For nearly 20 years, private land owners, agricultural producers, and investors have been waiting for Ukraine’s government to cancel the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land in the country.

Popovici, Nitu, Stoica, and Asociatii has advised Ameropa Grains on the sale of a former industrial platform in Constanta to Hornbach.

Sayenko Kharenko has successfully represented Ascania-Flora in a safeguard investigation initiated by the company related to imports of fresh cut roses notwithstanding country of origin and export. 

The new Law on Archival Material and Archival Activities (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 6/2020), in application as of 2 February 2021, does not stipulate the reporting requirement of the Archive Book for the first time (the same obligation existed in previous law), however it does regulate in more detailed manner the system of protection of archival material and documentary material, conditions, their use, organization and impose additional obligations and conditions for obligors.

PwC Legal has advised Guardtime on its preparation of vaccination certificate platform VaccineGuard for Estonia's Health and Welfare Information Systems Center's vaccination certificate system.

As we mentioned in our previous article, the Law on Archive Materials and Archiving Activities (“Law“) started to apply as of 2 February 2021.

Kinstellar’s Budapest office has advised mandated arranger and facility and security agent Bank of China on an approximately USD 75 million loan to sponsor China National Machinery Import and Export for the construction and operation of a 100 MW photovoltaic power plant in Hungary. Allen & Overy reportedly advised the sponsor.

GKC Partners in association with White & Case has advised Garanti BBVA and the Alternatif Bank on their provision of a TRY 800 million dividend recapitalization loan to Test Tasit Muayene Istasyonlari Yapim Ve Isletme A.S. The Balcioglu Selcuk Ardiyok Keki Attorney Partnership advised the borrower.

Former Dentons Managing Counsel Magdalena Raducanu has joined Kinstellar’s Bucharest office as Special Counsel and Head of the Romanian Banking & Finance practice, and Partner Zsuzsa Csiki is take over leadership of Kinstellar's Romanian Corporate and M&A practice.

BDK Advokati, working with lead counsel Allen & Overy, has advised the joint lead managers, including Societe Generale, on Republika Srpska’s global EUR 300 million Eurobond offering on the London Stock Exchange.

With effect from 27 April 2021, the Ukrainian entities have been granted the right to make regular interest payments and final capital repayment under Eurobonds and other own debt securities traded on foreign stock exchanges in excess of a so called EUR 2 mln e-limit. In addition, the entities are now allowed to accumulate and periodically replenish foreign currency on the bank accounts in the amount of principal and interest due on the notes on the nearest repayment date.

Bernitsas Law has acted as Greek law counsel to industrial and energy company Mytilineos SA on its issuance of EUR 500 million aggregate principal amount senior notes due 2026, and on the listing of the notes on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange’s Euro MTF market.

Former BekesPartners lawyer Stella Simon and Perger Law attorney Gabor Perger have founded the AegisLegal law firm in Budapest.

RTPR, acting on behalf of the Electrica Group’s electricity distribution company, and ACT Legal Romania, acting on behalf of the Delgaz Grid, have persuaded Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice to rule on behalf of their clients ad several other distribution companies in a long-running dispute involving claims of anti-competitive behavior brought by Digi Communications, a member of the RCS-RDS group.

Havel & Partners, acting on behalf of T-Mobile Czech Republic, has persuaded the Regional Court in Brno to annul a decision of the Czech Competition Authority regarding T-Mobile Czech Republic's entrance into interconnection agreements with other mobile operators.

The Chamber of Deputies is currently discussing at first reading a bill on the protection of whistleblowers. This act should implement the European directive on whistleblowing, and should therefore become effective within the implementation period, i.e. no later than 17 December 2021.

Sorainen has advised the Estonian Ministry of the Environment on matters related to the management of hazardous substances at sea.

Former PWC Legal Partner Stefanie Werinos-Sydow has brought her team to PHH Rechtsanwalte in Vienna.

Before competent courts in Serbia, there is an increasing number of cases in the field of intellectual property rights that are run upon complaints for infringement of copyright related to the authors’ works whose content is embedded in the webpages of respondents (registered media or third person).

Havel & Partners has advised shareholders Tomas Rutrle, Martin Lips, Yvona Parmova, Martin Slama, and Libor Malek on their sale of IT company Komix to the Cleverlance Group, a subsidiary of the Aricoma Group. Dunovska & Partners advised the buyers on the deal.

Weinhold Legal, working alongside global counsel Kirkland & Ellis, has advised Lionbridge AI on the Czech legal aspects of its USD 935 million sale to Canadian telecom company Telus. Shearman & Sterling was global counsel to Telus.

Kinstellar’s Budapest office has advised mandated arranger and facility and security agent Bank of China on an approximately USD 75 million loan to sponsor China National Machinery Import and Export for the construction and operation of a 100 MW photovoltaic power plant in Hungary. Allen & Overy reportedly advised the sponsor.

RTPR, acting on behalf of the Electrica Group’s electricity distribution company, and ACT Legal Romania, acting on behalf of the Delgaz Grid, have persuaded Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice to rule on behalf of their clients ad several other distribution companies in a long-running dispute involving claims of anti-competitive behavior brought by Digi Communications, a member of the RCS-RDS group.

On 30 March 2021, Government of the Republic of Serbia, submitted set of energy laws to the National Assembly for adoption, on the basis of which proposals of laws in various energy areas are rendered on 20 April 2021. One of these laws is completely new -  Law on Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources (hereinafter referred to as: “Law on RES”).

Any COVID-19 vaccine related questions addressed to a candidate during a job interview may cause serious legal problems, since the answers can influence the employer’s judgement of the applicant positively or negatively, which can potentially lead to discrimination. Moreover, the refusal of the vaccination cannot serve as a basis for the termination of the employment relationship by notice – indicates act Ban & Karika Attorneys at Law.

The Warsaw office of Hogan Lovells has provided pro bono legal representation to Piotr Wawrzecki in a dispute over the seizure of his decedent father’s assets by the Polish State Treasury. The case was brought before the Warsaw Court of Appeals.

Wardynski & Partners, acting pro bono, has successfully represented blogger Lukasz Kasprowicz, from the Polish town of Mosina, in a criminal libel case that reached the Supreme Court of Poland.

Wladek Rzycki has joined CMS as a Partner in the Infrastructure and Projects Group in Warsaw.

CMS has advised a consortium of Vinci and Meridiam on its public-private partnership contract for the construction of the D4 motorway in the Czech Republic, the country’s first road PPP. Vinci and Meridiam each have a 50% stake in the project, and EUR 474 million of financing has been obtained.

Wolf Theiss, working with Gide Loyrette Nouel as to French law and Norton Rose Fulbright as to German law, has advised the EBRD, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, UniCredit S.p.a., UniCredit Bulbank, UniCredit Bank AG, Societe Generale, Kommunalkredit Austria, and DSK Bank on their provision of a EUR 296 million debt package to support the SOF Connect consortium on its successful bid for the concession of the Sofia Airport. Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Kinstellar, and Bouzeva & Partners advised the borrowers on the deal.

More than a year has elapsed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on our economy. Due to the extraordinary measures of the Hungarian government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, numerous services were suspended, many shops were closed, and travel is still restricted. Companies affected by these restrictions suffered huge losses, which may result in their insolvency.

On 4 May, the detailed debate has been closed in the Hungarian Parliament in relation to the legislative proposal, which aims to implement Directive 2019/1023, also known as the restructuring directive, providing debtors with a pre-insolvency tool to rescue their viable but struggling enterprises. Restructuring proceedings fill a gap in the Hungarian legal environment and may also help enterprises recover financially from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka has helped Polregio sp. z o.o. obtain approval from the European Commission for the over-PLN 6 billion in state aid it received for its restructuring.

On June 10th, 2020, the so-called big conceptual amendment to the Labor Code was passed. The amendment transposes European law (the directive concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services) into the Czech legal order, primarily aiming at facilitating the establishment of employment relationships. One of the major changes introduced by the amendment, which will affect virtually every employee, with effect from 1.1.2021, is the new leave entitlement concept. This concept of leave calculation in the future should be fairer on employees, especially on those whose working hours are unevenly scheduled into shifts.

Bird & Bird Partner Marta Koremba has become an Equity Partner in Bird & Bird's international network, and Bird & Bird Warsaw Head of Employment Karolina Stawicka and Head of Financing Transactions Maciej Georg have been promoted to Partner. 

Social media has become a phenomenon, representing our extroverted life, and thus a critical part of our work environment.

Krehic & Partners in cooperation with Deloitte Legal has advised Nipro PharmaPackaging, a supplier of glass primary packaging for the pharmaceutical industry, on the acquisition of Croatian glass pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Piramida from Blue Sea Capital. Savoric & Partners advised the sellers on the deal.

PwC Legal has advised Guardtime on its preparation of vaccination certificate platform VaccineGuard for Estonia's Health and Welfare Information Systems Center's vaccination certificate system.

Recently published case law from Hungary’s National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition – the Hungarian acronym is OGYEI – deals with various aspects of pharmaceutical promotional activities and interactions with health care providers. The OGYEI investigated the commercial practices of Aramis Pharma Kft., Lilly Hungaria Kft., and Sager Pharma Kft., and imposed fines following the discovery of infringements.

RTPR, acting on behalf of the Electrica Group’s electricity distribution company, and ACT Legal Romania, acting on behalf of the Delgaz Grid, have persuaded Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice to rule on behalf of their clients ad several other distribution companies in a long-running dispute involving claims of anti-competitive behavior brought by Digi Communications, a member of the RCS-RDS group.

Havel & Partners, acting on behalf of T-Mobile Czech Republic, has persuaded the Regional Court in Brno to annul a decision of the Czech Competition Authority regarding T-Mobile Czech Republic's entrance into interconnection agreements with other mobile operators.

An approaching milestone after decades – Part 1: Overview and jurisdiction

Schoenherr has advised Ventus LLC and Sky Logistica on the acquisition of Skyport, a cargo operator based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, from the Czechoslovak Group, a.s.. In a parallel transaction, Schoenherr also advised Elite Partners Capital on the acquisition of the Skyport RE cargo property company from the Czechoslovak Group. Dentons advised the Czechoslovak Group on the parallel deals.

HKR, working in cooperation with solo practitioner Adam Zitek, has successfully represented the interests of the City of Brno in a dispute over the substantive nature of purpose-built roads on land adjacent to the Luzanky football stadium. 

The Lithuanian office of Sorainen has advised the Council of Europe Development Bank on its provision of funding to Kauno Autobusai for the purchase of 100 new solo hybrid buses.

Sorainen has advised the Estonian Ministry of the Environment on matters related to the management of hazardous substances at sea.

On November 18, 2020, CEE Legal Matters reported that Gugushev & Partners had helped Fr. Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co KG, part of Northern Germany's Lurssen shipyard group, win a public tender for the supply of two multipurpose modular patrol vessels to the Bulgarian Navy. CEEIHM spoke with Dirk Malgowski, Managing Director at Fr. Lurssen Werft, to learn more about the matter.

KLC has advised SRH Marine SAIT on its agreement with Tototheo Maritime to form a new jointly-owned company, MAR360. 

Clifford Chance has advised the Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, which organizes the Czech Republic's annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, on a strategic investment into the entity by the Rockaway Capital Group.

Bird & Bird Warsaw has advised Polish Enterprise Fund VI, a private equity fund managed by Enterprise Investors, on the sale of companies from the Wento group to international energy concern Equinor, which was advised by CMS. The transaction value stands at EUR 100 million.

CMS has advised German investment company Finexx on its acquisition of Volpini Verpackungen GmbH Austria. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Dentons, working pro bono, has successfully obtained a favorable ruling from the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic on behalf of Jozef Andrej, who had been previously convicted of the manslaughter of his severely disabled son. The decision of the Constitutional Court sends his case back to the SlovakSupreme Court.

Ilyashev & Partners, representing the interests of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, has persuaded the Economic Court of Kyiv to invalidate the trademark of a Ukrainian pharmacy network featuring the image of a red cross.

The Warsaw office of Hogan Lovells has provided pro bono legal representation to Piotr Wawrzecki in a dispute over the seizure of his decedent father’s assets by the Polish State Treasury. The case was brought before the Warsaw Court of Appeals.

The Romanian Government has recently adopted Government Decision no. 298/2021 („GD 298/2021”) for the approval of the initial proposals for a territorial planning, urban planning and constructions code (hereinafter referred to as the “Construction Code” or the “Code”).

Former Rymarz Zdort Co-Head of Real Estate Agnieszka Koniewicz has joined Penteris as a Partner.

Buzescu Ca has advised Danfoss on the sale of a plant in Cluj, Romania and land around it to NKS Logistic Business. Korcsog & Carunta Notaries advised the buyers. 

Procedural rules that have entered into force in recent years have fundamentally changed litigation in Hungary. This is especially true for tax litigation.

Reflecting the Hungarian tax administration’s nature as a pioneer in innovative tax administration measures, 2021 brings significant eVAT developments in Hungary.

The Ministry of Finance adopted a comprehensive Rulebook on the Value Added Tax (“VAT Rulebook”) that was published in the Official Gazette no. 37/2021 of 14 April 2021.

Before competent courts in Serbia, there is an increasing number of cases in the field of intellectual property rights that are run upon complaints for infringement of copyright related to the authors’ works whose content is embedded in the webpages of respondents (registered media or third person).

Havel & Partners has advised shareholders Tomas Rutrle, Martin Lips, Yvona Parmova, Martin Slama, and Libor Malek on their sale of IT company Komix to the Cleverlance Group, a subsidiary of the Aricoma Group. Dunovska & Partners advised the buyers on the deal.

Weinhold Legal, working alongside global counsel Kirkland & Ellis, has advised Lionbridge AI on the Czech legal aspects of its USD 935 million sale to Canadian telecom company Telus. Shearman & Sterling was global counsel to Telus.

White & Case and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek have advised CTP B.V. on its initial public offering and listing of its shares on Euronext Amsterdam. Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen advised CTP on Romanian legal matters. Clifford Chance's London, Paris, and Amsterdam offices advised the underwriters on the deal. 

Former Karanovic & Partners Lawyer Stefan Petrovic has left the firm to launch Petrovic Legal in Belgrade.

On January 12, 2021, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic confirmed the verdict delivered by the Specialized Criminal Court in February 2020 on the forging of four promissory notes of private television broadcaster TV Markiza. Businessman Marian Kocner and former minister Pavol Rusko, a onetime owner of TV Markíza, were accused of forging the promissory notes and using them to demand EUR 69 million from the television station. Both Kocner and Rusko were convicted of forging the promissory notes and were each sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment. Dentons' Litigation team in Bratislava represented TV Markiza in the case.