Sayenko Kharenko has advised joint lead managers and joint bookrunners Citigroup, ING, and Renaissance Capital on the second USD 50 million tap issuance of 8.45% secured notes due 2026 by the Trans-Oil Group.

SSW Pragmatic Solutions has advised agro-industrial company CPF Poland on its acquisition of Polish fish processing plant FishFood.

Not so long ago (12 years!) Serbia adopted the amendments to the Agricultural Land Act which was supposed to allow the use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, mainly to support the growing renewable energy sector. Of course, this was conditioned with adopting an adequate Regulation by the Serbian Government, which everyone waited for since 2009. Finally, patience paid off and in July 2021, the Serbian Government adopted the Regulation on the conditions, manner and procedure for giving state-owned agricultural land for use for non-agricultural purposes (hereinafter: “Regulation”).

Distribution of assets sometimes leads to disputes between heirs and cause undesirable consequences. In this respect, many people prefer to decide how their estate will be distributed by making testamentary dispositions while they are still alive. Hence, in order to eliminate possible conflicts between heirs or for other reasons, individuals may choose to plan their estate prior to their death, based on personal wishes. Today, more people than ever prioritize estate planning.

Transfer of shares to a third party may cause harm to the existing shareholders and create undesired consequences for them. For example, share transfer may result in the entry of an undesired third party into the entity as a shareholder. Therefore, shareholders may require strict measures to be taken for protecting the corporate structure of the entity, preventing the entry of undesired third party to the entity, preventing deadlock when reaching a decision, preventing the sale of company’s shares to its competitors, protecting the rights of the minority shareholders, etc.

The Ministry of Health passed a new bylaw within the health care system. The Rulebook on Forms in Health Care System was published in the Official Gazette of RS no. 31/2021 on March 31, 2021, and entered into force on April 8, 2021 (the “Rulebook”).

PRK Partners has advised Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and other lenders on the Czech law aspects of refinancing senior acquisition and revolving facilities amounting to EUR 2,13 billion, governed by English law.

Allen & Overy has advised a club of banks led by Tatra Banka on a EUR 177 million financing for Swan and Swan Mobile.

Avellum has advised Kazakhstan’s financial technology firm Kaspi.kz subsidiary Kaspi Pay on its acquisition of Ukrainian online payment platform Portmone from Ukraine-based 4i Capital Partners. Kinstellar advised the seller.

Schoenherr has advised Swiss investment company Nice & Green on the up to EUR 5.4 million convertible note funding program for Vienna Stock Exchange-listed Marinomed Biotech. Herbst Kinsky advised Marinomed.

Koutalidis has advised the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) on its issuance of a common bond loan of EUR 505 million. Lambadarios Law Firm advised Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus Bank as the four Greek systemic banks.

CMS has advised DAI Global and the National Securities and Stock Markets Commission of Ukraine on the rules for clearing transactions with securities and licensing terms for clearing institutions.

Hengeler Mueller is advising Austria's Greiner on obtaining the European Commission's merger control approval in relation to its conditional voluntary public takeover offer to acquire a majority of Recticel shares, which was officially announced on October 06, 2021.

DLA Piper has advised e-commerce platform Ecwid on obtaining regulatory clearance from the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia for its acquisition by Lightspeed.

Increased awareness of competition law in the past few years, alongside the evolving legislative framework and practice on the EU level, has led to the continuous growth of CMS’s competition law practice, according to CMS Partner Szabolcs Szendro.

Ellex has advised investment fund manager BLF Management on its establishment and licensing in Lithuania.

Former PwC Legal Partner and Head of TMT/IP & Data Protection Gerard Karp has joined DWF as a Partner and Head of the firm's newly established Personal Data Protection, Cyber Security, and Technology Compliance practice in Poland. Former PwC Counsels Marian Giersz and Pawel Dudojc will be joining him in DWF's new practice as Counsels.

Schoenherr has advised Berlin-based electric scooter rental startup Tier on its entrance into Hungary.

CMS has advised Cinven-controlled Partner in Pet Food on the acquisition of pet food businesses G-Mart and Zaklad Przetworstwa Rolniczego from Polish entrepreneur Grzegorz Werblinski.

Paksoy has advised DW Reusables on the acquisition of Turkish reusable transport packaging companies Etap Enjeksiyon from Ozgorkey Holding and Etap Dogan from Ozgorkey Holding and Daghan Unludogan. Herguner Bilgen Ozeke advised the sellers.

Hengeler Mueller is advising Austria's Greiner on obtaining the European Commission's merger control approval in relation to its conditional voluntary public takeover offer to acquire a majority of Recticel shares, which was officially announced on October 06, 2021.

Koutalidis has advised the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) on its issuance of a common bond loan of EUR 505 million. Lambadarios Law Firm advised Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece, and Piraeus Bank as the four Greek systemic banks.

White & Case has advised the Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust on the acquisition of two in-construction onshore wind farms in Poland from the PNE Group. Lux Nova Partners advised PNE on English matters. Allen & Overy advised Bayerische Landesbank and the EBRD on financing the deal. Solivan reportedly advised PNE on Polish law matters.

Reed Smith has advised PPC Renewables on a joint venture with RWE Renewables towards the joint development, construction, and operation of an up to 2 gigawatt-peak solar photovoltaic projects portfolio in Greece.

Inga Kostogriz-Vaitkiene, Partner at CEE Attorneys in Lithuania, reports that her country’s economy is doing quite well at the moment and that additional regulation ensures the public procurement system will become greener. She also notes that there are two controversial laws in the pipeline related to cannabis use and LGBTQ+ rights.

By ratifying the European Convention on Human Rights in 1992, Hungary has committed itself to ensure the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time and to guarantee the right to an effective remedy for any violation of this right. In its judgment in Gazso v. Hungary, the European Court of Human Rights called on Hungary to establish a domestic remedy capable to handle the structural deficiencies identified in the judgment. As a result, at the end of June 2021, a new Act on the Enforcement of Material Compensation for Delay in Civil Proceedings was published in the Hungarian Official Gazette, which will enter into force on 1 January 2022. The Act establishes a new legal remedy for compensation for fundamental rights violations, called ‘material compensation’ which is different from the general compensation (in Hungarian: “kartalanitas”), indemnification or non-pecuniary compensation (in Hungarian: “serelemdij”).

On 20 April 2021, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia enacted the Law on Gender Equality and amendments to the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination. Both laws are published in the Official Gazette of RS no. 52 of 24 May 2021 and will enter into force on 1 June 2021. The Law on Gender Equality will repeal the Law on Equality of Genders (Official Gazette of RS no. 104/09).

Havel & Partners has advised the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic on an inter-governmental contract for the purchase of the SPYDER Israeli air defense system from the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems state-owned company.

Gawronski & Partners has promoted its Head of Public Procurement Jacek Liput to Partner.

Your Legal Partners and Dracopoulos & Vassalakis have been selected to provide legal advice to the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations on the development of Kalamata Airport.

Czech lawyer Petr Dohnal has been promoted to Partner at Havel & Partners.

E+H has advised the Grawe Banking Group on the simplification of its structure through two intra-group mergers.

Dmitry Kuptsov has been promoted to Partner with Alrud's Dispute Resolution and Restructuring and Insolvency practices.

According to a recently published ruling, the German Federal Labour Court says you can. Here is how.

Four regulatory acts of interest to both employers and employees, were published in the Official Gazette.

Several measures related to the Labour Code and other employment legislation have been adopted by the Romanian Government and have immediate effect on employment relationships.

The DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland” is based on the feedback from a survey conducted among DLA Piper’s clients and business contacts from the pharmaceutical and medical sector, including producers of medicines, food supplements and medical devices, as well as healthcare service providers. It is the first report that brings together the views of key players in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, describing how they see the current state of affairs on the Polish market and possible future trends, along with their recommendations as to what actions they would like to see taken in the sector. The key findings are summarised in our four briefings, the last part of which discusses other consequences of the pandemic not yet mentioned as well as sector barriers and suggested state actions.

The DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland” is based on the feedback from a survey conducted among DLA Piper’s clients and business contacts from the pharmaceutical and medical sector, including producers of medicines, food supplements and medical devices, as well as healthcare service providers. It is the first report that brings together the views of key players in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, describing how they see the current state of affairs on the Polish market and possible future trends, along with their recommendations as to what actions they would like to see taken in the sector. The key findings are summarised in our four briefings, the third of which focuses on patients’ rights, the product market and an evaluation of the state’s actions during the pandemic.

RJ & Partners has advised Air Liquide Polska on its acquisition of a majority stake in BetaMed. Gessel advised the seller.

Jankovic Popovic Mitic has successfully represented Lithuanian company Alita before the Supreme Court of Cassation of Serbia in a dispute with the Serbian Privatization Agency over a terminated privatization contract.

Ellex has advised investment fund manager BLF Management on its establishment and licensing in Lithuania.

Integrites has represented SE Starokostiantynivskyy milk plant in a dispute against the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

Ellex has advised Iceland's Arion bank on financing Samskip's acquisition of Sea Connect. PwC Legal reportedly advised Sea Connect and Samskip on the deal.

GWW Legal has announced it won an approximately PLN 2 million tender to provide legal services to the Central Region of the railway operator Polish State Railways.

Bondoc & Asociatii has advised on Romanian legal aspects of Faurecia’s acquisition of a majority stake in Hella. White & Case and Dentons also advised the buyer and Freshfields advised the target. Hengeler Mueller and Bredin Prat advised former Hella shareholders Hueck and Roepke. Additionally, Hogan Lovells advised Bankhaus Lampe, Herbert Smith assisted Natixis and Societe Generale, and Gleiss Lutz advised Perella Weinberg. On the group of bidders, Clifford Chance advised Mahle and Allen & Overy and Linklaters reportedly advised Knorr Bremse and Plastic Omnium, respectively.

Sorainen has advised JAS Worldwide on its acquisition of Greencarrier Freight Services International from the Greencarrier Group.

On May 21, 2021, CEE Legal Matters reported that Ellex Valiunas had successfully represented Western Baltija Shipbuilding in its appeal of a public procurement award to a consortium of Finnish companies to provide a specialized vessel for the Lithuanian Armed Forces to eliminate pollution incidents and carry out rescue operations in the Baltic Sea. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Andrius Digrys, General Legal Counsel at Western Baltija Shipbuilding, to learn more about the deal.

Despite a bit of political uncertainty, Lucian Danilescu, Partner at Danilescu Hulub & Partners, is excited over Romania's macro-economic indicators and its potential upcoming infrastructure projects.

Romanian lawyer Anela Musat has joined Blue Horizon as its General Counsel in Zurich, Switzerland.

Sorainen has advised Lithuanian venture capital fund Open Circle Capital on investing in the Billo community marketing platform.

Sorainen has advised financial automation platform Aurelia on raising USD 3 million in a seed funding round led by Blossom Capital.

Sorainen is providing pro bono legal assistance to journalists Madara Sprude and Normunds Robeznieks from Tvnet Grupa, and Inga Springe from the Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism Re:Baltica in connection with the persecution and intimidation of journalists carried out by a private individual.

Dentons has provided pro bono legal assistance to Dobry Start in drafting a bill to end the operation of institutional facilities for children under the age of three in the Czech Republic.

Dentons has provided pro bono advice to non-profit organization Spolocnost Jaromira Krejcara to protect the cultural heritage site of the former Machnac spa house in Trencianske Teplice, Slovakia.

Sorainen has advised Lords LB Baltic Fund III on the sale of a shopping center in Marijampole, Lithuania, to Rivona. Triniti Jurex advised the buyer.

BPV Braun Partners has advised the owner of residential development Zaluzi Park on its sale to Elite Domy. Novalia advised the buyer.

Linklaters Counsel Michal Miecinski will join CMS as a Partner in the firm's real estate and construction team in Poland, starting in November 2021.

Hungary joins global minimum corporate tax agreement, as Mihály Varga, Finance Minister on Hungary announced on 8 October 2021. Mr. Varga highlighted three key points of the deal for Hungary.

The OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (IF) has agreed on 8 October 2021 a two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. The Republic of Serbia is one of 136 jurisdictions that have agreed to the solution.

SSW Pragmatic Solutions has announced that Alicja Sarna and Robert Jaszczuk have joined the firm’s tax law practice as Partners.

Sorainen has advised Lithuanian venture capital fund Open Circle Capital on investing in the Billo community marketing platform.

DLA Piper has advised e-commerce platform Ecwid on obtaining regulatory clearance from the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia for its acquisition by Lightspeed.

Avellum has advised Kazakhstan’s financial technology firm Kaspi.kz subsidiary Kaspi Pay on its acquisition of Ukrainian online payment platform Portmone from Ukraine-based 4i Capital Partners. Kinstellar advised the seller.

Alexandra Mihaela Sinc, former Chief Prosecutor of the Bucharest Prosecutor’s Office, has joined Mares & Mares as Of Counsel.

Iurii Sukhov has joined Arzinger as a Partner and will lead the firm’s White Collar Crime practice together with Kateryna Gupalo and Oleksander Plotnikov. 

The Government of Ukraine has recently implemented additional measures to prevent and counteract the legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime, terrorist financing and financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Thus, Ukraine made one more step towards implementing 4th Money Laundering EU Directive.