The very idea of introducing a new financial instrument issued by a limited liability company (“LLC” or “Company”) is to improve the economic environment as well as financial growth by providing a way for companies to incentivize employees, especially the ones in IT industry, thus enabling companies to operate in accordance with high standards adopted worldwide.

The government of Republic of North Macedonia recently introduced a new tax law for solidarity, in an effort to address the consequences of the crisis. In response to the difficult economic and energy crisis faced by vulnerable citizens, as well as companies that have experienced significant increases in revenue as a result of the crisis, the government has implemented a series of measures including subsidies, social protection, tax exemptions, and financial support for domestic energy companies.

The new act on the limitation of the environmental impact of selected plastic products (the “Act”) is a transposition of the European Directives 2008/98/EC on waste and in particular the 2019/904 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. 

The European Court of Justice ("ECJ"), in its judgment of 9 February 2023 in Case C-453/21, considered the interpretation of the dismissability of a Data Protection Officer and the performance by the DPO of other duties that may give rise to a conflict of interest. The ECJ ruled that an appointed DPO cannot hold a position within the organisation that would result in him or her determining the purposes and methods of processing personal data. The decision has significant implications for organisations wishing to entrust their DPO with additional tasks that may conflict with the DPO's duties.

New regulations allowing employers to carry out preventive and ad hoc sobriety checks on employees will come into effect on February 21, 2023. Employers will be allowed to start the checks two weeks after they publish relevant regulations in the workplace.

On the 19th of January, there has been yet another competition infringement investigation (ex officio) by the Serbian Commission for the Protection of the Competition, this time against VAILLANT doo Beograd (Vaillant) regarding the market of gas boilers!

Following the EU, the UK is also trying to provide a safer environment for investors with regulations.

On 31 January 2023, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "Some issues with implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine 'On Mobilization Training and Mobilisation'" No. 76 dated 27 January 2023 ("Resolution") came into effect. The Resolution approves a new procedure for reserving persons subject to military service, as well as criteria for determining companies that are critically important for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihood of the population during a special period.

We summarize an overview of selected legislative changes applicable for 2023. However, there are other major changes to be expected this year, such as a major amendment to the Labour Code, the adoption of the Whistleblower Protection Act or an amendment to the Employment Act. We will, of course, inform you about these changes as soon as their final form is known.

Recently local authorities have been hit by rising electricity costs. No-one’s surprised nowadays when electricity purchase prices rise by several hundred percent or when tenders are repeatedly cancelled. As a result, local authorities often decide to take radical steps - temporary closures of public facilities, limited street lighting or turning off the illumination of buildings have become standard in some towns and cities. There’s no doubt that a major part of the electricity purchased by local government goes on street lighting systems, which are often inefficient in terms of energy consumption. In many cases, it might be a good idea to have a look at using public-private partnerships as a way to upgrade street lighting systems and cut electricity requirements. It is also worth taking note that developing this model for implementing public tasks in the street lighting sector is explicitly included in the strategic document Polish Energy Policy until 2040 issued by the Ministry of Climate and Environment and setting the framework for the energy transition in Poland.

Commercial companies need capital to execute its business activities. Thus, paying the capital is regarded as the fundamental obligation of partners. In accordance with this, partners who do not pay their capital share on due date will be held liable accordingly to the private law in the context of TCC.
In addition to this, it is seen that this breach is sometimes interpreted as distribution of disguised profit through transfer pricing in the context of Corporate Tax Code (“CTC”).

One of the long-debated domestic themes is non-existence of retail NPL market in Serbia. Following the 2008 World Economic Crisis in Serbia, the country managed to regulate corporate NPL market, and to decrease NPL level from 20% to 3,19 %.

The use of social media content – particularly posts and comments – in advertising has become a prevalent practice in recent years. However, it is crucial for businesses and advertisers to be aware of the potential legal implications associated with such use. Besides copyright and advertising law considerations, it has also become essential to understand the relevant provisions of data protection law when contemplating the usage of social media content in advertising.

As of 1 January 2023, Croatian employers should start with the implementation of new employment rules not only in employment agreements and internal documents but also in practice. After years of discussion between all involved parties, the amendments to the Labour Act were passed mid-December 2022 and entered into force on 1 January 2023 (apart from certain provisions which will enter into force on 1 January 2024).

New amendments to the packaging waste legislation were promulgated in the 100th issue of the Bulgarian State Gazette dated 16 December 2022. The amendments are in the Ordinance on Packaging and Packaging Waste (the "Ordinance") and are officially in force as of 20 December 2022.

As early as 25 June 2023, legislation should come into force in the Czech Republic that could give consumers another powerful weapon in the battle against unfair business practices. This legislation introduces the so-called class action lawsuit, which will allow multiple victims, each typically holding small claims, to join together for united representation in court proceedings.

The Albanian Government is considering to impose an extraordinary payment for energy companies with regard to the profits that they have been realized due to the spike of energy prices caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The year 2023 in Romania started with hopes for more legislative clarity concerning fire safety. Order No. 180 / 2022 issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Approval of the Methodological Norms on Fire Safety and Civil Protection Endorsements and Approvals (the “Fire Safety Norms”) was published in the Official Gazette of Romania on 27 December 2022.