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With large energy and infrastructure projects under development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, local legal professionals are facing an uphill battle against the double standards in their industry, according to Sajic Law Firm Senior Partner Natasa Krejic.

“Coal still matters” has been the predominant energy policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past decades. It sounds very old-fashioned these days in Europe, but lignite (brown coal) is the most important energy resource in the country. The fact that almost 60% of the electricity generated in the country originates from coal-fired thermal power plants leads to the conclusion that Bosnia and Herzegovina heavily relies on coal.

A lull in the markets and legislative activity, due to political and global concerns, is offset by high foreign finance confidence and high foreign investor interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with client-driven ESG projects a particularly bright spot, according to Attorney-at-Law Andrea Zubovic-Devedzic, a Partner of CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz.

Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a foreign investment screening regime comparable to those now emerging in the European Union in light of the EU FDI Screening Regulation. However, it operates an authorisation system covering the defence and media sectors.

Resolving the political deadlock in one of the Bosnian entities, tackling inflation, and a shortage of workers are among the most recent challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Partner Zlatan Balta of Legal Partners, in cooperation with Deloitte Legal.

Feeling the repercussions of global economic issues, Bosnia & Herzegovina finds itself in a more or less usual position in unusual times – with an upcoming general election this fall and swaths of legislative developments seeking to reshuffle the landscape in which lawyers operate, according to Dimitrijevic & Partners Partner Stevan Dimitrijevic.

Corporate restructuring and transformations, such as status changes, are part of the business cycle of companies and represent their natural way of growing, adapting to changes in the market and exploring new business opportunities.

Doklestic Repic & Gajin has advised Beijing New Building Materials Plc on the transaction with the Coal Mine and Thermal Power Plant Ugljevik for the creation of a EUR 50 million gypsum board joint venture. China's Shihui Partners reportedly advised BNBM on the deal as well.

With 2022 being an election year for Bosnia, there is not a lot of market activity, according to BB Legal Partner Nenad Baros. There are crypto-related legislation updates on the horizon, however, and the market has settled down following the sale of Sberbank assets in the country to local banks.