Labor shortages have emerged as a pressing issue across CEE, prompting diverse responses from governments, businesses, and the public as they navigate the challenges of workforce gaps and economic sustainability.

The long-anticipated initiative to establish a new legal framework for personal data protection in Albania is finally moving forward, as the Council of Ministers has approved a draft law that aligns closely with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This proposed legislation promises to bring significance in this important but frequently underappreciated legal domain. With its comprehensive approach and alignment with EU standards, the new law aims to greatly improve privacy protection in the national context.

New Joint Instruction No. 196/2024, “On cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Culture, and Innovation, and the State Intelligence Service regarding the issuance of residence permits for foreigners” (the “Instruction”), came into effect on 22 October 2024. This Instruction, aimed at clarifying and improving coordination among public institutions, does not amend existing residence or unique permit (i.e., a residence permit issued for employment purposes that combines both the residence and work permit) procedures for foreign nationals. Instead, it reaffirms the established process, ensuring that it remains consistent while improving transparency and efficiency.

The Law on the Waiver of Interest on Outstanding Tax Obligations (“Law”) has been officially adopted and will take effect on 1 January 2025. This Law allows for the waiver of unpaid interest on tax obligations that became due before 31 December 2024.

King & Spalding has advised the syndicate of joint lead managers on Telekom Srbija Beograd’s USD 900 million senior notes offering. Gecic Law, working with Clifford Chance, advised Telekom Srbija.

On October 25, 2024, White & Case has announced that E&'s acquisition of PPF Telecom Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbian, and Slovakian assets (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 9, 2023) has now closed.

Under Albanian law, employment intermediary activities are carried out by two types of agencies. The first type consists of “Recruitment Agencies,” which facilitate the hiring of individuals to work for a third party. The second type includes “Temporary Employment Agencies” (TEAs), which recruit and hire individuals for temporary assignments with host companies while keeping them on the agency’s payroll.

Recently, the Parliament of Montenegro has amended the labour regulations by adopting two amendments to the Labour Law in August and September 2024, and by adopting the amendments to the Law on Contributions for Mandatory Social Insurance in September 2024.

In October 2024, Karanovic & Partners announced that BIG CEE's acquisition of Promenada Novi Sad from NE Property (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 15, 2024) has now closed.

Croatia is undergoing significant legal changes, particularly with the introduction of a real estate tax aimed at addressing housing shortages and regulating property use as well as a new lobbying law, according to Ilej & Partners in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners Senior Partner Goran Ilej.

Karanovic & Partners has advised AMD on opening an engineering design center in Serbia.

In August 2024, Montenegro’s government took a significant step towards modernising the country’s gambling industry by adopting the Fiscal Strategy for 2024-2027. This ambitious plan, aimed at ensuring macroeconomic stability and responsible governance, includes substantial changes to the gambling framework that could reshape the sector’s future.

Moravcevic, Vojnovic and Partners in cooperation with Schoenherr has advised Integral Venture Partners on its acquisition of a 50% stake in EsoTron. Karanovic & Partners advised the founders of EsoTron on the sale.

In a recent legal resolution, an author, a mechanical engineer employed to oversee the printing machinery at a prominent publishing house, found himself at the heart of an unexpected ghostwriting controversy.

The Parliament of the Republic of Serbia recently adopted amendments to the Law on Payment Services (“Law”) that will start to apply from 6 May 2025 (“Amendments”). By the Amendments, the Law is harmonised with the EU’s PSD2. The key goal of the Amendments is the enhancement of innovations on the market and securing increased competition and transparency in the area of payment services, as well as better protection of payment services users and payment security. Below we provide an overview of the main novelties brought by the Amendments.

What do Panama, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Serbia have in common? A shipment of over 5,000 high-quality athletic sneakers travelled through these countries before being halted at customs over authenticity concerns.

The Parliament of Albania has recently passed amendments to the Albanian Labour Code (“Code“), specifically regarding employee annual paid vacation entitlements.

The Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs recently implemented a Rulebook on Ultimate Beneficial Owner (“UBO”) Registration, effective from 27 July 2024. It introduces significant changes in how legal entities in Montenegro must manage their UBO information as part of the country’s effort to strengthen its fight against money laundering.