In recent years we have seen major infrastructure projects in the Eastern Balkans, ordinarily based on International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) standards, face significant delays and impediments due to complex decision-making processes.

From 1 January 2024, companies operating in Hungary will face new significant cyber security related obligations under the Hungarian legislation implementing the EU NIS2 Directive. In this short article, we describe which companies will be affected by the new regulation and what are the most important tasks in the new year.

Mandatory Deposit Refund System (DSR) comes into effect as of 1 January 2024 in Hungary. The newly introduced legislation clarifies the key points of the system and the specific obligation of the parties concerned.

We are facing a remarkable growth of blockchain technologies. One of the main functionalities of this technology is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of (personal) data. This article addresses possible advantages and risks for the protection of privacy and personal data posed by blockchain technologies and manners how to mitigate risks to protect the rights and freedoms of data subjects and other natural persons.

On 7 November 2023, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an amendment to the Employment Relationships Act (“ERA-1D“) that entered into force on 16 November 2023.

On Friday, 17 November, the Minister for transport and communications of North Macedonia, Mr Blagoj Bochvarski, and the Minister for construction, transport and infrastructure of Serbia, Mr Goran Vesić, signed a Memorandum for the Construction of a Fast Railway from Niš to Skopje.

In Romania, even the most optimistic estimates show that only a handful of companies (less than 10%) manage to reorganize through insolvency, as previously regulated by Law 85/2006 and then by Law 84/2014 on insolvency prevention and insolvency proceedings (“Law 85/2014”).

We can all think of names like Champagne or Feta cheese that are intrinsically linked to the geographical origin of a product and the know-how of its producers, often passed on over many generations.

A glimpse at legal challenges in mergers and acquisitions within an uncertain business environment.

The Hungarian Whistleblower Protection Act has entered into force this July. While bigger companies have to operate the internal whistleblowing system since the above date, medium sized businesses (50-250 employees) were given a prolonged period until the 17th of December 2023 to implement the reporting channel. Since the deadline is approaching, we summarize how Hungarian SMEs can comply with the Act.

The Serbian National Assembly has adopted amendments to the Law on Personal Income (PIT Law) and the Law on Mandatory Social Contributions (SSC Law) extending the deadlines for payroll incentives.

Polo shirts are probably more broadly recognized than the sport itself. Unlike t-shirts, polo shirts feature a collar, a sleek design, and a knitted polo player logo on the chest. However, if you’re not fashion-savvy and examine it closely, you’ll notice that this polo player logo varies.

A new legal company form and the reduction of the minimum share capital of limited liability companies is expected to make Austria more attractive in the international corporate landscape, particularly for start-ups and venture capital companies.

On 20 October 2023, the National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications ("ANCOM") and the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitisation published for public consultation until 31 October 2023, the Draft Law on the establishment of measures for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC, as well for the amendment and supplementation of Law No 365/2002 on electronic commerce (the "Draft Law").

Why do we need an agent to hold the security in the first place?

The Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA) recently published a draft report on its findings based on an accelerated sector inquiry into Hungary's online accommodation booking market. The sector inquiry was launched on 24 August 2023 after the HCA received numerous complaints during the peak summer holiday season about the practices of Booking.com, a key market player, for withholding payments to accommodation providers.

The landscape of cross-border reorganisations in Poland has undergone significant changes with the amendments to the Code of Commercial Companies, effective as of 15 September 2023. The revisions introduce a pivotal element – the requirement for a certificate of compliance with Polish law for cross-border reorganisations.

The government of the Republic of Serbia in its session held on 03 November 2023 adopted Regulation on amendments to the Regulation on conditions of delivery and supply of natural gas, published in the Official Gazette of the RS no. 97/2023.