CEE Legal Matters In-depth coverage of the news and newsmakers that shape Europe's emerging markets 
In recent years, the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes has been a “hot” topic in North Macedonia. In 2016, the country regulated the procedure for the cultivation and production of hemp and hemp extracts. Since then, in line with publicly available information, over 60 approvals for the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes have been issued.
Polenak, working with DWF, has advised Singular and its owners on the sale of the company to Flutter Entertainment. Debarliev, Dameski & Kelesoska, working with Arthur Cox, advised Flutter Entertainment.
With COVID-19 restrictions to kick in only after the municipal elections scheduled for October 17, the country is in for a long winter, according to ODI Law Partner Gjorgji Georgievski, despite the business sector doing well.
The Company Law in the Republic of North Macedonia has finally introduced a simplified limited liability company.
Data controllers and data processors had until 24 August 2021 to align with the new Law on Personal Data Protection in North Macedonia (“Law”), which introduced the GDPR in the local legislation at the beginning of 2020. Non-compliance with the new obligations for personal data protection can lead to severe penalties, such as fines of up to 2% and up to 4% of the total annual turnover from the previous financial year, per misdemeanor.
In August 2021, the Law on Financial Support of Investments (“Law”) in North Macedonia has undergone several amendments. Changes are focused on easing the conditions for application, affecting the balanced regional development, and speeding up the procedures for payment of the granted funds.
During the summer, the Assembly in North Macedonia adopted relevant amendments to the Labour Law concerning the conditions for retirement. According to the estimations by the proposers of the amendment, around 6000 employees from the public and the private sector already reached 64 years of age by the end of 2020.
Porobija & Spoljaric and Lalicic & Boskoski Law Office have advised the founders of the City Connect Group on their sale of the company to Sweden’s Transcom. LK Shields and Tragardh Law Firm reportedly advised the sellers in Ireland and Sweden, respectively. Bradvica Maric Wahl Cesarec, Clark Hill Law, and Mannheimer Swartling reportedly advised the buyer in Croatia, Ireland, and Sweden, respectively.
"Data Protection matters have kept us extremely busy this year," Gjorgji Georgievski, ODI Law Partner in North Macedonia and Regional Head of TMT Group, reports, primarily as a result of the looming end of the transition period of the new data protection law in the country.
CMS' Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka has been appointed as Vice-President of the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Aside from Surdek-Janicka, 33 lawyers from CEE were appointed as members and alternate members of the court.
With the enactment of the new Law on Personal Data Protection (“Law”) in 2020, North Macedonia largely harmonized its data protection legislation with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
CMS has advised Thor Impex – the project company for the Bogoslovec 36 Megawatt wind farm in North Macedonia – on a EUR 51 million financing from a club of banks led by the Erste Bank. White & Case advised the lenders.
Karanovic & Partners and Dentons have advised the Green for Growth Fund on its EUR 3.5 million equity investment in Thor Impex Skopje, partially funding the construction and operation of a 36-megawatt wind farm near Bogoslovec in North Macedonia.
While relatively slow on certain fronts, the North Macedonian Government seems focused on economic growth according to Aleksandar Kchev, Partner at Bona Fide Law Firm, with the country's IT industry and renewables sector seeing some notable movement.
The year of 2020 was marked, in North Macedonia as elsewhere, by the COVID-19-induced economic crisis, which will obviously extend well into 2021. Despite the high hopes that the pandemic would be brought under control with mass vaccination programs, the North Macedonian economy’s return to pre-Covid status within the current year is highly unlikely.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy of North Macedonia (“Ministry”) recently pointed out that 577,662 ha are classified as arable land in North Macedonia, while 41% of this land is state-owned. It also noted that the current applicable Law on Sale of State – Owned Agricultural Land (“Law”) has many ambiguities and systemic weaknesses, which prevent its full implementation.
A new law firm alliance has appeared in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
Akin Gump, Bogdanovic, Dolicki & Partneri, Maric & Co, Isailovic & Partners, Harrisons, Zdolsek Attorneys at Law, Boga & Associates, Popovski & Partners, and Forgo Damjanovic & Partners have advised Croatian conglomerate Fortenova Grupa d.d., on the EUR 615 million sale of its frozen food business to Nomad Foods. Norton Rose Fulbright, Lakatos, Koves & Partners, and five firms from the SEE Legal alliance advised Nomad Foods on the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.
ODI is a leading regional law firm in the CEE with offices in Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and North Macedonia. The firm’s regional presence enables it to provide coordinated and seamless high-quality legal advice on projects across multiple jurisdictions or in a single location. The firm draws on the knowledge and experience of its locally and internationally trained lawyers advising on a broad range of matters, including banking & finance, competition, real estate, corporate / M&A, dispute resolution, employment and benefits, intellectual property, privacy and data protection, regulatory and administrative, restructuring and insolvency and tax.
The firm’s principal objective is to create value for clients by streamlining in-depth knowledge and experience in a particular industry. The firm has extensive experience in acting for clients on M&A transactions, with lawyers advising large multinational corporations, sponsors and lenders on all aspects of acquisitions. The firm’s lawyers are fully versed in conducting legal due diligence, transactional support, acquisition strategy and drafting and negotiating transaction documents in an M&A transaction. They take a commercial approach to how they handle transactions and deliver legal advice. The firm focuses on delivering services in a practical and timely way, while also focusing on what is required to move to the next stage of the transaction.
ODI’s North Macedonia office focuses on complex and high value domestic and multi-jurisdictional deals. Leading global companies and financial institutions particularly value the expertise of our Macedonian lawyers in competition, corporate / M&A, dispute resolution, employment and benefits and privacy and data protection matters.
