Bill no. 134/2020, which includes relief related to paying rent in the context of Covid-19, as analysed in the article “New regulations on the deferral of rental payments during the state of emergency” (the “Article”), entered into effect on 20 May 2020 by Presidential Decree no. 269/2020 as Law no. 62/2020 on the application of rent payment relief during the state of emergency (the “Law”) and was published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, on 21 May 2020.

As a consequence of the state of alert being declared in Romania at national level for a period of 30 days starting 18 May, Law No. 55/2020 on some measures to prevent and combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic (“Law No. 55/2020”) has been adopted.

The COVID-19 outbreak has become a new type of challenge for the entire world. The conditions of everyday life and day-to-day business operations have fundamentally changed as countries have gone under lockdown, economies have been shut almost entirely down and global supply chains torn to pieces.

Following the establishment of the state of alert at national level, Law no. 55/2020 regarding some measures for preventing and combating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic ("Law no. 55/2020") was adopted and entered into force on 18 May 2020. Please note that noncompliance with the measures imposed by the aforementioned law may lead to disciplinary, civil, administrative or even criminal liability, as the case may be.

Several measures adopted by the Romanian authorities related to the initiation of the state of alert. These include Resolution no. 24/2020 and Government Emergency Ordinance no. 70/2020, both of which entered into effect on 15 May 2020. Also, the Romanian Parliament adopted Law no. 55/2020, which will enter into force on 18 May 2020 and which provides the legal framework of the state of alert and consists of several other measures and obligations.

On 14 May 2020, the Romanian Government adopted Emergency Ordinance no. 69/2020 (“the GEO”) which enables a series of tax facilities for taxpayers, as summarised below:

As a state of alert has been declared at national level, the Romanian government has imposed a series of measures with a significant impact on the activity of economic operators.

On Friday, 8 May 2020, a press release was published on the website of the Romanian Ministry of Public Finance stating that the government had approved the tax amnesty proposed by this ministry. The amnesty includes the waiver of interest, penalties and other charges payable by taxpayers, provided they pay the principal by 15 December 2020.

Noerr has advised the Bauer Media Group on the sale of its Romanian publishing business to Ringier.

In the context of the state of emergency brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, declared on Romanian territory since 16 March 2020, the Romanian authorities have tried to come to the aid of economic operators and certain categories of professionals. They have ordered a series of measures meant to balance the distribution of risks in their activities, so as to diminish the impact suffered.

Starting in March 2020, Rospatent implemented Covid-19 pandemic containment measures in line with the high-alert regime adopted by the authorities. In particular, new rules were established for handling communication with applicants during the obligatory self-isolation period, such as a ban on accepting paper-based applications and other measures restricting direct communication.

Noerr has advised environmental service provider PreZero on its acquisition of 100% of the shares of Komart, a Polish provider of municipal and industrial waste management services. Marekwia & Plawny reportedly advised the unidentified sellers on the deal.

Greenberg Traurig has advised the Polsat Group on its acquisition of Interia Group from Bauer Media Group. Noerr advised the sellers on the deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval.

The Hungarian Government has established a so-called Economy Protection Action Plan in order to respond to the economic situation caused by coronavirus. One of the main pillars of this Action Plan is a state aid for employees for the purpose of retaining workforce set out in Government Decree No. 105/2020 (“State Aid”). As a response to the criticism made by several employers addressed to the criteria for application and granting the state aid, the legal regulations has been recently modified by the Government Decree No. 141/2020.

On Thursday, 16 April 2020, the Romanian Government adopted a new emergency ordinance, no. 48/2020 ("the Ordinance"), to help businesses successfully overcome the challenges of this difficult period.

Contribution for employers with shut-down businesses

Governments across CEE, including Slovakia, have introduced or are discussing various measures to mitigate potential adverse consequences of the coronavirus situation. This short overview summarizes measures taken in Slovakia with respect to corporate housekeeping matters. The measures are envisaged to be temporary valid until about a month after the end of the crisis.

On 3 April 2020, Law no. 37/2020 for the amendment of Article 139 of the Labour Code and Article 94 of the National Education Law no. 1/2011 was published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 280 of 3 April 2020.