The first half of 2025 in Bulgaria’s corporate and M&A landscape has been characterized by a modest start amidst global economic and political uncertainties. Many export-oriented industries faced a challenging 2024, impacting the financial projections of potential targets. However, the outlook remains largely positive, fueled by major upcoming developments.

Bulgaria’s energy sector has been undergoing deep and rapid reforms. The combination of the effects of the war in Ukraine and the related sanctions, the European Green Deal and the rapid decrease of investment costs for renewables, the commitments for a coal-free future, and the neighboring discoveries of natural gas in the Black Sea – all combined with the unprecedented support for nuclear energy – is putting Bulgaria on the global investment map.

This is not the sentence commonly heard in law firms across the region at the moment. But that might not be the case for much longer.

A breach of labor obligations by an employee has been discovered in your company, the investigation and assessment have taken several weeks, and since immediate dismissal is risky, you have decided to proceed with dismissal for a serious breach of labor obligations. If this decision is made at the beginning of the month and no one is ready to agree on mutual termination, you won’t get rid of the employee any sooner than a timeframe of almost three months. Furthermore, if there are delays in the delivery of mail by the post office or the employee falls ill, it will take even longer.

The Polish Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy has prepared an amendment to the Labor Code, which in particular amends the existing provisions on mobbing. The new provisions are expected to enter into force in 2025. The aim of the amendment is to remove ambiguities in the current provisions, simplify procedures for pursuing claims, and increase the responsibility of employers for negative phenomena in the work environment, including mobbing.

The protection against the termination of employment contracts for disabled workers who still have residual working capacity is guaranteed both by the Employment Relationships Act (ZDR-1) and the Employment Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act (ZZRZI). Despite relatively uniform case law that has developed over the years, two recent rulings from the Higher Labor and Social Court have set new, stricter criteria for assessing the justification of dismissal reasons, which raise numerous dilemmas among employers in practice.

Internal corporate investigations are no longer occasional procedures but essential elements of organizational integrity and risk management. In Hungary, where labor law, data protection, and criminal law intersect, companies must handle investigations with diligence. While whistleblowing systems are mandatory for certain Hungarian organizations, effectively managing reports remains challenging. Establishing robust internal policies and adhering to data protection standards from the outset are the best safeguards against corporate liability risks, as improperly handled evidence may be inadmissible in legal proceedings. As a result, internal investigations must emphasize transparency, proportionality, and lawful data management, particularly when competition law or criminal law issues arise.

As digital solutions become more widespread in business operations, the use of electronic signatures for labor-related documents is increasingly common in Slovakia. However, it is crucial for both employers and employees to understand whether such signatures hold legal validity under Slovak labor law. This article examines the key points surrounding the use of electronic signatures in labor documents.

In Austria, workforce restructuring is often necessary for companies facing economic challenges or needing to reorganize. However, the process is heavily regulated, and employers must ensure compliance with legal requirements to avoid complications and potential legal risks. This article outlines the key steps and legal obligations employers must follow when carrying out workforce reductions in Austria, with a particular focus on the importance of detailed planning, timing, and legal compliance.

Over the past years, the legislation dealing with workplace harassment has significantly expanded, with new rules and obligations continuously being added, especially for employers. Anti-discrimination laws, equal opportunity frameworks, and harassment prevention policies have all been gradually enforced, shaping an extensive legal landscape meant to protect employees from abusive behaviors.

In Latvia, the termination of employment relationships for labor union members is specifically regulated to protect their rights. However, in practice, this regulation creates significant challenges for employers, as labor unions almost always refuse to grant consent for dismissal.

The year 2025 began with a development that raised important questions regarding the interpretation of the Serbian Labor Law, specifically concerning employees’ right to compensation for commuting costs.

It has been almost a year since Ukraine introduced rules regarding the protection of employees in the case of a transfer of a business entity to its Labor Code in accordance with Law No. 3677-IX (Rules). The Rules entered into force on May 15, 2024, and aimed at approximating national legislation to the Transfers of Undertakings Directive 2001/23/EC of March 12, 2001. Even though local businesses continue testing this new legislation in practice, the area still remains terra incognita for many practitioners. Now that some time has passed, it is possible to summarize the major practical imperfections of the Rules.

Outsourcing involves a transfer by a business (customer) to a third party (supplier) of the operational responsibility for the provision of a distinct business function, process, or service. Given the inherent transfer of responsibility, many outsourcing arrangements involve a transfer to the supplier of those employees who were engaged by the customer in the activity that is being outsourced. Macedonian law does not specifically regulate outsourcing transactions. Nonetheless, the Macedonian Law on Labor Relations 2005 (Labor Law) is harmonized with the EU Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Directive 2001/23/EC of 12 March 2001 (TUPE) and, therefore, applies to the transfer of employees both on the initial outsourcing and on any subsequent or second-generation outsourcing.

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.

Significant amendments to Hungary's foreign direct investment (FDI) control regime entered into force on 24 June 2025, introducing expanded pre-emption rights for the state and revised procedural timelines.

After the European Commission’s letter in December 2024, which identified the risks of regulatory arbitrage stemming from diverging interpretations, risks that we also encounter in practice, the European Banking Authority (“EBA”), in its outlook, called for no immediate action regarding the PSD2’s applicability to services related to electronic money tokens (“EMTs”). On 10 June 2025, the long-awaited Opinion of the EBA (the “EBA No Action Letter”) on the interplay between Directive 2015/2366 (“PSD2”) and Regulation 2023/1114 (“MiCA”) in relation to crypto-asset service providers (“CASPs”) that transact in EMTs was finally published.  

Ukrainian taxpayers operating within multinational enterprise groups (MNEs) with consolidated annual revenues exceeding EUR 750 million may, for the first time in 2025, be required to independently file Country-by-Country (CbC) reports. This applies in particular to companies that are part of MNEs with a U.S.-based ultimate parent entity.