In light of the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine is leveraging technological innovations to fortify its taxation system, ensuring efficiency and transparency. Two notable initiatives – electronic residency and electronic excise tax stamps – will transform how business is conducted and taxes are collected in the country.

In 2024, certain currency control restrictions introduced on the first day of the full-scale invasion are still in force in Ukraine. The National Bank of Ukraine reviews and eases some of these restrictions, but many of the prohibitions on foreign exchange transactions remain.

Slovakia-headquartered GHS Legal has announced it is changing its name to FairSquare.

Asters has advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on its EUR 10 million financing for a Ukrainian manufacturer of oak lamellas.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised the International Finance Corporation on a EUR 40 million equivalent risk-sharing facility for Credit Agricole Ukraine. 

Counsels Oksana Legka and Oleksandr Volkov have been appointed as Partners in Asters' International Arbitration and Cross-Border Litigation practice, effective January 1, 2024.

On 24 December 2023, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a Law of Ukraine No. 3494-IX (the ''Law''), which amends the procedure for granting vacations and their duration. The Law applies to the following:

Clifford Chance has advised KKCG on the acquisition of the end-to-end software engineering and consulting platform Avenga from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management and Cornerstone Investment Management.

Redcliffe Partners Partner and Co-Head of Energy Albert Sych talks about the evolution of energy and their role as legal advisors in Ukraine over the last 10 years.

In early September of this year, the President of Ukraine signed the Law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving Legislation on Protection of Economic Competition and Activities of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine” (the “Law”). 

On November 21, 2023, corporate/M&A and private equity experts from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkiye, and Ukraine sat down for a virtual round table moderated by CEE Legal Matters Managing Editor Radu Cotarcea to discuss the key developments in the field over the past decade.

Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko talks about the evolution of the practice and their role as legal advisors in Ukraine over the last 10 years.

Baker McKenzie Partner Oleksiy Stolyarenko talks about the evolution of the TMT sector and their role as legal advisors in Ukraine over the last 10 years.

Vasil Kisil & Partners has successfully represented the interests of Kischenzi in a tax dispute.

ACI Partners Legal Manager Carolina Parcalab, Avellum Senior Partner Glib Bondar, Gecic Law Counsel Miodrag Jevtic, Vujacic Law Office Partner Sasha Vujacic, and Schoenherr Bulgaria Local Partner Tsvetan Krumov discuss the current status of capital markets in CEE.

In our Looking In series, we talk to Partners from outside CEE who are keeping an eye on the region (and often pop up in our deal lists) to learn how they perceive CEE markets and their evolution. For this issue, we sat down with Reed Smith Partner Kevin-Paul Deveau.

Considering the ongoing martial law in Ukraine and frequent air strikes in various parts of the country, more and more employers are becoming concerned about whether they should adopt measures to protect their personnel or provide shelter, and what the liability if these obligations are not fulfilled would be.

On 18 October 2023, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (“NEURC”) adopted the Licensing Terms for Aggregation in the Electricity Market under Resolution No. 1909 (“Resolution”).