With the adoption of a new legislative solution in the Republic of North Macedonia, introduced through the Law on Labour Engagement of Persons, which shall enter into force on 1 January 2026, a systemic and coherent framework will be established for the regulation of temporary and seasonal labour engagement. The primary objective of this law is to formalize a segment of the labour market that, to date, has remained largely unregulated or informal, with particular focus placed on three sectors: agriculture, hospitality, and domestic services.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has adopted a set of laws regulating the banking sector and the protection of financial services users on March 6^th this year:

Kinstellar, working alongside Noerr, has advised Strabag on the Romanian, Croatian, Czech, and Montenegrin aspects of its EUR 100 million acquisition of WTE Wassertechnik from EVN. Freshfields advised EVN.

The Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Games of Chance, adopted by the end of 2024 and applied as from 6 January 2025, has brought several important changes and new legal solutions that have arisen from the needs of practice and market development. In addition to harmonizing the text of the law with the technological development in this area, the amendments to the law introduced new obligations for organizers and a significant increase in fees for obtaining approval and for organizing games of chance.

The Ministry of Economic Development has conducted a public consultation on the draft Law on Class Actions. The primary reason for adopting a special law which regulates matters related to the collective protection of consumers is, above all, the harmonization of Montenegrin legislation with EU law, specifically with Directive (EU) 2020/1828 on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers and repealing Directive 2009/22/EC. The goal is to prevent and sanction mass violations of consumer rights by traders in the market, while also ensuring fair compensation for harmed consumers. In this text, we briefly present the most important amendments and innovations introduced by the draft Law on Class Actions.

On May 21, 2025, the new Energy Law was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia, adopted by the North Macedonia Assembly on May 14. This systemic and reform-oriented law marks a pivotal step in the transformation of the national energy sector, aligning it with European standards, sustainable development goals, and consumer protection principles.

JPM Partners has advised MFI Flex Credit on obtaining a license to operate as a microcredit financial institution from the Central Bank of Montenegro.

JPM & Partners’ energy practice has been busy with projects ranging from drafting Network Codes for transmission system operators, expanding Serbia's gas storage, advising on certification for and obtaining different energy licenses, and the developments of several renewable energy projects, their regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation, according to Senior Partner Jelena Gazivoda, with the current breadth and complexity of energy-related mandates stemming from a pronounced investment cycle in the energy sector of Serbia.

In our previous practice, we have assisted clients in the course of implementation of AI systems (“AIS”), i.e., assessment of the impact of risks of AIS, especially in the medical and research sector. While working on these projects, we came to the conclusion that many companies overlook obligations or are not even aware of risks for safety, health and fundamental human rights which are tied to the implementation and use of high-risk AIS and can result in significant compliance risks under the applicable legal framework.

The Law on the Protection of Personal Data ("Official Gazette of RS", No. 87/2018) - hereinafter: "the Law", and following the example of the Regulation (EU) - 2016/679 - General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), introduced the term and consequently the function – Data Protection Officer ("DPO").

On 22 May 2025, the Republic of Serbia was officially included within the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (“SEPA”) payment schemes, becoming its 41^st member.

In The Debrief, our Practice Leaders across CEE share updates on recent and upcoming legislation, consider the impact of recent court decisions, showcase landmark projects, and keep our readers apprised of the latest developments impacting their respective practice areas.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we asked: For 2025, what is the one sector or industry in the country that shows the most promise for growth, and why?

The Draft Law on Mediation in the Sale and Lease of Real Estate, following public consultation in the summer of 2023, is expected to be submitted to Parliament for adoption shortly.

The institute of settlement, within the scope of misdemeanors, was introduced into Macedonian legislation by the Misdemeanor Act in 2019. In the context of overburdened courts, all mechanisms that facilitate judicial processes are more than welcome.

The Extension of Time (EoT) mechanism is widely used in construction contracts to account for delays beyond the contractor’s control. However, under Serbian law, EoT is not a legally enforceable right even if explicitly agreed upon by the contracting parties. Instead, the legal framework provides contractors with protection through liability release provisions rather than proactive EoT claims. While legal theory suggests that standalone EoT claims could be admissible under specific conditions, Serbian procedural law and court practice currently do not support such claims. This paper explores the interplay between contractual provisions, Serbian statutory law, and procedural rules affecting EoT claims.

With the adoption of the Law on the Central Register of Beneficial Owners (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 19/2025), which entered into force on 14 March 2025, the legal framework governing this area has undergone significant changes. The application of most provisions is postponed until 15 September 2026, while certain provisions are applicable earlier.

One of the most frequently asked questions by our clients during divorce proceedings concerns what exactly belongs to a spouse in relation to a company that was undoubtedly founded using the joint property of the spouses during the marriage, despite the fact that the spouse in question formally and legally does not hold the status of a founder or is not registered as the owner of a share in that company. In other words, the founding contribution amounted to 1 euro, and the company is now worth millions—what rights does each spouse have?