In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2025 almost behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on what truly made a difference this year. This time around, we asked: If you had to pick one, what was the 2024 decision that moved your firm forward the most in 2025?

Law No. 96/2025 “On whistleblowing and the protection of whistleblowers” (Law No. 96/2025) establishes a new and consolidated framework for the reporting of violations and the protection of whistleblowers, in both the public and private sectors.

Albania’s legal and investment landscape is currently being shaped by a mix of large-scale sectoral projects and ongoing structural reforms, according to Kalo & Associates Partner Oltjon Dano.

JSK, working with Lupp + Partner, BTA Solivan, Gugushev & Partners, and Graf Patsch Freisinger, has advised the founder of ACS on the sale of a 100% stake in the company to the 2JCP Group. DRV Legal advised the 2JCP Group.

Wolf Theiss has advised Rheinmetall on its agreement to acquire 51% of the share capital of DOK-ING from Vjekoslav Majetic. Hanzekovic & Partners reportedly advised the seller.

Schoenherr has advised Marathon Venture Capital on a EUR 1.1 million seed financing round for Linz-based start-up Straion FlexCo. Dorda reportedly advised Straion FlexCo.

Contributed by Arzinger

The commercial legal markets of Central & Eastern Europe didn’t appear automatically. They didn’t develop in a vacuum. They were formed, shaped, and led, by lawyers – visionary, hard-working, commercially-minded, and client-focused individuals pulling the development of CEE’s legal markets along behind them as they labored relentlessly for their clients, their careers, their futures. 

The Draft of the new Labour Law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBH) introduces far-reaching changes to the labour law framework of this entity. The Draft has a clear reform-oriented ambition, reflected in its alignment with key EU directives and the expanded scope of employee protection.

Davorin Marinkovic has been appointed as the new Managing Partner of Dimitrijevic & Partners, taking over from Stevan Dimitrijevic. At the same time, Djordje Dimitrijevic has been promoted to Partner.

As GDPR-aligned rules take effect and ESG expectations grow, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fragmented legal landscape is driving demand for comprehensive advice, with the Brcko District – through capital markets reforms and rising foreign investment – emerging as a particularly important focal point, according to Ibrahimovic & Co Partner Tijana Krivokapic.

JSK, working with Lupp + Partner, BTA Solivan, Gugushev & Partners, and Graf Patsch Freisinger, has advised the founder of ACS on the sale of a 100% stake in the company to the 2JCP Group. DRV Legal advised the 2JCP Group.

CMS has advised VVV NextGen Storage on the acquisition of seven special-purpose vehicles holding 11 greenfield battery energy storage system projects in Bulgaria, with a combined 440-megawatt-hour capacity.

Addleshaw Goddard, working with DGKV, has advised Digital Realty on its acquisition of Telepoint. Kinstellar, working with Goodwin, advised the sellers.

Cipcic-Bragadin Mesic & Associates has advised Danieli Group company FATA on the EL-TO Zagreb combined-cycle cogeneration project being developed by HEP in Zagreb.

Wolf Theiss has advised Rheinmetall on its agreement to acquire 51% of the share capital of DOK-ING from Vjekoslav Majetic. Hanzekovic & Partners reportedly advised the seller.

Lovric Novokmet & Partners has advised PJR owner Ana Fresl on the company's sale to Civitta.

Dentons has advised the Kofola Group on the acquisition of a 49% minority stake in Alta Fermentacion. Holland & Knight reportedly advised Alta Fermentacion.

JSK, working with Lupp + Partner, BTA Solivan, Gugushev & Partners, and Graf Patsch Freisinger, has advised the founder of ACS on the sale of a 100% stake in the company to the 2JCP Group. DRV Legal advised the 2JCP Group.

Eversheds Sutherland has advised Jart Developments and VV Development on the acquisition of a development project in the Central Bohemian Region on the outskirts of Prague.

Lambadarios has advised Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus Bank on the EUR 1.3 billion financing for the Chania–Heraklion–Hersonissos section of the Northern Road Axis of Crete (VOAK) concession project. Marinos Petroulias & Partners reportedly advised Terna.

Drakopoulos Partner Ioannis Anagnostopoulos discusses M&A in Greece in the year past and the one ahead.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2025 almost behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on what truly made a difference this year. This time around, we asked: If you had to pick one, what was the 2024 decision that moved your firm forward the most in 2025?

Wolf Theiss has advised OTP Bank on project financing to be provided to the Veolia Group for the refinancing of the modernization of the Vertes Power Plant in Oroszlany, Hungary. Sole practitioner Arpad Vasarhelyi reportedly advised the Veolia Group.

In March 2026, Kinstellar announced that Revetas Capital's sale of a park center retail portfolio in Hungary to Granit Asset Management (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on December 19, 2025) has now closed.

Bird & Bird has advised 4iG on a USD 50 million investment from Mubadala Investment Company through a convertible loan that will mandatorily convert into equity at maturity.

Against a challenging geopolitical backdrop, renewed foreign investor interest, sectoral resilience, and emerging structural deal drivers have combined to put Estonia and the wider Baltics firmly back on the M&A map, according to Sorainen Partner Toomas Prangli, who notes that, after a subdued period, the Baltic transactional market has staged a clear and confidence-driven rebound.

BNT Attorneys and BSJP BNT have joined forces to form a new law firm called Lynx.

Ellex in Estonia has advised Orkla Eesti on the sale of its Poltsamaa ready meals and juices business to Svensky Kaubanduse. Tark advised Svensky Kaubanduse.

After a year of political deadlock, Kosovo is entering a more active legislative phase with a new government and more than 170 laws planned for 2026, according to Vokshi & Lata Partner Urim Vokshi. At the same time, strong activity in tourism, renewable energy, and digital services highlights continued business growth.

Kerveshi & Partners has successfully represented Elsa Bajrami in a case concerning "the unlawfulness of the procedure conducted by the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council."

In Kosovo, the legal framework governing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is encapsulated in Law No. 08/L-056) on the Protection of Competition, effective from June 2022. This legislation mandates that certain concentrations (i.e., mergers, acquisitions, or joint ventures) be notified to the Authority for the Protection of Competition (APC) prior to their implementation, aiming to prevent anti-competitive practices and ensure a competitive market environment.

Cobalt has advised Cesvaines Piens on the sale of a majority stake in the company to Smiltenes Piens. Widen advised Smiltenes Piens.

BNT Attorneys and BSJP BNT have joined forces to form a new law firm called Lynx.

Cobalt has advised the owners of Arkolat on the sale of 100% of the company's shares to Estonian buyer LLG Invest.

Ellex has advised Capitalica European Office Fund, managed by Capitalica Asset Management, on a bond issuance in Lithuania.

Walless has advised Iron Wolf Capital on leading a EUR 6 million series A financing round in Copla.

Norton Rose Fulbright, working with Ontier Espana and Tegos, has advised Sun Invest Group on a EUR 32.5 million financing provided by Nord/LB for the acquisition, construction, and operation of a portfolio of 32 photovoltaic projects in Poland. Dentons advised the lenders.

The Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia has published draft amendments to the Law on Personal Data Protection on the ENER platform, opening a public consultation period until mid-March. The proposal introduces several important updates, most notably the first explicit references to artificial intelligence (AI) within the Macedonian data protection framework, alongside changes affecting international data transfers and controller obligations.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney-at-Law Anja Jovanoska discusses Banking and Finance in North Macedonia in the year past and the one ahead.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney-at-Law Kristina Tomashevska-Blazevska discusses Dispute Resolution in North Macedonia in the year past and the one ahead.

ACI Partners Legal Manager Carolina Parcalab and Competition Manager Emil Gutu discuss Competition in Moldova in the year past and the one ahead.

Energy reforms, EU alignment, a cooling real estate market, and ongoing judicial vetting are reshaping Moldova’s investment climate and legal workload, according to Cerbu Balta Founding Partner Marin Balta.

PRK Partners Partner Radan Kubr, ACI Partners Senior Associate Doina Doga, Schoenherr Bulgaria Co-Head of Competition Yoana Strateva, Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Partner and Head of Competition & Antitrust Raluca Vasilache, Zornada Law Office Attorney at Law Ivan Zornada, and DLA Piper Hungary Country Managing Partner Andras Posztl explore how, respectively, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Hungary approach foreign investment screening: the differences in strictness, the sectors regulators watch most closely, the impact on deals, and the practical challenges investors run into on the ground.

On 27 February 2026, the National Assembly of Montenegro adopted amendments to the 2015 Montenegrin Arbitration Act ("Montenegrin Arbitration Act").

Harrisons, working with Bird & Bird, has advised the EBRD on a EUR 2 million credit line to Addiko Bank Crna Gora under the EBRD’s SME Go Digital program, which is co-funded by the European Commission.

The role of the Engineer has evolved through different versions of FIDIC Red Books, in particular FIDIC 1987, FIDIC 1999 and FIDIC 2017. Initially the Engineer was expressly determined as impartial (FIDIC 1987). However, the impartiality clause is excluded from FIDIC 1999 and FIDIC 2017 editions. Not only that the impartiality clause is excluded, the GCC of FIDIC 1999 and FIDIC 2017 editions state that the Engineer acts on behalf of the Employer. The only case in which the Engineer does not act in accordance with Employer’s interests is when deciding upon claims raised by the Contractor and the Employer. 

CK Legal Chabasiewicz Kowalska, working with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, has advised Feyenally on the design and execution of a Delaware flip transaction, pursuant to which Feyenally became the sole owner of Feyenally’s Polish operating company.

JSK, working with Lupp + Partner, BTA Solivan, Gugushev & Partners, and Graf Patsch Freisinger, has advised the founder of ACS on the sale of a 100% stake in the company to the 2JCP Group. DRV Legal advised the 2JCP Group.

Addleshaw Goddard, working with DGKV, has advised Digital Realty on its acquisition of Telepoint. Kinstellar, working with Goodwin, advised the sellers.

Two parallel developments suggest that Europe is drawing clearer boundaries around both AI ownership and data protection. One comes from the Council and the other from a German court, and both signal a more cautious approach toward redefining legal fundamentals in the name of innovation or administrative simplification.

RTPR has successfully represented Rosti Romania in tax litigation in which the Ploiesti Court of Appeal issued a final ruling finding that an adjustment of the company’s tax loss based on estimation was unlawful.

Kinstellar, working with SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschuetz, has advised the shareholders of ROFA Industrial Automation on the sale of Germany-based ROFA Group to the SPIE Group. Reportedly, MJH, working with Barnes and Thornburg, JunHe, and Kemperink Maarschalkerweerd Wouters, advised the SPIE Group.

Contributed by Clifford Chance.

Contributed by Alrud.

The commercial legal markets of Central & Eastern Europe didn’t appear automatically. They didn’t develop in a vacuum. They were formed, shaped, and led, by lawyers – visionary, hard-working, commercially-minded, and client-focused individuals pulling the development of CEE’s legal markets along behind them as they labored relentlessly for their clients, their careers, their futures. 

PR Legal has announced the launch of its German Desk.

Harrisons has advised the EBRD on a EUR 120 million financial package for Banca Intesa Beograd, comprising a loan component and a portfolio risk participation structure.

Sound societies are based on respect for the rule of law. Among other things, this principle means that the powers of government officials must be grounded in law and limited by law. In the case of costs incurred in official control procedures for imported food, for which the Ministry of Health is competent, the regulations provide that the costs are borne by the party for whom the decision rendered in the procedure is unfavourable. The state administration takes the position that the importer always bears the costs, regardless of the fact that laboratory analyses confirm that the imported food complies with the applicable regulations. This position is based on the argument that official control procedures carried out in the public interest are initiated at the request of the party — the importer, a view that is difficult to defend. The saga concerning costs has lasted for years, and all indications suggest that even the new Law on Official Controls will not resolve this issue.

Dunovska & Partners has expanded into Slovakia with a new branch office.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2025 almost behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on what truly made a difference this year. This time around, we asked: If you had to pick one, what was the 2024 decision that moved your firm forward the most in 2025?

The Slovak framework for the reimbursement of medicines from public health insurance funds rests on a combination of a general rule and a flexible exception. Under the general rule, medicines are assessed under cost-effectiveness criteria and, if they do not exceed the relevant threshold value for a Quality-Adjusted Life Year, placed on a list of reimbursed medicines. However, even if they choose not to apply for general reimbursement or do not meet the criteria, they can still be reimbursed on the basis of individual exceptions granted by health insurers for the treatment of specific patients.

Rising pharmaceutical expenditures are one of the key challenges of modern, solidarity-based healthcare systems. Slovenia is no exception. The stability of the national health insurance system is further strained by demographic trends, medical advancements, and broader access to innovative – yet typically costly – medicines. Data from the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS) shows steady pharmaceutical expenditure growth over the past decade, with 2024 spending reaching EUR 779 million, or 14.8% of total ZZZS spending.

PFP, working with Schoenherr, has advised Galenika Beograd on its acquisition of Sanofarm.

The draft of the new EU FDI Screening Regulation, which will replace the existing framework under Regulation (EU) 2019/452 and emerged from the trialogue negotiations, was published on 10 February 2026. The new draft is heavily amended compared to the Commission's original proposal and offers a sneak preview of how the final version is likely to appear.

Karacam & Sir has advised Ahmet Resat Gorur and Huseyin Celik on the sale of a 21.55% equity stake in Manas Enerji to Tera Yatirim Teknoloji Holding for a total consideration of approximately TRY 320 million (approximately USD 7.30 million).

Turunc, working with Fladgate, has advised venture capital funds Makers Fund and Arcadia Gaming Partners on their joint investment in Vento Games. Bener advised Vento Games.

Atayilmaz Enkur Cetinkaya Oner has advised H.B. Fuller Company on the acquisition of ND Industries Turkey. Guzeldere Balkan Gocen reportedly advised the seller.

Wolf Theiss has advised Rheinmetall on its agreement to acquire 51% of the share capital of DOK-ING from Vjekoslav Majetic. Hanzekovic & Partners reportedly advised the seller.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised a group of Ukrainian producers on securing the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into imports into Ukraine of non-galvanised welded steel pipes originating in Turkiye.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised Kyivstar on its acquisition of Shtorm.