Sayenko Kharenko has advised the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark on a EUR 3.17 million loan facility to Ristone Holdings.

RPCK has advised Farm-ING on its conversion from a GmbH into a flexible company.

Brandl Talos has advised Highland Europe on its investment in SmaXtec as part of a round led by KKR. Dechert's Munich-based office advised the shareholders of SmaXtec. Gibson Dunn and Wolf Theiss reportedly advised KKR. 

CMS has advised Revolut on the launch of its banking and financial services for Ukrainian customers.

Bradvica Maric Wahl Cesarec has advised Positive ARB on obtaining its investment firm license issued by the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency.

Schoenherr has advised ImWind and Bloch3 on obtaining an environmental impact assessment permit in Austria for the Rustenfeld wind farm.

The Czech Republic has recently implemented new regulations for crypto-asset service providers, marking a significant step in aligning its legal framework with European Union standards. The Act on Digitalisation of the Financial Market (ZDFT), effective as of 15 February 2025, introduces comprehensive rules for the rapidly evolving digital finance sector. This article delves into the main features of the new law, its practical implications, and the specifics of the Czech regulation in the area of digital finance and crypto-assets.

Gospic Plazina Stojs Partner Lana Stojs talks about banking and finance in 2025 in Croatia.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney at Law Gordana Susuleska-Itic talks about banking and finance in 2025 in North Macedonia.

Clifford Chance has advised Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as the sole coordinator, sole bookrunner, and mandated lead arranger on a JPY 80 billion samurai loan for Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding.

Savoric & Partners has advised Ing-Grad on its planned IPO on the Zagreb Stock Exchange, where the company aims to raise approximately EUR 55 million by selling 30% of its treasury shares.

Bernitsas has advised Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings on a liability management exercise totaling EUR 588.55 million.

2024 brought with it several important changes to Hungarian consumer protection regulations, most notably the changes to mandatory warranty rights. The Hungarian Consumer Protection Authority (“HCPA“) is also devoting significant effort into enforcing these rights in 2025.

ACI Partners  Legal Manager Carolina Parcalab talks about competition in Moldova in 2025.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen Partner Anca Diaconu talks about competition in Romania in 2025.

2024 brought with it several important changes to Hungarian consumer protection regulations, most notably the changes to mandatory warranty rights. The Hungarian Consumer Protection Authority (“HCPA“) is also devoting significant effort into enforcing these rights in 2025.

Ostermann Ivancic Managing Partner Mojmir Ostermann and Divjak, Topic, Bahtijarevic & Krka Attorney at Law Dominik Glavina look at Croatia’s new lobbying law and the challenges it poses for businesses engaged in regular talks with public organizations.

The Austrian Beneficial Owners Register Act (BORA) requires certain legal entities to report their ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) recurringly, at least once a year and whenever changes occur in an entity's UBO.

Erdem & Erdem has advised Neapco Turkey Otomotiv Anonim Sirketi on the acquisition of Hedrive Otomotiv Teknoloji Sistemleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi. 

Stratulat Albulescu has advised Catalyst Romania Fund II on a EUR 2.3 million investment in Footprints AI, which also saw SeedBlink and other private investors participate. BPV Grigorescu Stefanica advised Footprints AI.

Hristov & Partners Partners Pavel Hristov and Dragomir Stefanov talk about M&A in Bulgaria in 2025.

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).

Clifford Chance has advised Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as the sole coordinator, sole bookrunner, and mandated lead arranger on a JPY 80 billion samurai loan for Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding.

CMS Sofia Managing Partner Kostadin Sirleshtov and Counsel Borislava Piperkova talk about energy in Bulgaria in 2025.

Musat & Asociatii has won an appeal before the High Court of Cassation and Justice against a prior decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, allowing the retrial of the review application in the case concerning the torturers of Romanian anti-communist dissident Gheorghe Ursu.

Ellex has offered pro bono representation in a same-sex parenthood case before the national courts in Lithuania, resulting in the first-ever recognition of same-sex parents.

On April 22, 2024, Everlegal announced it had been appointed to provide legal support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – the UN Refugee Agency – for its activities in Ukraine.

Former Metrostav in-house Counsel Hana Nevralova has joined JSK as a Partner. At the same time, the firm elevated former Managing Associate Daniel Pospisil to its partnership ranks as well.

Former Dorda Partner Bernhard Mueller has joined PwC Legal's affiliated Vienna office of Oehner & Partner as a Partner.

The past year has demonstrated that an ongoing conflict is not an obstacle to development and investment. Despite infrastructure being targeted by shelling, Ukraine’s real GDP grew by 4% in the first nine months of 2024, with expectations that this figure will reach 4.3-4.6% in the coming years. To maintain this growth, Ukraine must actively engage private investments to rebuild its damaged infrastructure and assets.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner has advised German battery manufacturer Varta in StaRUG restructuring proceedings.

Pohla & Hallmagi has advised Fort Aero on obtaining court approval for its reorganization plan previously approved by creditors.

Koutalidis has advised Sfakianakis Group on the restructuring of its debt with a total value of approximately EUR 300 million.

Peterka & Partners Partner Adela Krbcova talks about labor in 2025 in the Czech Republic.

Wolf Theiss Counsel Agnieszka Nowak-Blaszczak and Associate Oliwia Pecht talk about labor in 2025 in Poland.

There are not many legal sectors that experience the ground-breaking changes which employment law faces every year on the Romanian market. In the past 3 years, our legislator’s appetite to regulate and overregulate matters like avoiding harassment at work, amending long established legal templates, or the new law on social dialogue have strongly shaken the peaceful climate of employment relationships.

Belupo General Counsel Eva Kovacic reflects on her journey from law firm beginnings to steering legal and compliance in the fast-paced pharmaceutical world.

The Commission For Protection Of Competition of the Republic of Serbia (“Commission“) recently announced that it will conduct a sectoral analysis of the pharmaceutical industry, specifically examining market conditions and competition in the human drug market in Serbia. This decision comes in light of increasing regulatory oversight and the need to assess competitive conditions in this key sector.

CMS has advised Laerdal Medical on its acquisition of SIMCharacters. Frotz Riedl reportedly advised the sellers.

Jalsovszky Partner Tamas Feher and Managing Associate Peter Szilas talk about dispute resolution in Hungary in 2025.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney At Law Anja Stefanovska talks about dispute resolution in North Macedonia in 2025.

When discussing competition law, the Competition Authority and its powers are usually part of the business conversation, given that it is the key enforcer ensuring fair competition and penalizing those who try to distort it. However, for many undertakings, a decision by the Competition Authority isn’t always the end of their fight for justice – sometimes it’s just the beginning. Affected competitors often have to undertake significant efforts to seek compensation from those whose anti-competitive behaviour has harmed or even destroyed their business. In this article, we share our experience with the first-ever successful follow-on damages action in the Czech Republic and the challenges we encountered along the way.

On February 18, 2025, Taylor Wessing announced that Sennder's acquisition of C.H. Robinson's European surface transportation operations (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 5, 2024) is now closed.

Cobalt, working with Dentons, has advised AirBaltic on the sale of a minority stake to Lufthansa Group. Eversheds Sutherland Bitans advised Lufthansa Group.

TAV Macedonia Legal Affairs Manager Emilija Evtimova-Spaseska discusses her journey from law firm partner to in-house counsel and her role in overseeing legal operations for Skopje and Ohrid airports.

Kyriakides Georgopoulos announced that the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund's sale of a 67% stake in the Heraklion Port Authority to a consortium consisting of Grimaldi Euromed and Minoan Lines (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 11, 2024) closed on September 18, 2024.

PeliPartners has advised Bogdan Idu and his group companies on the sale of an LPG maritime terminal in Romania to Nawaf Salameh Family Office Group.

Your Legal Partners’ Katerina Politopoulou, Maria Golfinopoulou, and Prokopis Linardos Talk About the Deal of the Year in Greece.

Stratulat Albulescu has advised Catalyst Romania Fund II on a EUR 2.3 million investment in Footprints AI, which also saw SeedBlink and other private investors participate. BPV Grigorescu Stefanica advised Footprints AI.

Linklaters has advised Hillwood Polska on the acquisition of a logistics park in Gdansk.

Walless has advised ScaleWolf on its EUR 2 million investment in Pulsetto.

Sayenko Kharenko has provided pro bono support for a cultural initiative that aims to set war-time poems, written by Ukrainian defenders, to music. 

Musat & Asociatii has won an appeal before the High Court of Cassation and Justice against a prior decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, allowing the retrial of the review application in the case concerning the torturers of Romanian anti-communist dissident Gheorghe Ursu.

Ellex has offered pro bono representation in a same-sex parenthood case before the national courts in Lithuania, resulting in the first-ever recognition of same-sex parents.

Linklaters has advised Hillwood Polska on the acquisition of a logistics park in Gdansk.

Komnenic & Partners Managing Partner Milos Komnenic and Partner Nemanja Radovic talk about real estate in 2025 in Montenegro.

As Croatia prepares to implement a new real estate tax, Ilej & Partners in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners Partner Franka Baica, BDV Legal Partner Vladimir Batarelo, and CMS Partner Tamara Jelic Kazic talk about its objectives, potential impacts, and how property owners and investors should respond.

With the end of the 2024 calendar year accounting period, companies must focus on key obligations associated with it. This overview, prepared by the law firm Eversheds Sutherland, summarizes the most important deadlines and obligations related to financial statements, the annual report, the related parties report, and the filing of the corporate income tax return. Proper and timely fulfillment of these obligations is essential to comply with legal requirements.

From 1 January 2025, third-country nationals will no longer be entitled to claim certain personal income tax (PIT) benefits. Third countries are non-EEA countries and countries that have not concluded a bilateral social security agreement with Hungary.

The global minimum tax initiative aims to ensure that large multinational corporations operating across multiple jurisdictions pay a corporate tax rate of at least 15%.

The Czech Republic has recently implemented new regulations for crypto-asset service providers, marking a significant step in aligning its legal framework with European Union standards. The Act on Digitalisation of the Financial Market (ZDFT), effective as of 15 February 2025, introduces comprehensive rules for the rapidly evolving digital finance sector. This article delves into the main features of the new law, its practical implications, and the specifics of the Czech regulation in the area of digital finance and crypto-assets.

MGG Law Partner Dino Gliha talks about TMT in 2025 in Croatia.

Linklaters Warsaw Head of TMT/IP Szymon Sieniewicz talks about TMT in 2025 in Poland.

Ostermann Ivancic Managing Partner Mojmir Ostermann and Divjak, Topic, Bahtijarevic & Krka Attorney at Law Dominik Glavina look at Croatia’s new lobbying law and the challenges it poses for businesses engaged in regular talks with public organizations.

The Austrian Beneficial Owners Register Act (BORA) requires certain legal entities to report their ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) recurringly, at least once a year and whenever changes occur in an entity's UBO.

Thomas Hartl and Christoph Schober have been promoted to Partner at Binder Groesswang.