It will soon be twenty years since Regulation 261[1] came into force, which introduced an unprecedented level of protection for air passengers and was supposed to provide much greater protection in cases of denied boarding, cancellation, or long delays. So, has the (in)famous Regulation 261 served its purpose?

The Law on Management of Companies Owned by the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter: the Law) came into force on 16 September 2024 in full. This Law was adopted in accordance with the recommendations that the Republic of Serbia received from the International Monetary Fund in order to corporatization, improve management and change the legal form of enterprises in the Republic of Serbia.

Under Albanian law, employment intermediary activities are carried out by two types of agencies. The first type consists of “Recruitment Agencies,” which facilitate the hiring of individuals to work for a third party. The second type includes “Temporary Employment Agencies” (TEAs), which recruit and hire individuals for temporary assignments with host companies while keeping them on the agency’s payroll.

The Czech Class Actions Act[1] became effective on 1 July 2024. Previous articles have provided an overview of key aspects of the new legislation and subjects of these proceedings. This part will focus on the challenges related to the publicity of class actions and explore ways in which companies, as defendants, can protect themselves from negative impacts.

The long-standing dispute between Illumina/GRAIL and the European Commission has now ended. The Court of Justice has set definitive limits on the broad interpretation of Article 22 of Council Regulation No. 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings.

Recently, the Parliament of Montenegro has amended the labour regulations by adopting two amendments to the Labour Law in August and September 2024, and by adopting the amendments to the Law on Contributions for Mandatory Social Insurance in September 2024.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia has proposed amendments to the Law on Public Notaries ("Official Gazette of RS", no. 31/2011, 85/2012, 19/2013, 55/2014 - other law, 93/2014 - other law, 121/ 2014, 6/2015 and 106/2015) with the purpose of introducing the obligation to solemnize monetary loan agreements between natural persons in the amount of EUR 10,000 and higher.

Startups are newly established companies usually founded by entrepreneurs who develop a product, service, or business model with the aim of solving a specific problem or addressing a gap in the market. These companies usually start with limited revenue, and they are looking after angel investors, venture capitalists or especially allocated funds for startups.

The amendments to the Bulgarian Public Health Act (PHA), introduced on 8 October 2024, are aimed at modernising the healthcare system, enhancing data management and improving patient care. They prioritise the transition to electronic health records (EHR), regulate telemedicine, and introduce a digital scheduling system for medical appointments. This article provides a high-level overview of the amendments.

Convertible loans have emerged as a pivotal financial instrument for start-ups navigating the challenging terrain of early-stage funding (pre-seed and seed), also called angel investment. These loans are a hybrid of debt and equity financing, offering a unique solution for companies that are not yet ready for a formal valuation or are seeking to bridge funding gaps between capital-raising rounds.

Montenegro is not a member state of the European Union but rather a candidate country for membership, which status was granted on December 17, 2010.  As such, European Union regulations are not directly applicable in Montenegro, however, many regulations have been harmonized with EU directives as a result of the harmonization process (acquis Communautaire).

On 13 August 2024, the Ukrainian Government adopted Order No 757-p “Certain Issues of Pilot Auctions for the Allocation of the Support Quota in 2024” (“Green Auctions Order”) scheduling the first auctions for supporting renewable energy producers under the feed-in premium mechanism (“Feed-in-Premium”) later this year.

At the end of last year, the Ministry of Finance announced the improvement of the Electronic Invoicing System (known as SEF), which will consist of various modules. Certainly, the most significant module will still be the E-Invoice, which has already been in use by business entities since January 1, 2023. Along with it, new modules such as the E-Delivery note, E-Excise, and E-Customs will also be integrated.

Commencing from October 1, 2024, tax benefits for taxpayers with a high level of voluntary tax compliance or members of the announced “White Business Club” will come into full force and effect.

The right to disconnect entitles employees not to be at the employer’s disposal during rest periods and other justified absences.

People, as individual sources of evidence, are crucial in criminal cases. In more complex cases, even hundreds of people may be interrogated. So it is not uncommon in Widen’s practice to receive a concerned phone call from a client who has been called in for questioning. What to expect in such a case?

In the middle of July 2024, the Ministry of Energy announced that the Government will make it mandatory for manufacturers of batteries and their components, as well as battery waste managers, to carry out an environmental impact assessment procedure.

In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court (case no. 27 Cdo 3499/2023) decided that the delivery of a legal act by email to a statutory body of a company is effective from the moment the email reaches the recipient's inbox, even if the recipient has not opened the email or was on vacation at the time.