquisition of the Malzenice Power Plant from E.ON (Allen & Overy and Kinstellar)

Slovenia:

• BC Partners’ Acquisition of a Majority Stake in the United Group (BDK Advokati; Kalo & Associates; Kirkland & Ellis; Linklaters; Paul Weiss; Polenak; Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners; Schoenherr; Selih & Partners; and Tus Novokmet Smrcek)
• Generali CEE Holding BV’s Acquisition of Adriatic Slovenica Zavarovalna Druzba d.d. (Allen & Overy; Go2Law; Mayer Brown; Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners; Solo Practitioner Simon Gabrijelcic; and Ulcar & Partners)
• Nova Ljubljanska Banka IPO (Clifford Chance and Shearman & Sterling)

Turkey:             

• Alibaba’s Acquisition of Trendyol.com from the DSM Group (Esin Attorney Partnership; Herguner Bilgen Ozeke; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett)
• Canakkale Motorway Project (Clifford Chance; Goksu Safi Isuk; Shearman & Sterling; and Verdi Law Firm)
• Turkiye Ziraat Bankasi’s Global Mortgage Covered Bond Programme on the Irish Stock Exchange (DLA Piper; White & Case; and Yazici Legal)

Ukraine:

• Metinvest Refinancing (Allen & Overy; Avellum; Clifford Chance; Harneys; Linklaters; Redcliffe Partners; Sayenko Kharenko; and Walder Wyss)
• SALIC’s Acquisition of Mriya Agro Holding (Dickson Minto; Hogan Lovells; Redcliffe Partners; and Sayenko Kharenko)
• Ukrzaliznytsia Collaboration Agreement with General Electric (Avellum; Asters; Sayenko Kharenko; White & Case)