CEE Legal Matters
In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets
In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around we turn our attention to setting up new practices and ask: When launching a new practice, what is your go-to strategy – do you look at internal team members to spearhead it, or are you more likely to turn to lateral hires? Why?
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE Regulations) were incorporated in their current form into the laws of the European Union (EU) with Directive 2001/23/EC of March 12, 2001 (TUPE Directive), with Croatia ensuring its transposition in its legal system via the Labor Act (albeit with a few missed opportunities). Although TUPE Regulations are relatively simple to comprehend, with the main goal being the protection of employee rights in the event of a transfer of an undertaking, business, or part of an undertaking or business as a result of a legal transfer or merger, their application in practice raises many questions to which statutory provisions of Croatian law do not provide an answer.
E+H has advised ECOwind on its sale of the Baerofen wind park to Puespoek following an auction process. CMS advised the buyer.
Spasov and Bratanov, working with Clifford Chance, has advised the International Finance Corporation and Raiffeisenbank International on the EUR 90 million financing for R Engineering to construct a solar power park. CMS advised R Engineering.
Wolf Theiss has advised Erste Group Bank on the successful issuance of EUR 750 million fixed to floating rate green preferred senior notes due 2033. CMS, working with Linklaters, advised the international banking syndicate working on the issuance including Danske Bank, Erste Group, Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg, Landesbank Hessen-Thueringen, Societe Generale, and TD Global Finance.
CMS has advised K&H Bank on the refinancing of the solar portfolio consisting of Obton Group PV plants situated on 15 different locations across Hungary, with a total installed DC capacity of 71.107 megawatts. Forgo, Damjanovic & Partners reportedly advised Obton Group.
CMS has advised the Via Salis consortium, comprising Vinci and Meridiam, on the D4 highway public-private partnership project in the Czech Republic. Kinstellar, working with Linklaters, advised the financing banks. White & Case advised the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic.
TGS Baltic, working with Vinge, has advised Helix Kapital on the sale of its shares in the Spring Media Group to Two Circles. The transaction also involved a buyout of local minority shareholders in SIA 4.vara who were advised by TGS Baltic and CMS' Stockholm office. Sorainen and Latham & Watkins reportedly advised Two Circles.
CMS has advised Toshiba International on a repair and rehabilitation agreement with the Bulgarian state-owned National Electricity Company for the pumping storage hydro power plant Chaira Unit 1.
CMS Poland has advised COBI and its founder on the sale of a 40% stake to private equity fund Resource Partners. Baker McKenzie reportedly advised Resource Partners.
On January 3, 2025, RTPR announced that MidEuropa's EUR 1.3 billion sale of Profi to Ahold Delhaize (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 1, 2024) has now closed.
CMS has advised ABB on its investment in Engineering Software Steyr.
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.
CMS has advised Stock Polska on leasing 57,000 square meters of warehouse space at 7R Park Lublin East I. Norton Rose Fulbright advised 7R.
CMS has advised Tozsdepalota on its sale of the Tozsdepalota Building. DLA Piper advised the buyers, Granit Asset Management.
CMS has advised Egis Pharmaceuticals on its acquisition of a dermatological product line from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Bird & Bird reportedly Teva.
In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. As sunny days recede, the fall conference season is upon us, so we asked: How do you determine which Partner attends which events?
In 2024, Croatia introduced another round of changes to its tax rules, with further novelties announced for 2025 aimed at fair taxation of property and bringing order to the residential rent market.
CMS Sofia is a full-service law firm, the largest international law firm in Bulgaria and one of the largest providers of legal services in the local market as a whole. The breadth and depth of our practice means that our lawyers are specialised, with a level of specialisation that few of our competitors can match.
CMS Sofia is the Bulgarian branch of CMS, a top ten global legal and tax services provider with over 5000 lawyers in 43 countries and 78 offices across the world.
CMS entered the Bulgarian market as one of the first internationally active law firms in 2005 and is now among the most respected legal advisors in the country. We have 7 partners, 4 counsel and over 30 lawyers in our office in Sofia.
Our legal experts, who are rooted in Bulgaria’s local culture, can also draw on years of experience in foreign countries and are at home in several legal systems at once. We know the particularities of the local market just as well as the needs of our clients and combine both to achieve optimum solutions. Our lawyers are Bulgarian qualified and we also have English qualified experts – all of them regularly working on cross-border mandates.
In our work, we focus on M&A, Energy, Projects and Construction, Banking and Finance, Real Estate, Media, IP and IT law, Tax, Employment law, Competition, Procurement and any kind of Dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. What’s more, we also take care of the entire legal management of our clients’ projects.