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?

Expropriation is the process of taking or limiting ownership and other property rights over real estate for the purpose of realizing a public interest as defined by law. In the Republic of North Macedonia, this process is regulated by a specific Law on Expropriation.

On 17 January 2025, the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia rendered two new rulebooks in the field of occupational safety and health, the implementation of which begins on 28 April 2025, as follows:

The Serbian Competition Commission ("Commission") has published a Report on the sector inquiry of competition conditions in the private healthcare services market in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2019 up to 2023 ("Inquiry").  

The word “fiduciary” originates from the Latin language and in translation means trust or pledge and dates back to Roman law and denotes a contract that is created when one party, the fiduciary (fiducians), hands over to another party a fiduciary (fiduciarius) something for ownership, and the fiduciary undertakes to return the same thing to the ownership of the fiduciary after the expiration of a certain term or the fulfillment of a certain condition. The fiduciary transfer of ownership rights i.e. fiduciary (“Fiduciary”) was introduced as a legal institute into the Montenegrin legal system through the Law on Fiduciary Transfer of Rights (“Official Gazette RCG No 23/96”) and after that, it continued to live under the Law on Property Relations (“Official Gazette CG No 19/09”).

Unfair trade practices refer to deceptive, unethical, or manipulative actions carried out by businesses, that violate consumer protection laws and harm the consumers. These practices contradict professional conduct and significantly distort the economic interests and decision-making of the average consumer, often targeting vulnerable groups.

Montenegro’s real estate and hospitality sectors have been gaining momentum, driven by the country’s natural beauty, strategic location, and an increasingly favorable investment environment. Keker, Bujkovic, Pejovic Partner Aleksandra Bujkovic, JPM Partners Senior Partner Lana Vukmirovic Misic, BDK Advokati Senior Partner Luka Popovic, and Vujacic Law Office Partner Sasa Vujacic discuss the country’s competitive advantages, challenges faced by investors, and the steps needed to further enhance its appeal to foreign capital.

The distinction between a domestic and a foreign arbitral award is important because it affects the recognition, enforcement, and legal remedies available under Serbian law. The domicile of the award is determined by the seat of arbitration and the law applied to the arbitral proceedings.

The Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing ("Law") has been adopted, and a decree on its promulgation has been issued. The Law was published in the “Official Gazette of Montenegro” on 12^th March 2025, and it enters into force on 20^th March 2025.

The Ministry of Finance has adopted the Rulebook on interest rates considered to be in line with the "arm’s length" principle for 2025. The Rulebook was published in the Official Gazette on February 28 and will enter into force on March 8.

The right to equal pay for the same work or work of equal value is one of the fundamental rights of employees, protected by both domestic legislation and international standards. In Montenegro, this right is regulated by the Labor Law, while judicial practice contributes to its interpretation and application. Furthermore, the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union plays a significant role in shaping the legal framework, providing guidelines for the protection against discrimination in terms of wage equality.

At the end of 2024, the Ministry of Mining and Energy announced the second auction for wind and solar power plants. The deadline for applying for participation in the auctions is 05.02.2025. year. After consideration of all applications and bids, the entire capacity offered at the auctions for wind farms (300 MW) and for solar power plants (124.8 MW) was successfully allocated.

Serbian Energy Regulatory Agency (AERS) has adopted the Tariff methodology for access to the natural gas transmission systems, which is now harmonized with the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/460 of 16 March 2017 establishing a network code on harmonised transmission tariff structures for gas (NC TAR).