Against the background of energy transition and of the states’ need to ensure their energy security in the current geopolitical context, offshore renewable energy technologies have gained increased attention. Today, they have been included in renewable energy policies both in the European Union ("EU") and in the EU Member States, whether we are talking about wave energy, tidal energy, energy produced by floating photovoltaic panels, floating wind turbines and wind turbines attached to the seabed.

As the main trends of the transaction market in the first half of 2022, the boom of startups and the changes in their valuations, the undiminished confidence of foreign investors despite the geopolitical situation, and the ongoing consolidation of the health care and renewable energy sectors can be singled out.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen and Dentons announced that Romgaz' acquisition of ExxonMobil subsidiary ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited (reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 12, 2022) has now closed.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii has advised Mol Romania on the development, authorization, and opening of two new service stations on the A2 Motorway.

Grid connection in Romania is mainly regulated by ANRE Order no. 59/2013 approving the public grid connection regulation (the “Connection Regulation”), which has already been amended twice in 2022 (under ANRE Orders no. 17/2022 and 81/2022) and will soon be amended for a third time. Hence, the legal regime governing grid connection is quite a carousel of changes and reshapes.

The resilience of the transactions market and the trust of investors in the Baltic region has proved remarkable, although figures show a 15% decrease in global mid-market M&A deals (according to the Refinitiv published M&A Review of the first half of 2022). Despite the Ukraine war and mounting global challenges the deal flow, although at a much calmer pace, continues and remains promising for the second half of the year. Looking back on the first six months, COBALT experts highlight the main trends in each of the Baltic countries.