Freshfields has advised Cinven on the sale of Viridium Group to a consortium comprising Allianz, BlackRock, T&D Holdings, Hannover RE, and Generali. 

On the evening of April 1, 2025, the Deal of the Year Awards Banquet brought together, under the same roof, over 200 top-tier lawyers from Central and Eastern Europe's leading law firms and General Counsel from across the region in Prague.

CMS Partners Horea Popescu, Alexander Rakosi, and Ryszard Manteuffel discuss the ebb and flow of M&A deals in CEE, highlighting that the M&A landscape experienced a significant drop in overall deal values prompting strategic shifts amid ongoing geopolitical and financing challenges.

Austria’s financial sector is experiencing significant regulatory shifts. These changes are reshaping the landscape for both domestic and foreign entities operating in the Austrian market.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, including in Austria, with the drone global market to exceed USD 55 billion by 2030, reflecting their global importance. Drones can serve both as recreational gadgets and as professional tools for photographers, farmers, emergency responders, and other professionals. As with any new technology the benefits must be weighed against the risks.

European Commercial Courts are positioning themselves as alternatives to other national courts as they remain closely tied to domestic court systems.

Taylor Wessing has announced an alliance with the Italian law firm Orsingher Ortu – Avvocati Associati.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2024 behind us, we asked: Looking at transactional volumes for this year, would you say that 2024 was better or worse than what you originally expected it to be, and why?

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a central component of the EU’s Digital Finance Package. The aim is to enhance information and communications technology (ICT) security and digital operational resilience in the financial sector. Financial institutions and ICT service providers have until January 17, 2025, to fully implement the requirements.

Brandl Talos has advised Xund on a EUR 6 million pre-series A financing round led by Lead Ventures with participation from J&T Ventures and existing investors MassMutual Ventures, TBA network, and Lana Ventures. Herbst Kinsky, and reportedly Erdos Partners, advised Lead Ventures.

Freshfields has advised the shareholders of Leiber on the full sale of the company to Asahi Group Foods, a subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings.

DLA Piper has advised Marinomed Biotech on the sale of its Carragelose business to Unither Pharmaceuticals. Lamartine Conseil reportedly advised Unither Pharmaceuticals.

Mineral rights deals may seem like a big win, but they are not without risk. Considering the wider implications of mineral rights deals.

Sustainability-related disputes, cyber security issues, and corporate restructurings are shaping Austria’s legal dispute landscape, with courts and arbitration increasingly tackling ESG issues and greenwashing claims, according to Taylor Wessing Partner Ivo Deskovic who highlights a surge in insolvencies as well as the long-anticipated implementation of the EU Class Action Directive.

Dorda, working with Roschier, has advised European growth investor Sprints on its partnership with Styria Media Group to acquire all of Adevinta’s shares in Willhaben. Freshfields advised Adevinta. E+H advised Styria Media Group.

E+H has advised Megatech Industries on its reorganization from financial distress and subsequent sale to Italian mobility supplier Sapa. Wolf Theiss, working with Gianni & Origoni, advised Sapa.

Cerha Hempel has advised OMV on a partnership with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to create Borouge Group International.

Baker McKenzie has advised Burgenland Energie Group on structuring and implementing a EUR 1.3 billion portfolio project financing for renewable energy expansion. Binder Groesswang, working with Hogan Lovells, advised the banks.