CEE Legal Matters
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The Law on Amendments to the Law on Excise (“the Law”) was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia no. 75/2023 of September 6, 2023, and it entered into force on the eighth day after its publishing, i.e., on September 14, 2023, while it shall be applied from October 1, 2023.
On August 25, 2023, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Personal Data Protection Strategy for the period 2023-2030 (“Strategy”).
Meeting of minds of the contracting parties undeniably represents the very foundation of the contract law, hence both theory and practice agree that there is no agreement without it. However, when it comes to the manner of expressing such will, the situation is somewhat different.
Amendments and supplements to the Law on Planning and Construction (“Law”) were published in the Official Gazette no. 62/2023 from 27 July 2023 and entered into force on 4 August 2023, whereas certain provisions of the Law will enter into force in 2024 and 2026, respectively.
Amendments to the Law on Foreigners (Official Gazette of RS no. 24/2018, 31/2019 and 62/2023) and the Law on Employment of Foreigners (Official Gazette of RS no. 128/2014, 113/2017, 50/2018, 31/2019 and 62/2023) (“the Laws”) were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia no. 62/2023 of July 27, 2023, and entered into force on August 4, 2023.
At the beginning of June 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the famous Jack Daniel’s distillery in a trademark infringement lawsuit after a squeaky toy for dogs appeared on the market, which resembles a bottle of the famous whiskey Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Black Label Tennessee Whiskey in the context of shape of the bottle and other elements (trade dress).
On July 10, 2023, the European Commission adopted a new mechanism for personal data transfer between the EU and the US – the Decision no. C (2023) 4745 (“the Decision”), which stipulates that the US provide adequate and appropriate level of protection, i.e., that corresponds to the one existing in the EU in terms of personal data transferred from the EU to the US companies, without the obligation to undertake any further protective measures. The Decision entered into force and started to apply on the day of its adoption.
In one of our previous texts (available here) we wrote about the connection between the protection of competition and protection of personal data, namely whether competition authorities may consider infringements of personal data in their investigations.
The new General Product Safety Regulation of the EU, which has recently entered into force, was published in the Official Journal of the EU on May 23, 2023, and it shall start to apply on December 13, 2024 (“the Regulation”).
In one of our previous texts we wrote about the recent decision of the Spanish personal data protection authority, by which it fined an employer as the controller of personal data for using the option of audio recording within the employees surveillance system, which data were subsequently used for termination of an employment contract.
The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia has recently issued the opinion no. 011-00-313/2022-04 (“the Opinion”), which refers to taxation of the fees paid by resident legal entities to non-residents for leasing servers abroad.
Contributed by PR Legal.
PR Legal is a Serbian business law firm which renders advice on a full range of corporate matters, from day-to-day legal issues to large M&A and capital-raising transactions. We provide high-quality legal services to companies, entrepreneurs, private entities, and public institutions, in a modern and pro-active manner, based on unique professional experience in high-profile transactions and disputes.
Always aiming for practical feasibility, and when necessary, dig deep in order to secure our clients’ best interests, either before the court, state authorities or counterparties. In any case, commitment is omnipresent in all our work.
We distinguish ourselves from our competitors through understanding of commercial interests considering present legal framework, by providing smart and cost-effective business solutions, and most of all by our passion for doing business.
In PR Legal we believe that exceptional results can be achieved only when talented and reliable people work together in the appropriate environment. With such approach and commitment, our focus is on teamwork and encouraging of relationships based on trust and cooperation. Investment in our people is investment in our future, which allows us to provide comprehensive and top-quality assistance to our clients.
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