Contributed by Bivol, Sotchi & Partners.

Recently, a series of substantial developments in the data protection area and several eloquent guidelines have been operated and published by the Moldovan Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA). Below is an overview of the most important matters to be considered both by data controllers and data processors operating on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

In the context of signing the Association Agreement with the European Union on June 27, 2014, the Moldovan legislation underwent fundamental changes aimed at harmonizing the domestic provisions with those of the European Union.

With numerous reports of energy-related business shutdowns, we reached out to local experts across CEE to understand what different markets have been dealing with, in terms of work and production stoppages, and look into the broader impact.

Contributed by ACI Partners.

The country's EU candidate status and grave security concerns gave rise to far-reaching legislative reform in Moldova, with IPOs and digitalization in full swing, according to ACI Partners Partner Cristina Martin.

The Moldovan Government continues to promote in-depth reforms designed to meet the challenges of a digital economy. The last summer was marked by the adoption of new regulations aiming to stimulate private-sector innovation. The new legislation also instituted new responsibilities for digital platforms for creating, sharing, and streaming digital content to Moldovan users.

Contributed by Stratulat Albulescu.

Dolea & Co has successfully represented Gribnaya Strana in the recognition and enforcement procedures of an arbitral award before the Chisinau Court of Appeal.

Following the tendency among EU states to improve labour legislation, through its 28 July 2022 law ("Law 243/2022"), the Moldovan Parliament passed certain amendments to the Labour Code. These were motivated by the need to align the existing legislation to current realities and the recommendations of the International Labour Organization.

Contributed by Dolea & Co.

On 19 May 2022, the Moldovan Parliament voted on the new Law on Electronic Identification and Trust Services ("Law 124/2022"). Law 124/2022 will enter into force on 10 December 2022 and replaces the currently existing Law on Electronic Signature and Electronic Document ("Law 91/2014"). This replacement seeks to align the national legislation in the field of electronic signature with European norms, namely the harmonisation with Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC.

Romanian firm Stratulat Albulescu has opened a new office in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, with Sabina Cerbu joining as a Partner.

The sixth package of European Union sanctions imposed on Russia is a widely discussed topic, yet the overall levels of preparedness to adopt the associated energy import ban varies from one country to another. Indeed, with Russian oil and gas exports being such a dominant source of energy for a number of European countries, it remains to be seen how all of them adapt to the change. To gain insight into how certain EU member states and non-EU countries are (likely) to fare in the immediate wake of the ban, we reached out to legal professionals from Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Moldova.

Schoenherr, working with Pinsent Masons and Wenger Vieli, has advised Kontron on selling parts of Kontron Group’s IT services business to Vinci Energies during a competitive auction process, for approximately EUR 400 million. Reportedly, Baker McKenzie’s German office advised Vinci Energies. Loloci & Associates advised Kontron on Albanian matters.

 This article provides an up-to-date overview of the currently existing FDI regimes in Moldova.

Gladei & Partners has promoted Iulian Pasatii to Partner – the first Partner appointment in the firm's history. 

Contributed by Dolea & Co.