16
Tue, Jul
72 New Articles

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) has embarked on a transformative journey in its energy sector as both Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBH) initiated comprehensive amendments of the energy legislative framework in an effort to reshape the country’s energy sector landscape and align the legislation with Energy Community regulations, EU acquis, and international standards and best practices.

The European Commission has imposed a hefty EUR 337.5 million fine on Mondelēz International, Inc., the world-famous producer of Oreo, Milka and Toblerone, for restricting cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits, and coffee products among EU Member States, in violation of EU competition regulations.

Albania’s real estate market has undergone a significant transformation in the last decade, attracting global attention across the residential, commercial, and tourism sectors. This surge in interest is a result of the country’s economic and legislative reforms, political stability, successful justice reform implementation, and progress in the EU accession process. These factors collectively present investors with promising opportunities in Albania’s dynamic and evolving market.

On 15 February 2024, the Albanian Parliament adopted law no. 18/2024 “On some amendments and addendums on law no. 155/2015 ‘On gambling in the Republic of Albania’, as amended” (the “Gambling Law”). The amendment overturned a five-year ban on sports betting activities in Albania and entered into force on 27 March 2024.

In Albania, renewable energy, start-ups, and gaming all present significant market opportunities according to Partner Anisa Rrumbullaku of CR Partners in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners, with significant changes being implemented that stand to not only revitalize the economy but also create a hotbed for legal expertise.

Slovenia and Croatia adopted the Minimum Tax Act (MTA). The MTA implements Directive (EU) 2022/2523 to ensure a global minimum level of taxation for multinational enterprise groups and large-scale domestic groups in the EU. The latter is a consequence of the OECD’s global fight against tax base erosion within the scope of Pillar II.

The luxury design company Hermès is facing allegations of engaging in unlawful practices by “tying” the purchase of its popular Birkin bags to the purchase of other luxury clothing and accessory items, as claimed in a class-action lawsuit filed in the US. According to the lawsuit, two California shoppers stated that they were compelled to buy additional Hermès products from various categories such as apparel, scarves, and homeware before being allowed to purchase Birkin handbags from the Paris-based brand.

Last week, the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition (“Commission”) released two decisions involving the two biggest producers and wholesalers of ground coffee in Serbia – Atlantic Group (“Atlantic”) and Strauss Adriatic (“Strauss”). One decision marked the end of the Commission’s antitrust investigation imposing penalties on Atlantic and Strauss, issued on December 29, 2023 (“Antitrust Decision”), and the other one is the merger control ruling conditionally approving Atlantic’s acquisition of Strauss, issued on February 28, 2024 (“Merger Decision”).

Albania underwent a substantial overhaul in its approach to insolvency and restructuring proceedings with the enactment of Law No. 110/2016 “On Bankruptcy” in 2017. This legislative stride replaced a prior law that had been in effect since 2002, often leading to disputes and difficulties in uniform enforcement.

In Croatia, the legal landscape governing insolvency and restructuring is meticulously outlined in the Insolvency Act (Official Gazette no. 71/15, 104/17,36/22) providing a comprehensive framework for the initiation and execution of pre-insolvency and insolvency proceedings, outlining the ensuing legal consequences, and delineating the respective rights and obligations of debtors and creditors. With the recent amendment to the Insolvency Act introduced in 2022, solutions from the European Union have been adopted to encourage early restructuring of sustainable businesses, maintaining the continuity of company operations, and preventing insolvency. With these new changes, emphasis is being placed on insolvency prevention while also providing a strong framework for the protection of the creditors.

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) has been present in our lives for a while now, but it became a buzzword when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the public. Therefore, the lawsuit against OpenAI and the datasets used by ChatGPT deserve more attention than other similar cases.