Of the former Yugoslavian countries, Slovenia was the least penetrated by Russian businesses – a result of mutual caution on both sides. 

The past decade was rather dynamic in terms of the development of the legal framework for bankruptcy in Serbia, as, since its adoption in 2009, the Bankruptcy Law has undergone several amendments, most recently in late 2017, designed to improve the efficiency of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Geographical indication of origin, this very peculiar form of industrial property protection, has undergone a revival phase over the past few years, becoming omnipresent not only within natural circles of interest, but also amongst the Serbian public at large.

Montenegro, being a small country, is characterized by rapid modifications and changes in its business and financial environments. The new Montenegrin Law on the Capital Market (the “Law”), which came into force at the very beginning of 2018, is designed to create and develop a consolidated financial background, and represents the first attempt to introduce a systematic regulation in this domain to support investors and efficiently protect their interests. 

Back in the 2000s, the conditions for getting a loan from a Croatian bank were quite strict and complicated. Beside a good credit rating, the banks were asking for a number of securities: mortgages, guarantors, etc. Recognizing that as a good business opportunity, many foreign financial institutions (primarily banks and leasing companies, but also financial cooperatives) decided to enter Croatian market.

Jovan Velkovski is the Head of Legal at JAT (Yugoslav Airlines) Tehnika, an Aircraft Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center in Belgrade. Prior to joining the company, he worked as a Senior Legal Advisor at Privredna Banka Beograd, where he gained professional experience in bankruptcy cases.

Kosovo declared its independence on February 17, 2008, nine years after the 1999 conclusion of its conflict with Serbia, during which time it operated under the protection of the United Nation Mission in Kosovo. The post-war climate in the country was full of hopes for new beginnings, and in 2008 the newly sovereign state began the process of establishing effective and fair legislation, developing an independent economy, and building a protective environment for its citizens. 

Investors had reason to be apprehensive about the prospects of Emerging European markets at the outset of 2017: protracted Brexit negotiations hung a cloud over Europe; Eurosceptic parties were widely expected to succeed in imminent elections; and anti-immigration and nationalistic sentiments reared their ugly head.  

The editors of CEE Legal Matters have very kindly asked me to contribute this month’s guest editorial and I am afraid in return I am going to pose a very impertinent question. The question I wish to ask is: is there any such thing as “CEE Legal Matters”?

David’s editorial in our last issue included a brief explanation as to how CEELM came to be, and included the words: “Because CEE as a thing certainly existed.” I am uncertain to what extent that provided an inspiration for it, but ironically in this issue we have two pieces (see pages 4 and 38) that address, more or less directly, the question whether it still exists “as a thing” today.