Wolf Theiss has advised MRB FerCon on the acquisition of Iron Foundry in Herzogenburg, Austria, via a management buyout of George Fischer Casting Solutions, a division of George Fischer. George Fischer was advised by Cerha Hempel.

Austria’s political scene felt some tremors in the past few weeks following snap elections. Unsurprisingly, potential coalitions became a primary subject of discussion. “The Conservatives won in a landslide, with almost 38% of the vote, with Social Democrats taking a very distant second. with around 21%,” reports DLA Piper Country Managing Partner David Christian Bauer. Another notable result of the election is the low 16% vote for the far-right Freedom Party – the recent coalition partners of the conservatives – following insinuations of corruption. “The Conservatives will most certainly form the Government and any coalition that gets formed will have to go through them,” says Bauer, emphasizing that the Freedom Party will face strong challenges to return to rule, with the scandals and “internal turmoil they’re experiencing.”

Binder Groesswang has advised the Gilde Buy Out Partners private equity fund and 17 other sellers on the sale of the Austria-based Powerlines Group GmbH to French energy group ENGIE Ineo, following a bidding process. Allen & Overy and Eisenberger & Herzog reportedly advised ENGIE Ineo on the deal.

Wolf Theiss has advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG on the issue and listing of a EUR 750 million Green Bond. White & Case advised a syndicate consisting of Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Societe Generale, and UniCredit Bank AG on the issuance.

Cerha Hempel has advised Aberdeen Standard Investments Deutschland AG on its acquisition of residential development project Franz Joseph from Innsbrucker Projektgemeinschaft Moser Wohnbau & Immobilien GmbH and Bauwerk Wohnraum GmbH. Grama Schwaighofer Vondrak Rechtsanwalte advised the sellers on the deal.

The 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive¹ ("AMLD") to amend the current EU Anti-Money Laundering ("AML") regime must be transposed into national law by 10 January 2020. The approach of the EU is clear: AML prevention will be strengthened and AML requirements in the financial sector will rise.

CMS has advised Constantia Flexibles on its acquisition of Russian TT-print. FCG-Partners reportedly advised the sellers on the deal.

Eisenberger & Herzog has advised Allianz Capital Partners on the acquisition of a 75% stake in Niederosterreichische Glasfaserinfrastruktur from Breitband Holding, controlled by the Province of Lower Austria. The investment is approximately EUR 300 million. CMS advised NoGIG on the deal.

Wolf Theiss has advised DekaBank, DZ Bank AG, Erste Group, LBBW, UniCredit Bank, and Hypo Noe as managers on the Hypo Noe's successful EUR 500 million public-sector Pfandbriefe benchmark issue. Clifford Chance advised the banks on German law aspects.

CMS has advised ALPLA on its entrance into a joint venture with Thailand's PTT Global Chemical Public Company to manufacture and sell mechanically recycled plastics from used packaging materials.

Brandl & Talos has advised an investor consortium of Farallon Capital, Adjuvant Capital, Global Health Investment Fund, Hadean Ventures, Omnes Capital, Ventech, Wellington Partners Life Sciences, and High-Tech Grunderfonds.on Themis Bioscience's EUR 40 million Series D financing round. Herbst Kinsky advised Themis Bioscience, and Baker McKenzie advised another investor, MSD, on the deal.

Wolf Theiss has advised the Swiss Kuehne + Nagel logistics group on its July 15 acquisition of Jobstl.

Dorda has advised Denmark's Too Good To Go tech start-up on the launch of its operations in Austria.

Wolf Theiss has advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG as issuer of EUR 500 million Tier 2 Notes and on a tender offer for the repurchase of EUR 500 million Subordinated Callable Fixed Rate Reset Notes due February 2025. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Germany advised RBI in connection with the tender offer and White & Case Frankfurt, acted as the legal advisor to joint lead managers RBI, BNP Paribas, Citi Bank, UBS, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

General information: Consumer Protection is one of the strategic goals of the EU. The Sale of Goods Directive and the Digital Content Directive entered into force on 11 June 2019 to provide European consumers a high level of protection and legal certainty as well as create common warranty rules in the EU. By 1 July 2021, Member States are obliged to adopt necessary regulations into their national laws to comply with these Directives, which will apply from 1 January 2022.

Binder Groesswang, working with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in London and New York, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg in Toronto, Hengeler Mueller in Germany, and other European local counsel, has advised funds managed by The Blackstone Group Inc. in connection with the acquisition of Dream Global REIT, a Canadian real estate investment trust listed in Toronto and Frankfurt holding a pan-European real estate portfolio.

Weber & Co. has acted as legal counsel to joint lead managers Erste Group Bank AG, HSBC France, ING Bank N.V., Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg, and Nykredit Bank A/S in connection with the successful September 11, 2019 issue by Erste Group Bank AG of a EUR 500 million 0.010% Mortgage Pfandbriefe under the bank's Covered Bonds Programme. Wolf Theiss was issuers counsel.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati has rebranded as Cerha Hempel.