In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2024 behind us, we asked: Looking at transactional volumes for this year, would you say that 2024 was better or worse than what you originally expected it to be, and why?

Dentons has advised Shopper Park Plus on the acquisition via its subsidiary Shopping Malls SVK of a Tesco-anchored retail park portfolio in Slovakia from Tesco Stores. Wilsons reportedly advised Tesco.

CMS has advised joint lead managers HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Slovenska Sporitelna, and Tatra Banka on the Slovak Republic’s bond issuance of EUR 3 billion 3.750% notes due 2040.

The transfer of a business share is a routine process in corporate transactions. A share purchase agreement (SPA) must be in writing with notarized signatures. The transfer becomes effective upon the company's receipt of the SPA unless a later date is specified. However, if required by law or the memorandum of association (MoA), it cannot take effect before the general meeting grants approval. Each transfer must also be registered in the Slovak Commercial Register (“Commercial Register”). In practice, complications may arise when one party withdraws from an SPA.

Eversheds Sutherland Managing Partner Bernhard Hager talks about energy in Slovakia in 2025.

Slovakia is currently still in the process of approving the draft legislation for the implementation of Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 and Directive (EU) 2018/1972, and repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (NIS2 Directive). However, Slovakia has missed the implementation deadline of October 17, 2024, with the draft pending approval in Parliament, expected by late November 2024.

CEE Legal Matters is proud to introduce the latest in our Comparative Guides series. This one focuses on Real Estate in CEE.

Contributed by Ments.

The latest DLA Piper GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey provides a comprehensive overview of data protection enforcement trends across Europe, including the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. CEE countries are in the mid-range in terms of total GDPR fines imposed since the regulation became applicable in 2018 and for last year, but enforcement activity is steadily increasing. Here are the latest trends and legal developments in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

Allen & Overy Shearman Sterling has advised on the approximately EUR 3.6 billion refinancing of Slovenske Elektrarne. Clifford Chance advised the UniCredit Bank-led banking club.

Nechala & Partners has announced it successfully represented Zdruzenie Realitnuch Kancelarii Slovenska and software provider BackOffice in their complaint before the Slovak Antimonopoly Office regarding United Classifieds.

Kinstellar has advised Mitiska REIM fund First Retail International 2 on the acquisition of land in Bratislava for the construction of the Podunajska Brana retail park via a joint venture between Mitiska Group and Asset Services.

CMS has promoted Martina Gavalec and Natalia Janoskova to Partner at the firm’s Slovakia office.

Havel & Partners has advised the founders of Luigi’s Box on establishing an employee stock ownership plan. 

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 turn our attention to setting up new practices and ask: When launching a new practice, what is your go-to strategy – do you look at internal team members to spearhead it, or are you more likely to turn to lateral hires? Why?

Competition clauses are found in a number of European jurisdictions. Slovak legislation on post-employment non-compete clauses is characterized by: the obligation to agree on a non-compete clause in an employment contract, the possibility to agree on it only with a certain type of employee, time limitation, and remuneration.

Dentons has advised VUJE on a cooperation agreement with Newcleo.

Squire Patton Boggs has successfully represented the Slovak Republic in an investment treaty claim originally worth USD 2.11 billion.