Significant changes are expected in the Hungarian tax system in the coming years, which could have a major impact on economic operators and individuals alike. As a result of the changes, the State is likely to lose significant revenues and the means to replace these revenues are not yet known.

In a recent case (under No. BDT2023.4623), the Budapest Court of Appeal made an important decision on the issue of jurisdiction. The case related to challenging the fairness (and the validity) of general terms of business (GTCs) of foreign service providers engaging in business with consumers in Hungary.

At the beginning of May 2023, a new bill to amend certain laws to increase the competitiveness of the economy was submitted for public consultation. The bill proposes amendments to many laws, but the most important of these is the regulation of construction right in the Civil Code.

Schoenherr has advised Nufarm Hungary on the lease for its new office headquarters in the Budapest One Office building from Futureal Prime Properties.

On May 21, 2023, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling announced they are merging into a fully integrated firm: Allen Overy Shearman Sterling – A&O Shearman for short.

Contributed by KCG Partners.

Schoenherr, working with Luther and Hogan Lovells, has advised the Cargo-Partner Group Holding on its EUR 1.4 billion sale of Cargo-Partner GmbH and 60 other subsidiaries to Nippon Express Holdings. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised the buyer.

Cerha Hempel has advised majority shareholder Talents Squared Limited on the sale of a 90% stake in Modul University Vienna to a subsidiary of the Hungarian Mathias Corvinus Collegium. Brauneis reportedly advised Modul minority shareholder Wirtschaftskammer Wien. Illes Geza Marton and Graf Isola reportedly advised the Mathias Corvinus Collegium.

In the Hungarian HoReCa sector, the question of how much competition there is in the market for beverage procurement has been on the agenda of the Hungarian competition authority and the political discourse for some time.

HP Legal Hajdu & Partners was established in Budapest in 2008, in what feels like a different age. Celebrating 15 years in business, Partners Laszlo Hajdu, Reka Versics, and Steven Conybeare reflect on the firm’s early days, share some lessons learned, and toast to 15 more.

Cerha Hempel has advised CA Immo on the sale of the Vizivaros Business Center in Budapest to the FLE SICAV FIS real estate fund managed by FLE. CMS advised the buyer.

Schoenherr Local Partner Daniel Gera has become the firm’s new Hungarian office Managing Partner, taking over from Local Partner Kinga Hetenyi.

Seven Kinstellar lawyers have been promoted to Partner: Bratislava-based Tomas Melisek, Budapest-based Levente Hegedus, Istanbul-based Bulut Girgin, and Kyiv-based Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova, Natalia Kirichenko, Oleg Matiusha, and Illya Muchnyk.

The start of the year might have been a bit slow in Hungary as well, but things have shifted towards a more positive outlook for the legal industry in the country, according to Lakatos, Koves and Partners Managing Partner Peter Lakatos.

Former Counsel Daniel Aranyi has been promoted to Partner at Bird & Bird in Budapest, where he also leads the firm's Energy and Competition practice.

Until recently, news reports regarding cookies have only discussed the gigantic fines imposed by foreign data protection authorities (DPAs) on tech giants (Google, Amazon, Meta). For economic reasons, operators of simple websites are continuing to use their illegal practices without risk until the last possible moment.

Former Hogan Lovells Counsel Akos Kovach has been promoted to a Partner position in the firm’s Hungarian affiliate law firm of Partos & Noblet.

The EU intends to implement a horizontal regulation on the qualification, recycling, and waste management of batteries (Battery Regulation) aiming to replace the existing Batteries Directive. Once the EU approves the Commission’s proposal, the new regulation will make the batteries more sustainable throughout their entire lifecycle, according to EU officials. Given Hungary’s significant role in battery production, we summarize the additional statutory obligations and consequences that could be imposed on battery producers.