The brain drain of highly trained and otherwise qualified professionals is increasingly felt in all industry sectors of Romania. We have lost people from all professional backgrounds and levels, low- and high-skilled alike. Statistics are disconcerting: in 2017, nine Romanians left the country every hour and we were second in the world after war-stricken Syria in emigration rankings. In the space of only ten years, about 17% of Romania’s population left the country. How many of them will ever come back? Romania needs a strong country project, sustained, ongoing efforts meant to encourage return migration, and policies to dissuade those who consider leaving the country. In 2018, the centenary year of Romania’s Great Union, I wish for a stronger, more united Romania, looking for ways to entice the next generations away from emigrating and into returning to their home country.

Andersen Global has announced a collaboration agreement with Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii, a law firm with offices in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, and its tax arm, Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Tax.

The SEE Private Equity and M&A Forum 2019 will reconvene on 14th June in Bucharest

Monday, 8 April 2019, Hilton Garden Inn, Strada Doamnei 12, Bucharest

CMS has advised Zentiva Group a.s. on its acquisition of Romanian pharmaceutical company Solacium and its subsidiary Be Well Pharma from Siyiara Enterprises — a holding entity of A&D Pharma / Dr. Max Group — and entrepreneur Tony Trasca. The Czech Republic's Evan Law Firm advised Siyiara and Romania's Fine Law advised Trasca on the sale, which remains contingent on the satisfaction of several conditions, including the approval of the Romanian Competition Council.

Schoenherr, working with lead counsel Hengeler Mueller and Belgium's Bredin Prat, China's JunHe, Mexico's Galicia Abogados, and Wuersch & Gering in New York, has advised Sweden's Ericsson on its acquisition of Germany's Kathrein SE's antenna and filters division. Noerr and Ziems & Partner acted as lead counsel to Kathrein, assisted by, among others, Eisenberger & Herzog, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Allen & Overy, and Gleiss Lutz.

SEE Property Forum 2019 - Bucharest, Romania

RTPR Allen & Overy has advised Prime Kapital on the sale of a real estate portfolio to MAS Real Estate for EUR 112.97 million. Reff & Associates — the Romanian office of Deloitte Legal — advised the buyers on the deal, which involves nine retail centers with a total surface of 67,959 square meters, located throughout Romania.

Cristiana Fernbach has left Stratulat Albulescu to set up Fernbach & Partners, which  she describes as “the first Romanian law firm 100% specialized in new technologies.”

Southeast European Private Equity Forum 2019, 14th June 2019, Bucharest, Romania, Intercontinental Hotel

While 2017 was characterized by various fiscal changes, experiments, and abandoned proposals, the tax landscape at the end of 2018 underpins the competitive edge of Romania in the region. Still, there are reasonable threats with regard to the predictability of the tax system, considering the current macroeconomic trends and the budgetary constraints faced by the Romanian government.

Joerg Menzer is a German citizen based in Bucharest, where he coordinates Noerr’s CEE practice for international clients. He specializes in M&A transactions and concentrates on structuring major foreign investments and business expansion projects in CEE.

Schoenherr has appointed Bucharest Managing Partner Sebastian Gutiu and Partner Matei Florea firm-wide heads for Real Estate and Banking, Finance & Capital Markets, respectively.

The Deal:  In July 2018, CEE Legal Matters reported that Reff & Associates had advised Dutch shipbuilding group Damen on its take-over of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd.’s participation in Romania’s Daewoo Mangalia shipyard. DSME was advised by CMS. The yard, which was renamed the Damen Shipyards Mangalia, is now operated as a joint venture with the Romanian Government, with Damen assuming operational control. We reached out to both firms for more information.

In the context of the ever-changing labor market general framework, in 2018 Romania took decisive steps to align its legislation with the country’s economic landscape.

The Vouchers Directive, which regulates the VAT treatment of vouchers across the EU Member States, was agreed upon by the Council of the EU in 2016, and caught the attention of Romanian authorities, tax advisors, and businesses at the end of 2017. Together with other Member States, Romania must design and enforce an appropriate legal framework to ensure the application of the Directive starting in 2019.

This year marks Maravela | Asociatii’s fifth anniversary. To mark the occasion, we sat down with Maravela | Asociatii Partner Alina Popescu to learn more about the challenges the firm has overcome in its first five years, its successes, and its plans for the future.

Deloitte Legal has been registering impressive growth in the CEE region. CEE Legal Matters sat down with Andrei Burz-Pinzaru, Head of Deloitte Legal in Central Europe, to learn more about what fueled the development of Deloitte’s legal services function and what the firm’s plans are for the future.