After the publication of the draft of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction, a series of public hearings on the proposed draft law was held in February 2023, and now we are waiting for the final wording of the proposal of the amendments and the lawmaker’s response to the of proposals and objections raised during the public hearings.
The draft envisages numerous amendments to the law, the most striking of which is the amendment related to the conversion of the right of use on construction land into the right of ownership (conversion).

Schoenherr has advised Robert Bosch Investment Nederland on its acquisition of a minority stake in Hungarian thermo-technology company Kazantrade and the related asset deal that saw RBIN sell its Serbian thermo-technology business to Kazantrade's Serbian subsidiary. Sole practitioner Zsolt Simanyi reportedly advised the Hungarian seller and target company.

NKO Partners has successfully represented Modekolo before Serbia's Administrative Court in a competition-related dispute.

On February 15, 2023, CEE Legal Matters reported that NKO Partners had advised a group of Saga’s minority shareholders on Noventiq's buyout of their equity. CEELM reached out to NKO Partners Founding Partner Djordje Nikolic to learn more about the matter.

On the occasion of International Data Privacy Day (January 28), as in previous years, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection (“the Commissioner”) issued a publication “Personal Data Protection: Stances, Opinions and Practice of the Commissioner”. 

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 219,153 Russian citizens have immigrated to Serbia. In contrast, over the past year, more than four thousand Russian entrepreneurs and companies have been established in Serbia.

NKO Partners has advised the Dr. Max Group on its acquisition of the Belgrade-based Beolek pharmacy chain.

On February 16, 2023, CEE Legal Matters reported that Dentons had advised a banking consortium on their EUR 155 million financing for the 103.3-megawatt Krivaca wind farm project co-owned by Serbia’s MK Group and Slovenia’s ALFI Green Energy Fund. CEELM reached out to Dentons Partner Simon Dayes to learn more about the financing.

Zivkovic Samardzic, working with Milbank, has advised the shareholders of Eurobank Direktna Beograd on its sale to AIK Banka Beograd. Schoenherr and Holman Fenwick Willan advised AIK Banka.

White-collar crime is a term first coined by sociologist Edwin Sutherland in 1949 who defined it as “a crime committed by a respectable and high-social-status person during the profession.” Prior to Sutherland’s introduction of the concept of white-collar crime, the upper classes of society were thought to be incapable of engaging in criminal activity.

In “The Corner Office” we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With a rough year drawing to a close, and market uncertainties running high, the question this time: If you had a million dollars, what would you invest it in today?

With numerous reports of energy-related business shutdowns, we reached out to local experts across CEE to understand what different markets have been dealing with, in terms of work and production stoppages, and look into the broader impact.

Sipping on some Tamjanika wine, overlooking the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers on one side, and the Belgrade Waterfront on the other, I was once again amazed at how much the City of Belgrade has changed over the years.

Cerha Hempel Hungary and the SOG Law Firm have been appointed as members of an international legal consortium to screen potential companies and advise on investments by the Emirate of Dubai’s “Operation 300 Billion” program. The consortium also reportedly includes the Boros Arpad Andras law firm in Budapest.

Fashion house Christian Dior Couture (“Dior“) filed in 2021 to the EU Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO“) an application for registration of 3D shape of bag of this designer house – so-called Saddle bag as trademark within class 9 (mainly referring to eyeglass and phone cases) and class 18 (various handbags). EUIPO partly refused the application stating that the form of the bag lacked distinctiveness and that this bag is practically one of many in the world market.

NSTLaw Stankovic and Partners has been appointed as the official representative for NYSE-listed technology company PAR in Serbia in accordance with the country's law on personal data protection.

NKO Partners has advised CTP on its acquisition of Vojvodina-based land developer BIMS Properties.

The energy crisis and rising costs are not the primary driver but have certainly accelerated discussions on energy sustainability. Responsible companies and real estate developers are already implementing construction strategies that enable energy sustainability and qualify for certificates such are LEED and BREEM. As the market is turning greener, real estate developers are motivated to do so: it increases the demand, secures financing, and provides an overall better company image.