We bring you a brief overview of important legislative news from the Czech Republic that should not escape your attention.

In 2024, the conditions for obtaining an employment agency permit will be further tightened.

Eversheds Sutherland has represented Brink's Cash Solutions before the Court of Justice of the European Union in a request for a preliminary decision addressed to the court by Bucharest's Court of Appeal in a collective dismissal procedure case.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. As we bid farewell to 2023, this time around we turn our attention forward: What is your one main wish for 2024 and what do you see as the biggest potential risk?

Eversheds Sutherland has advised Bank Pekao on its financing for 7R's warehouse development in Katy Wroclawskie.

Regulation (EU) 2023/956 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 (the “Regulation”) establishes a carbon border adjustment mechanism. The Regulation imposes new obligations on importers of selected goods from third countries into the EU. The aim of this article is to help entrepreneurs identify whether the Regulation applies to them and, if so, what are the most important obligations it imposes on them.

Eversheds Sutherland Bulgarian member firm Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners acted as the single transaction counsel on TBI Bank's December 15, 2023, private placement of MREL notes maturing 2026, with a total value of EUR 10 million.

Anticipated completion of the European NIS2 Directive's integration into Czech law is set for late 2024, facilitated by the new Czech Cybersecurity Act (CSA) and associated decrees. This legislative shift will impact an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 Czech companies, formerly exempt from cybersecurity regulations, necessitating the adoption of measures for compliance. Since the CSA is a complex legal regulation, it is advisable to engage a spectrum of experts, extending beyond IT to include legal and compliance professionals, in this transformative process.

Eversheds Sutherland has advised the shareholders of SWS on the full sale of the company – including subsidiaries Entec Solutions and SWS International in Slovakia – to Also Holding.

Guleryuz Partners, working with the Galadari Law and Eversheds Sutherland, has advised the Tiryaki Group on its USD 112.5 million financing package from the IFC, FMO, and Proparco to finance an agro-industrial complex in Iraq’s Umm-Qasr Port. Allen & Overy, working with Confluent Law, advised the lenders.

The Ministry of Economy has extended the eligible period for electricity and gas price compensations. In addition to 2023, it will also be possible to apply for compensation for the period up to 30 June 2024. Applications can be submitted until 15 June 2024.

In The Debrief, our Practice Leaders across CEE share updates on recent and upcoming legislation, consider the impact of recent court decisions, showcase landmark projects, and keep our readers apprised of the latest developments impacting their respective practice areas.

CEE Legal Matters invited me to write about “lawyering in CEE.” My “lawyering” in the region started on January 2, 2000, when I was a young graduate working in Vienna for clients with business in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and soon I was sent to Prague, and Bratislava. Over time, I witnessed not only economic booms and crises and political and economic transformations but also changes in the legal market and how law firms work.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With 2023 marching to an end, we looked ahead and asked about strategies for next year: As the budgeting period is around the corner, compared to 2023, what are the main budgeting lines you expect to increase for 2024 and why?

Former Squire Patton Boggs Counsel Jaroslav Tajbr has joined Eversheds Sutherland’s Prague office as a Partner.

Eversheds Sutherland Slovakia Managing Partner Bernhard Hager talks about the evolution of the energy sector and their role as legal advisors in Slovakia over the last 10 years.

KSB has advised the Seyfor Group on its acquisition of the KS-Program software company.

In June 2023, the Czech Republic adopted the Whistleblower Protection Act implementing the relevant EU Directive with a two-year delay. The law came into force on 1 August 2023.