CEE Legal Matters
In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets
An in-depth look at Bernhard Hager of Eversheds Sutherland, 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.
Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii, working with Osborne Clarke, has advised Vodafone Romania in an agreement to acquire Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A.'s (OTE) stake in Telekom Romania Mobile Communications while the prepaid business and certain assets of Telekom Romania Mobile Communications were sold to Digi Romania. Filip & Company and Addleshaw Goddard advised Digi. Mayer Brown International and Eversheds Lina & Guia reportedly advised the sellers.
Slovakia is known as many things, but a leader in renewable energy is not one of them. Given the prominent role of nuclear energy in its energy mix, this is unlikely to change. Nevertheless, the situation in the renewable energy sector is expected to improve in the coming years – and the ministries seem determined to make it happen. As outlined in its Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, the government intends to, for example, install wind energy plants with a total capacity of 750 megawatts by 2030 – a significant increase compared to the current state.
Triniti has advised Amserv Group and its Latvian subsidiaries on the sale of the Amserv Krasta and Amserv Liepaja car dealerships to the Net Lease for Future Fund with Amserv retaining long-term operational control under a sale-and-leaseback structure. Eversheds Sutherland reportedly advised Net Lease for Future Fund.
In July 2025, the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (RONI) published proposed changes to the methodology for imbalance settlement. The aim of these changes was to limit payments for so-called “counter-imbalances” to entities that contribute to balancing the electricity system.
Eversheds Sutherland Bulgarian member firm Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners has advised TBI Bank EAD on its fourth series of MREL notes – a EUR 34 million 3.5-year issuance completed on March 7, 2025, and listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange on August 12, 2025.
Eversheds Sutherland has consolidated its Czech Republic practice with Kropacek Legal, expanding its client offering across real estate, litigation, and corporate work in Prague.
Andronic and Partners and Melnic | Bercu, working with Eversheds Sutherland, have advised the founders and selling shareholders of Planable on the sale of the company to SE Ranking. Gladei & Partners, BPV Grigorescu Stefanica, and Jizdan & Partners, working with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, advised SE Ranking.
Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners, member of Eversheds Sutherland, working alongside Clifford Chance, has advised Eurobank Bulgaria on its issuance of covered bonds under the country’s newly adopted Covered Bonds Act. Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov, working with Linklaters, advised Citi as the sole bookrunner and trustee.
According to the Bulgarian–Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BULTİŞAD), as of August 2023, Turkish investments in Bulgaria have reached approximately €2.5 billion, generating over 15,000 jobs through more than 70 production facilities and 2,500 active companies[1].
Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners, member of Eversheds Sutherland, working with Clifford Chance, has advised the Republic of Bulgaria on its dual-tranche EUR 3.2 billion sovereign bond issuance under its EUR 27 billion global medium-term note program. Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov, working with Linklaters, reportedly advised joint lead managers Citigroup, ING Bank, J.P. Morgan, and UniCredit.
Czech insolvency law provides multiple options for resolving corporate insolvency. Alongside liquidation and reorganisation—which aim to wind down or rehabilitate a business—the law also offers preventive restructuring tools. These early intervention mechanisms allow a company to address temporary financial difficulties without initiating formal insolvency proceedings.
Pohla & Hallmagi has advised GRK Estonia on its acquisition of A-Kaabel from its shareholders. Eversheds Sutherland advised the sellers.
Eversheds Sutherland, with Stephenson Harwood, has advised CITIC Group on the sale of Invia Group SE by European Bridge Travel, a joint venture between CITIC Group and Rockaway Capital, to WP Holding. Clifford Chance advised European Bridge Travel. BBH advised Rockaway. White & Case reportedly advised WP Holding.
In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we dug deeper into a discussion point that came up during our last event: During our annual General Counsel Summit held in Prague recently, we’ve learned that even with the inflation in CEE having hovered around 14-20% in recent years, legal fees have remained static or have even decreased in some jurisdictions. Given that, how has your firm managed to consistently deliver high-quality service under these constraints?
As digital solutions become more widespread in business operations, the use of electronic signatures for labor-related documents is increasingly common in Slovakia. However, it is crucial for both employers and employees to understand whether such signatures hold legal validity under Slovak labor law. This article examines the key points surrounding the use of electronic signatures in labor documents.
After the European Commission’s letter in December 2024, which identified the risks of regulatory arbitrage stemming from diverging interpretations, risks that we also encounter in practice, the European Banking Authority (“EBA”), in its outlook, called for no immediate action regarding the PSD2’s applicability to services related to electronic money tokens (“EMTs”). On 10 June 2025, the long-awaited Opinion of the EBA (the “EBA No Action Letter”) on the interplay between Directive 2015/2366 (“PSD2”) and Regulation 2023/1114 (“MiCA”) in relation to crypto-asset service providers (“CASPs”) that transact in EMTs was finally published.
The so-called “flexinovela” amendment of the Labour Code (CZ) effective from 1 June 2025 brings a number of fundamental changes, especially in terminating employment. For employers intending to issue a notice to an employee for breach of duty or to terminate employment immediately, the statutory time limits for doing so have been extended. This amendment addresses the practical needs of employers who have previously struggled to thoroughly investigate cases within the existing time frames. In this post, we will take a closer look at these revised time limits for issuing notices and immediate terminations. Generally speaking - what kind of time limits do we have and why are they important
Eversheds Sutherland with offices in Bratislava and Prague and as part of an international network, provides comprehensive legal advice also in foreign jurisdictions.
Our team consists of a total of more than 40 lawyers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, most of whom have previously worked at major international and local law firms and have extensive experience in particular in the areas of corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, real estate, employment law, competition law, litigation and arbitration, energy, infrastructure, as well as environmental and ESG law.
Our advisory services are offered in Slovak, German, Czech and English language. Members of our team include attorneys registered with the Austrian Bar Association. On this basis, and because we are part of Eversheds Sutherland, we are also able to offer extensive legal support on various foreign legal issues.
We listen to our clients, we understand their business and we also understand what they need. So we can always find the best solution for the particular situation. We work quickly, efficiently and take responsibility for our work.