The Vilnius office of Sorainen has advised dealers BNP Paribas, Citi, and Erste Group on Lithuania’s raising of EUR 1.75 billion by means of a 30-year Eurobond issue.

After the successful first METAR tender last year, on July 15, 2020 the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority launched the second METAR tender to support renewable electricity producers under the green premium scheme.

Balcioglu Selcuk Ardiyok Keki Attorney Partnership has advised Anatolia B.V., a subsidiary of agricultural exporter Tiryaki Agro Foods Industry, on the sale of 25.58% shareholding in Sunrise Foods International Inc. to Hassad Holdings Canada. Dentons advised Tiryaki on English law matters, while Herguner Bilgen Ozeke advised Hassad on the deal.

The following Q&A is an extract of the Private Equity Trends Monitor, which provides you with an up-to-date overview of the latest and anticipated trends across the European private equity sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report on trends and developments will be issued every two months as the situation continues to evolve. This extract covers private equity deal activity in Central and Eastern Europe.

Dentons has announced the appointment of three partners to European practice and sector leadership roles, with Anita Horvath to co-lead the Europe Energy group, Christopher Rose to lead the Global Private Services sector group within Europe, and Thomas Schubert to lead the Europe Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies group.


On 23 October 2019, a new directive of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (the "Directive") was signed. It requires Member States to adopt laws, among other things, obliging companies to establish reporting channels and to ensure sufficient protection of whistleblowers. The Directive also provides for penalties applicable to both individuals and legal entities. Such national regulations and related whistleblowing measures shall come into force in less than two years. Please find below a brief summary of the legal aspects, the new obligations and the possible penalties in relation to the new whistleblowing Directive.

Simona Marin has been named the Head of Denton's Banking and Finance practice in Bucharest.

Dentons' Moscow-based Partner Timothy Stubbs was a member of the firm's multi-jurisdictional team advising the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the negotiation and execution of a 2002 ISDA Master Agreement for a swap transaction with the Central Bank of Azerbaijan worth a total of USD 200 million.

On June 26, 2020, a significant amendment to the Czech Labor Code, (which we informed you about in our newsletter back in February 2020), was published in the Collection of Laws as the Act No. 285/2020 Coll. Adoption of the amendment was originally planned with an earlier date, but was delayed due to extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus. Nevertheless, apart from this delay, the adoption procedure was smooth and the amendment (particularly as a result of the previous tripartite consensus) did not undergo any significant changes during the legislative procedure.

DLA Piper has advised Grupa PZU on the lease of 47,000 square meters of office, retail, and warehouse space in the Generation Park Y in Warsaw from Skanska. Dentons advised Skanska on the deal.

For our new “Checking In” feature, we reach out to partners and heads of practice across CEE to learn how specific practice areas are faring in their jurisdictions. For this inaugural piece, we asked firm Real Estate experts: "What effect do you think the COVID-19 crisis will have on the real estate market in your jurisdiction this year, and what do think will be the longer-term repercussions?"

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2019 CEE Deal of the Year Award winners – the most important, complicated, significant, and valuable deals across Central and Eastern Europe.

Maksym Sysoiev has been promoted to Partner at Dentons in Kyiv, where, the firm reports, “he will focus on further developing and enhancing Dentons’ energy capabilities and offering in Ukraine."

Linklaters has advised the EBRD and BNP Paribas Bank Polska on financing provided to five Polish special purpose vehicles owned by the French renewable energy developer and operator Qair and the French infrastructure fund RGreen Invest and advised BNP Paribas Bank Polska on financing provided to three Polish special purpose vehicles of the same portfolio, with the total financing to the portfolio amounting to approximately PLN 700 million. Dentons advised Qair on the deal.

Dentons has advised Sev.en Energy on the acquisition of US-based metallurgical coal producer Blackhawk Mining. Latham & Watkins reportedly advised Blackhawk on the deal.

Dentons has advised commercial real estate developer Cavatina Holding on the sale of three A-class office buildings in the Equal Business Park office complex in Krakow to a consortium managed by Apollo-Rida Poland. Penteris advised Apollo-Rida on the deal.

White & Case and its associated Turkish firm, GKC Partners, have advised interactive entertainment company Zynga Inc. on its USD 1.8 billion acquisition of Istanbul-based Peak Oyun Yazilim ve Pazarlama, A.S. Baker McKenzie, working with its Turkish affiliate, the Esin Attorney Partnership, advised Peak on the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020.

Evan Lazar is Co-Chairman, Global Real Estate, Global Vice Chair, and Chairman of the Europe Board for Dentons. We spoke to Lazar from his home office in Prague about how his firm has responded to the COVID-19 crisis and to gain his perspective on how the crisis has affected the real estate industry in CEE, and on what he expects the long-term consequences of the crisis to be, both on the economies of the region, and on the legal industry in particular.