CEE Legal Matters
In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets
Boyanov & Co, working with the Stockholm and Washington offices of Baker McKenzie, has advised Finland's Tietoevry on the acquisition of US-based digital engineering company MentorMate. Ballard Spahr advised the Taylor Corporation on the sale.
Paksoy has advised the Stellantis Group on the full sale of its Stellantis Otomotiv Pazarlama automobile distributor subsidiary to Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi. Baker McKenzie Turkish affiliate Esin Attorney Partnership advised Tofas.
The significant public financing need caused by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay on 6 February 2023 continues to lead to various tax-related regulations. The first of such regulations was a one-time additional tax imposed on certain corporate taxpayers with Law No. 7440 on the Restructuring of Certain Receivables and Amendments to Certain Laws published in the Official Gazette dated 12 March 2023.
Hengeler Mueller has advised Muhr und Bender on the acquisition of RUAG International Holding’s aerostructures activities in Oberpfaffenhofen and Eger. Baker McKenzie, and reportedly Pestalozzi, advised RUAG International Holding. Reportedly, Lakatos, Koves & Partners and Novalex advised Muhr und Bender as well.
The Court of Justice’s strike on protectionism in favor of ‘strategic companies’ in the Member States.
Wolf Theiss and Oziemska Gruner & Partners have advised Polish IT developer Touk on the transaction that led to approximately 65 of its engineers joining Snowflake's developer team in Warsaw. Baker McKenzie advised Snowflake.
Weronika Achramowicz, Marcin Chylinski, and Lukasz Hejmej have been elected as the new Managing Partners of Baker McKenzie's Warsaw office, taking over from Piotr Rawski who will be returning to practice at the end of his term.
The Regulation Amending the Electricity Market Capacity Mechanism Regulation and the Regulation Amending the Regulation on Renewable Energy Source Guarantee Certificate in Electricity Market published in the Official Gazette on 21 May 2021, introduced significant changes to the capacity mechanism and renewable energy resource guarantee certificate (“YEK-G“) applications.
Former Counsel Michal Lisawa has been promoted to a Partner position with Baker McKenzie in Poland, effective July 1, 2023.
Baker McKenzie has advised Huuuge, Inc. on its approximately USD 150 million time-limited share buy-back of company shares listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Former Counsels Oleksiy Stolyarenko and Andrii Moskalyk have been appointed as Partners with Baker McKenzie in Kyiv on July 1, 2023.
On June 30, 2023, Schoenherr announced that OMV’s sale of OMV Slovenija to MOL (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 17, 2021) had closed.
Notwithstanding the ongoing war, the Ukrainian banking and financial services industry continues to operate without interruptions and shows great resilience and stability. Ukrainian legislation continues to develop at the same time, bringing the standards of banking and financial services closer to the EU requirements.
Global law firm Baker McKenzie organized a competition and regulatory conference for pharma in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in Warsaw. During the conference, Baker McKenzie experts highlighted the hot topics of recent developments in EU Competition Law and Pharmaceutical Regulation that have direct effect on companies in the pharma and life sciences sector, discussing practical and pragmatic solutions with special regard to regional aspects in CEE in two round tables. The second one looked at regulatory hot topics and market access challenges in CEE and war-related changes in Ukraine.
Global law firm Baker McKenzie organized a competition and regulatory conference for pharma in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in Warsaw. During the conference, Baker McKenzie experts highlighted the hot topics of recent developments in EU Competition Law and Pharmaceutical Regulation that have direct effect on companies in the pharma and life sciences sector, discussing practical and pragmatic solutions with special regard to regional aspects in CEE in two round tables. The first one looked at recent competition law developments.
On 22 June 2023, the Law of Ukraine on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Optimizing the Operations of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Increasing the Effectiveness of State Property Management and Improving the Effectiveness of Sanctions Policy ("Law") became effective.
With effect from 16 May 2023, Ukrainian borrowers are allowed to make payments from Ukraine abroad to repay and service certain
cross-border loans from foreign lenders. This applies to the loans that are:
The laws of Ukraine define force majeure as an extraordinary and unpreventable event, man-made or act of God, which objectively makes impossible the performance of contractual obligation(s) by one or both parties to a contract. Force majeure exempts a non-performing party from liability (penalties) for breach of contractual duty if caused by force majeure rather than from the performance of contractual obligations.
Baker McKenzie brings insight and foresight to clients across more than 70 global offices. Our team of 13,000 people, including over 6,500 lawyers, works alongside our clients to drive growth that is both sustainable – and inclusive. The global business community is more interconnected than ever before. Opportunities and risks spill across different markets, sectors and areas of law, so a connected perspective is essential in delivering business objectives while mitigating risk. Our integrated client solutions provide seamless advice, underpinned by deep practice and sector expertise, as well as first-rate local market knowledge.
In the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, Baker McKenzie's expansion remains steadfast, with a thriving team of over legal professionals. Our footprint extends across six offices in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Türkiye, and Ukraine. As part of our global network, coupled with well-established partnerships throughout the entire CEE landscape, we proudly stand as one of the foremost international law firms in this dynamic territory. Our reputation as a premier business law firm in CEE is a testament to our extensive experience in advising on a multitude of prestigious projects and nurturing enduring client relationships.