Sabina Lalaj, who has led Deloitte Legal in Albania and Kosovo since 2015, has been promoted to Local Legal Partner at the firm.

During the last decade, Albania has undertaken several initiatives to liberalize the electric energy sector and increase local generation capacities. Such measures have created a lively market, especially in the renewal energy segment.

After almost a century of reclusion, Albania has achieved formal candidate status to join the 28 member states in the European Union. Is the time finally right?

Austria’s political scene felt some tremors in the past few weeks following snap elections. Unsurprisingly, potential coalitions became a primary subject of discussion. “The Conservatives won in a landslide, with almost 38% of the vote, with Social Democrats taking a very distant second. with around 21%,” reports DLA Piper Country Managing Partner David Christian Bauer. Another notable result of the election is the low 16% vote for the far-right Freedom Party – the recent coalition partners of the conservatives – following insinuations of corruption. “The Conservatives will most certainly form the Government and any coalition that gets formed will have to go through them,” says Bauer, emphasizing that the Freedom Party will face strong challenges to return to rule, with the scandals and “internal turmoil they’re experiencing.”

Binder Groesswang has advised the Gilde Buy Out Partners private equity fund and 17 other sellers on the sale of the Austria-based Powerlines Group GmbH to French energy group ENGIE Ineo, following a bidding process. Allen & Overy and Eisenberger & Herzog reportedly advised ENGIE Ineo on the deal.

Wolf Theiss has advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG on the issue and listing of a EUR 750 million Green Bond. White & Case advised a syndicate consisting of Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Societe Generale, and UniCredit Bank AG on the issuance.

Aleinikov & Partners has advised the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus on venture financing issues related to the Enhancing Access to Financing of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Republic of Belarus project implemented with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Sorainen has assisted Shaanxi Fast Gear in its entrance into a joint venture with Minsk Automobile Plant MAZ, the Belarusian state-owned manufacturer of trucks.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati has rebranded as Cerha Hempel.

The Maric & Co Law Firm has represented former employees of Aluminij d.d. Mostar in an ethnic discrimination case against the company and the Government of the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Maric & Co has successfully prepared a joint notification of concentration between South Korea's LG Electronics Inc, and its client Lufthansa Technik AG and filed it to the Bosnian Competition Council.

Bojovic Draskovic Popovic & Partners and the other members of the South East Legal Alliance have become official partners of Italy's Grimaldi Alliance.

CMS has assisted Corinth Pipeworks S.A., a Greek producer of gas pipeline equipment, on its successful preparation, bid, and signing of a multi-million pipe delivery agreement with ICGB - the project company developing the Natural Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria.

Tsvetkova Bebov Komarevski has advised Bombardier Transportation Italy, part of the Plobur Consortium, on its entrance into a public procurement contract with Bulgaria's state-owned National Railway Infrastructure Company worth EUR 94.6 million.

Hristov Partners has advised Elit Car and its founders on the parallel acquisition of Auto Kelly Bulgaria Ltd. and the sale of 20% of Elit Car's share capital to Auto Kelly a.s., an affiliate of LKQ Corporation. Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov advised Auto Kelly.

BDK Advokati has advised the United Kingdom's Convex Holding on the sale of 51% of its shares in Trizma d.o.o. to Croatia's Meritus Upravljanje d.o.o. MPRR reportedly advised the buyers on the deal.

Established by senior Croatian lawyers from three separate firms, Lovric│Novokmet│Smrcek — LNS — has opened its doors in Zagreb.

When it first appeared, the compliance field seemed little more than “regulatory” in new clothes – a fancy name for making sure a company stayed within the ambit of provisions set out in the laws of a country. As time passed, however, more and more companies started treating compliance as a practice in its own right, and as a field of law … that is much more than just law. Compliance became an area of interest not only to seasoned lawyers, but also to scholars, consultants, and in-house counsels – all levels of legal practice became aware of its significance.

Former Weinhold Legal Managing Attorney Ondrej Havlicek has joined Schoenherr Prague as Head of Banking, Finance, and Capital Markets.

Kinstellar has advised Ceskomoravska Nemovitostni a.s. on its acquisition of the Blox office building in Prague's sixth district from the CFH Group. The seller was reportedly advised by Svoboda & Kucera.

Kinstellar has advised Warburg-HIH Invest on its acquisition of the River Garden I office building in Prague’s Karlin district from LaSalle Investment Management. White & Case reportedly advised the sellers on the deal.

Zepos & Yannopoulos has advised both the buyer and the seller on Greek aspects of the acquisition by MacGregor, a subsidiary of Cargotec Oyj, of the marine and offshore businesses of TTS Group ASA for approximately EUR 87 million. Norway's Wikborg Rein law firm advised TTS Group ASA and Norway's Bahr law firm advised Cargotec’s MacGregor.

Zepos & Yannopoulos has advised CarVal Investors in its acquisition of an unsecured non-performing portfolio of credit cards, consumer loans, small business loans, and small & medium enterprises loans with a total principal amount of almost EUR 1.2 billion from the National Bank of Greece. NBG was advised by Karatzas & Partners.

Papapolitis & Papapolitis has advised lead underwriters Eurobank S.A. and Piraeus Bank S.A. on the EUR 175 million Attica Holdings bond issuance.

While the number of people employed in teleworking or home office is growing rapidly across the world, many firms are not aware of what this entails in legal terms. Yet, those employing workers outside of the office are often faced with unexpected risks.

Monika Nacsa, the former Head of Litigation at Hungary's Competition Authority, has joined Kinstellar as an Associate in the firm’s Competition and Dispute Resolution practices in Budapest.

Every single business that trades with the UK, both in goods and services, will be affected by a “no-deal Brexit” scenario, i.e. the withdrawal of the UK from the EU without an agreement. On 4 September 2019 the Commission published a “Brexit preparedness checklist”, to provide information and to help enterprises conducting business in the EU and/or in the UK to double-check their state of preparedness.

Ellex Raidla has advised the Estonian Lottery on its agreement with the Quality Group Lottery Solutions GmbH for system upgrades.

Ellex Raidla has advised 3i Infrastructure plc on its EUR 220 million acquisition of Ionisos from Ardian Expansion.

Sorainen has successfully represented Krassik OU and other fuel trading sector companies from the Daxin Group in legal proceedings before the Supreme Court of Estonia related to a purported abuse of position by Krassik’s previous management board.

Sabina Lalaj, who has led Deloitte Legal in Albania and Kosovo since 2015, has been promoted to Local Legal Partner at the firm.

Sabina Lalaj, who has led Deloitte Legal in Albania and Kosovo since 2015, has been promoted to Local Legal Partner at the firm.

Law firm members of the SEE Legal Group, acting on behalf of Netlog Logistics, have completed a due diligence analysis of the Intereuropa group of companies, upon the announcement of a banking consortium that it is selling 72% share capital in Intereuropa d.d.

Ellex Klavins has advised Eastnine AB on its EUR 25 million acquisition of the Valdemara Centrso office property in Riga from Capital Mill. Fort Legal advised the seller on the deal.

Sorainen Latvia has advised Rpax One on the sale of telecommunications company Baltcom to mobile communications operator Bite Latvija for an undisclosed price. Fort Legal advised Bite on the transaction, which is pending regulatory approval.

TGS Baltic has advised Latvian board games company SIA Brain Games on its acquisition of Lithuanian board game and toys wholesaler and retailer UAB New Media Publishing.

Ellex Valiunas has advised US financial services firm Moody's on a lease agreement with the SBA Group for office space in the Green Hall 3, a class A building developed by Urban Inventors in Vilnius. The agreement is for approximately 1,600 square meters. Sorainen reportedly advised SBA on the deal.

Primus Derling in Lithuania has advised JNG Investments Estonia on the acquisition by its VIA 3L subsidiary — a third-party logistics service provider in Estonia and Latvia — of fellow third party logistics company Terminal LT from GIRTEKA. The sellers were advised by the Marger Law Firm.

Ellex Valiunas has helped US medical equipment manufacturer Hollister Incorporated open a factory in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone in Lithuania.

Motieka & Audzevicius has advised Petstart UAB on its exit from a joint venture with a Romanian PET packaging waste company. The buyer was advised by Karanovic & Partners.

It is no secret that North Macedonia is facing the issue of usage of products for plant protection which often fail to meet legal standards. Namely, Macedonian manufacturers producing agricultural products for human and animal nutrition often use unauthorized products which fail to meet safety criteria and may have suspicious origins. Although this issue is not as widely-discussed as air pollution in North Macedonia, it contributes significantly to the existing environmental pollution problem and has a huge impact on the health of plants, people, and the environment.

ODI has advised Turkish aircraft management and rental company Rey Airlines on the winding up of its Rey Airlines Europe LLC JV, which it established in partnership with a private individual in Skopje in 2016.

Major developments in 2018 and 2019 have affected the growth of the agricultural industry and agribusiness in Moldova. Key among these developments was the March 1, 2019 adoption of the restated Moldovan Civil Code, which significantly affected the parts of the Moldovan legal framework relevant to businesses.

Igor Andries is the Head of Legal & Regulatory at Orange Moldova.

The landlocked former Soviet republic struggles to move beyond political division and geopolitical pressures to find a steady and reliable path to prosperity.

Lawyers in Montenegro are talking about the Montenegro Economic Citizenship Program these days, says Vukmirovic Misic Managing Partner Lana Vukmirovic.

Jones Day has advised Societe Generale in connection with the sale of its majority stake in the share capital of Societe Generale Montenegro, a company listed on the Montenegrin Stock Exchange, to OTP Bank Nyrt. Schoenherr advised Societe Generale on matters of Montenegrin law, while CMS advised OTP.

The Government of Montenegro, at the session of February 7, 2019, passed Decision about The Privatization Plan for 2019 which is published in the Official Gazette No. 013/19 of 01, March 2019 and it came into force on 9, April of the same year.

Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak has advised Portuguese Private Investment Ltd. in a Series B investment in Warsaw-based Tylko.

Linklaters is advising Hines European Value Fund, acting through its subsidiary Gisla, on the acquisition of the Wola Center office building in Warsaw from Develia.

Solivan, the Polish member firm of the "Pontes the CEE lawyers" network, has advised ReneSola, a NYSE-listed solar project developer, on its sale of 55 MW Polish solar farms with an aggregate capacity of 54.6 megawatts to Aberdeen Standard Investment. Weil, Gotshal & Manges advised Aberdeen Standard Investment on the acquisition.

The Romanian Competition Council (the "RCC") recently imposed a total penalty of EUR 1.1m on four companies for indulging in anticompetitive practices. The companies breached the competition rules by colluding to rig bids for winter road maintenance services organised by the National Company for the Management of Road Infrastructure.

Filip & Company has advised Digi Romania, DIGI Communications N.V., and DIGI Hungary on two medium-term loan facilities for an equivalent aggregate value of EUR 150 million from Citibank Europe plc, Romanian Branch, ING Bank N.V. Amsterdam and Bucharest Branches, and Unicredit Bank S.A. Linklaters reportedly advised the lenders on the deal.

Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii has advised the owners of PlantExtrakt, a Romanian producer of medical and para-medical products, on the company's sale to Europlant Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Germany's Martin Bauer.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has helped the Aqua Investments Group and Kavminkurortresursy JSC establish their exclusive geographical indication rights to the  Yessentuki N4 and Yessentuki N17 healing diets and mineralized healing water brands.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Russia has advised Mistral Wine on its acquisition of 200 hectares of vineyards and a winery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.

CMS has advised Constantia Flexibles on its acquisition of Russian TT-print. FCG-Partners reportedly advised the sellers on the deal.

On 26th September 2019 the Law on Amendments to the Serbian Law on Patents came into force.

At the Fifteenth extraordinary session in the Eleventh convocation, on July 26th, 2019, the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia rendered the Act on amendments of and supplements to the Act on execution and ensuring settlement (“RS Official Journal”, No. 54/2019, hereinafter referred to as: „the Act“). The Act shall become effective as of the 8th (eighth) day following its publication in the Official Journal, and shall be applicable as of January 1st, 2020.

BDK and Clifford Chance advised the EBRD, IFC, and the Development Bank of Austria on financing for a waste management public-private partnership project in the Vinca district of Belgrade. The City of Belgrade was advised by Hogan Lovells and Karanovic & Partners, with Karanovic & Partners also advising the IFC on the matter.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati has rebranded as Cerha Hempel.

Former A&O Head of Competition in Slovakia Juraj Gyarfas has joined Dentons as a Partner in the firm's Corporate and M&A, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Competition & Antitrust practice groups.

Hengeler Mueller has advised Innogy SE on the sale of its 49 percent stake in the business of the Slovakian Vychodoslovenska Energetika Holding a.s. to RWE AG. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised RWE on the deal.

ODI Law in Slovenia and the LTA Legal Tax Audit firm in the Czech Republic have advised the Czech Ministry of Finance and IMOB and PRISKO, the Ministry's two state-owned subsidiaries, on the cross-border sale of a majority stake in VIPAP VIDEM KRSKO, the largest paper mill in Slovenia, as well as on the sale of claims against it, all to Czech-based RIDG Holding. RIDG was advised by Schoenherr.

Schoenherr Ljubljana has advised Immofinanz AG on its purchase of a real estate portfolio consisting of five shopping centers from Centrice Real Estate, which was advised by Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & Partners.

ODI has advised Slovenia’s MSIN Group on its sale of a majority stake in Keko Varicon to Bourns Limited. Jadek & Pensa advised Bourns on the deal.

I. Introduction

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPAC”), which are incorporated to achieve the purpose of investing and merging with a non-public company, were first introduced in the United States in 1990s and recently increased its popularity globally. Unlike other countries, SPACs entered into Turkish legal system relatively late with the Communiqué on Common Principles Regarding Significant Transactions and Appraisal Right (Communiqué No. II-23.1) of the Capital Markets Board (“CMB”), published in the Official Gazette dated 24.12.2013 numbered 28861(“Appraisal Right Communiqué”). Currently, there is no SPAC listed under Borsa Istanbul (“BIST”) in Turkey. SPACs are very similar to venture capital structure and can be considered as a strong alternative for investors and shareholders in Turkey as well.

By way of background, in January 2019, the Capital Markets Board (“CMB”) had issued an announcement on its website on the Draft Communiqué on Equity Crowdfunding . The CMB has now officially published the Communiqué on Crowdfunding No. III-35/A (“Communiqué”), on October 3, 2019. The Communiqué entered into force as of October 3, 2019.

The authority to initiate dumping or subsidy examinations, upon complaint or, where necessary, ex officio, has been given from the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Trade (“Ministry”). Within the scope of this authority, the Ministry announces its decisions with the communiqués published on the Official Gazette.

Integrites has successfully defended the interests of corrugated packaging manufacturer Dunapack in Ukraine's Fifth Administrative Court of Appeal in Odessa.

Olena Sukmanova has joined Sayenko Kharenko as Partner and Head of Litigation.

Maria Koval, former Senior Associate at Ilyashev & Partners, has joined Redcliffe Partners as Counsel and Head of IP.