CMS Partner Daniela Karollus-Bruner has been elected to the Board of the Vienna International Arbitral Center of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

Wolf Theiss has advised Austrian state holding company OeBAG on the extension of its partnership with America Movil concerning Telekom Austria. Schoenherr reportedly advised Telekom Austria.

Wolf Theiss, working with Clifford Chance, has advised private equity investor Altor – on behalf of Altor Funds – on the acquisition of an 80% majority stake in Kommunalkredit Austria and entering into a partnership with the existing owners and the management of the bank.

Baker McKenzie, Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka, and Marek Partners have advised the Migros Group and its start-up incubator Sparrow Ventures on their investment in Revendo. Baer & Karrer advised Revendo's founders.

The ascendant popularity of ESG across business sectors has also empowered the rise of its evil twin: greenwashing. To look at the interplay between the two and their implications for the pharma industry in CEE, we sat down with CMS Partners Gabriela Staber and Tomas Matejovsky. 

Waste transports with a total quantity of more than 10 tonnes must be carried out by rail or other means of transport with equivalent or lower pollutant or greenhouse gas potential (e.g. propulsion by means of fuel cell or electric motor). The decisive factor is the transport distance covered in Austria, which will gradually decrease. From 1 January 2023, this obligation applies to a transport distance of 300 km or more; from 1 January 2024, the distance will be only 200 km.

Green energy and ESG will be a significant focus in the coming year in Austria, with a slight upward trend expected in restructuring, alternative finance, and regulatory work, according to Wolf Theiss Banking & Finance Partner Andrea Gritsch.

Klara Kiehl, Clemens Rainer, Sascha Schulz, and Marco Thorbauer have been appointed as Schoenherr Partners in Austria, while Serbia's Jelena Arsic, Jovan Barovic, and Dusan Obradovic, Bulgaria's Tsvetan Krumov, and Hungary's Laszlo Krupl have all been appointed as Local Partners with the firm.

Christopher Peitsch, Jakob Hartig, and Christoph Reiter have been promoted to Partners at Cerha Hempel in Austria.

Schoenherr has advised Gropyus on its EUR 100 million Series B financing round led by Vonovia. Cerha Hempel advised Vonovia.

On January 4, CEE Legal Matters reported that Dorda, working with Loyens & Loeff, had advised Croma-Pharma on entering into a business combination agreement with the European Healthcare Acquisition & Growth Company. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Andreas Prinz, Managing Director at Croma Pharma, to learn more about the deal.

Cerha Hempel has advised ARE Austrian Real Estate on the acquisition of an office and hotel building in Vienna from Generali Real Estate. Schoenherr advised Generali.

Dorda, working with Grub Brugger, has advised ZF Friedrichshafen on its acquisition of insolvent tachograph developer Intellic Germany along with its insolvent Austrian assets. Held Berdnik Astner & Partner reportedly advised the seller.

Former Attorney-at-Law Lisa Haslinger has been promoted to Partner at Vavrovsky Heine Marth in Vienna.

Cerha Hempel has advised Stadlmann TEC on its joint venture with The Specialist Group International resulting in the incorporation of Star Stadlmann. BPV Huegel advised TSGI on the JV deal and on the acquisition of Stadlmann TEC’s personnel leasing division.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised KGAL Investment Management on the sale and leaseback arrangements for three Airbus A220-300 aircraft with Air Baltic.

E+H has advised Wienerberger on its acquisition of the Terreal operations in France, Italy, Spain, and the US together with the Creaton business in Germany and Benelux from France's Terreal Group. Latham & Watkins, Advant, Garrigues, Masotti Cassella, Holland & Knight, and Stibbe reportedly advised Wienerberger as well.

Schoenherr, working with Germany's Zinger Strachwitz, has advised the shareholders of the FirmenABC Group on their exit to Austrian investor consortium Invest AG and Industrieliegenschaftenverwaltung AG. Wildmoser/Koch and Tracc Legal reportedly advised the buyers.