Central and Eastern Europe’s M&A landscape is experiencing challenging and interesting times. Geopolitical tensions (not least Russia’s war in Ukraine), inflation, and regulatory hurdles have created headwinds – yet opportunities persist. Investors are selectively pursuing high-quality deals, and great companies with strong prospects are still being bought and sold. In short, while uncertainty has become the new normal, M&A isn’t going away and remains a fundamental growth strategy. As a recent survey noted, medium- to long-term prospects for deal-making remain positive, with participants preparing to seize the opportunities ahead. CEE as a region continues to attract interest thanks to its underlying growth drivers and relative stability, even compared to Western Europe.

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.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we asked: With autumn being a peak conference period, what are your annual “cannot miss” conferences during the fall season and why?

Oppenheim Partner David Hanis, Ban, S. Szabo, Rausch & Partners Partner Gergely Szabo, and Schoenherr Partner Kinga Hetenyi discuss Hungary’s battery push, which now spans grid-scale storage, cells, cathodes, separators, recycling, and soon EV assembly, even as permitting, labor, and contracting models are stress-tested in real time.

With defense concerns accelerating across the Baltics, Sorainen Partner Evaldas Dudonis, Cobalt Partner Gatis Flinters, CEE Attorneys Partner Kristina Sabaliauskiene, Njord Law Firm Partner and Head of Data Protection & Technology Law Liisi Jurgen, Tegos Partner and Head of Defense Matas Balenas, and Law Firm Leimanis.eu Managing Partner Raivis Leimanis describe a rapidly changing landscape defined by rising investments, expanding industrial capacity, and evolving legal frameworks.

In high-stakes discussions, your chair is more than furniture—it's a tactical decision. Understanding the psychology of seating can give you and your client a critical first advantage.

Legal directories present themselves as neutral arbiters of professional merit. Through structured submissions, peer reviews, and client references, they promise a transparent hierarchy of legal excellence. Yet for many practices in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), rankings often feel misaligned with observable quality.

In the shifting terrain of the Balkan legal sector – particularly within the realm of intellectual property – 2025 has emerged as a year of strategic recalibration. While the broader Central and Eastern European (CEE) region continues to witness law firm mergers and lateral expansions, the Balkans are carving out a distinct narrative: one marked by regulatory tightening, enforcement innovation, and a growing appetite for regional cooperation.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we asked: Would you ever hire a non-lawyer as a CEO/Managing Partner for your firm? Why/why not?

Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Schoenherr Elena Todorova and AECO Law Partner Emre Atayilmaz analyze how officials are testing different playbooks to blunt food-price pressures in their jurisdictions.

Poland’s private sector is juggling overlapping EU digital frameworks while investors and counterparties raise the bar in transactions. Traple Konarski Podrecki & Partners Co-Managing Partner Agnieszka Wachowska, SSW Partner Jakub Kubalski, Schoenherr Partner Katarzyna Szczudlik, Woloszanski & Partners Head of Crypto Practice Lukasz Kudela, and Addleshaw Goddard Head of TMT/IP Szymon Sieniewicz break down where companies stand now, what’s coming next, how internal compliance is changing, where deals are feeling it, and the risks many still underestimate.

As growth steadies and inflation eases, Polish investors are stepping up while foreign capital recalibrates – shaping the next wave of opportunity in housing, offices, and logistics.

MediaMarkt Polska Head of Legal and Compliance Maciej Czajkowski discusses how to ensure compliance requirements are met in a fast-paced decision-making process and the opportunities presented for those who strike that balance right in terms of attracting ever-conscious consumers.

Moldova’s judicial system has long struggled with public distrust. Bivol & Asociatii Managing Partner Andrei Bivol and Dolea & Co Managing Partner Sorin Dolea discuss the current state of Moldova’s judiciary, the vetting process, and ongoing challenges.

Law firms can claim to be next-gen, world-class, or strategic until the cows come home. None of it matters if clarity and proof are nowhere to be found.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen’s Competition practice has navigated a broad mix of mandates, including investigations, complex litigation, and a growing volume of merger control and FDI filings, according to Partner and Head of Competition, State Aid, EU Law, and FDI, Anca Diaconu. The team has also seen clients make fuller use of procedural tools, reflecting a more sophisticated and fast-moving enforcement environment.

Reputation in Central and Eastern Europe used to be something firms cultivated through good work and word of mouth. Today, it has quietly morphed into something more structural: a risk indicator. Foreign clients, investors, banks, and multinational GCs, have begun treating a firm’s public footprint the way they treat KYB/KYC information. They check for clarity, consistency, and external validation long before they send an email.

In a region that has learned to live with uncertainty, Poland stands out for something refreshingly simple: results. A recent Bloomberg column by Matthew A. Winkler captured it perfectly: Poland’s GDP is about USD 915 billion and keeps compounding. Bloomberg calculates that household consumption has surged 125% since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016; the zloty leads among 23 most-traded emerging-market currencies; Polish government bonds top Europe with over 30% total return; and the Warsaw Stock Exchange ranks among the world’s best performers so far this year. These are facts.