One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the “new normal” is as fluid and unexpected as ever. The aftermath of the health crisis and its economic impact has not matched the initial expectations for dispute resolution: the Romanian market has not been flooded with insolvencies and commercial disputes.
Romanian Competition Law: Reshaping Policy to Protect Consumer Well-Being
Some time ago, a merger control case I was working on, involving the gambling sector (among other things), raised an interesting problem regarding the role of competition law.
Impact of Bucharest PUZ Suspension on Ongoing Transactions
Navigating the maze of zoning, planning, and land-use-approval processes can result in significant delays and escalating costs, which may spell the difference between a development project’s success and failure. With the economic growth of Romania over the last few years having generated investor interest in developing new real estate projects, particularly in well-established urban areas like the country’s capital, the authorities have repeatedly expanded and amended the country’s urban planning laws.
How is Romania Preparing for a New Wave of Investment in the Renewables Sector?
Economic, policy, and legislative factors have revived investors’ interest in Romania’s renewables sector over the last year. As the second-largest market in Central and Eastern Europe, Romania managed to attract about EUR 8 billion in renewables investments in the first wave from 2008-2016 – mainly in solar (over 1.5 GW) and wind (over 3 GW) – benefitting from the green certificate support scheme, although Romania reached its 2020 target for green energy and investments slowed down significantly over the last five years.
Romania Rebounding: A CEELM Round Table
On April 8, 2021, CEE Legal Matters sat with senior partners from four of Romania’s leading law firms for a Round Table conversation.
Guest Editorial: Romania – Quo Vadis?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of practical and legislative changes. Still, even if the virus complicated the overall environment (to which other factors contributed, such as elections followed by a change of government), Romania remains a place with significant business opportunities.
The Corner Office: Childhood Dreams
In “The Corner Office” we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. The question this time: “What did you most want to be when you were little?”
The Buzz in Romania: An Interview with Lucian Danilescu of Danilescu Hulub & Partners
Despite a bit of political uncertainty, Lucian Danilescu, Partner at Danilescu Hulub & Partners, is excited over Romania's macro-economic indicators and its potential upcoming infrastructure projects.
Romania: Updates on Transfers of Personal Data to Third Countries
The European Data Protection Supervisor has published a case-law digest on the transfer of personal data to third countries¹. The case-law digest aims to clarify the structure of the analysis carried out by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) in judgments concerning the transfer of personal data to third countries, in particular by highlighting the steps followed and the jurisprudential acquis in relevant case law.
Deal 5: Coca-Cola HBC Romania Legal Manager Raluca Alexandru on Acquisition of Stockday from Heineken
On April 19, 2021, CEE Legal Matters reported that Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii had advised Coca-Cola HBC Romania on its acquisition of 50% of the share capital in the Stockday b2b e-commerce platform from Heineken Romania. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Raluca Alexandru, Legal Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Romania, to learn more about the deal.
EU Taxonomy and ESG Requirements – “How Good Is Good Enough” and Are We There Yet?
The first part of July 2021 marks an important step at the level of the EU in its road towards the European Green Deal objectives. On July 14, 2021, the European Commission (EC) announced the rather complex set of reforms under the Fit for 55 package. Only a week before, the EC issued the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy setting forth the main steps going forward towards placing ESG-disclosures and sustainability matters at the heart of financing system and economy in the EU.
Hategan Attorneys Reconfigures Structure
Hategan Attorneys has announced that it had internally reconfigured from what the firm describes as a pyramidal structure to a horizontal one.
ICC International Court of Arbitration Appoints Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka as Vice-President
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.
Romania: The Close Link Between GDPR Compliance and Cyber Security Breaches Is Often Disregarded
The close relationship between data protection and cyber security results from Art. 5 of the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) which outlines one of the most important principles relating to processing of personal data: “integrity and confidentiality”.
Foreign Direct Investment in Central Europe: Romania
The global pandemic has impacted all markets, with subsequent ramifications for M&A. Investors are now seeking greater protection against general lock-downs and supply-chain disruptions, while governments aim to protect critical supplies and services by imposing new regulations on foreign investment in crucial or strategic industries.
The Terms and Conditions for Erecting Constructions on Private Land Plots Designated as Green Areas after the Suspension of the Bucharest Districts’ Coordinating PUZs
In this article we tackle two major questions for any real estate investor when taking a decision regarding a future real estate project: to what extent is it permitted to erect buildings on land plots designated as green areas upon their acquisition or upon securing those plots for the future project? And what about when a reconversion of such land plots from green areas into other functions, such as commercial, residential, industrial etc., occurred at some point in the past?
The EU Commission Presents next Steps in the Setting up of the Joint Cyber Unit
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted digitalization and digital interaction at all levels of European society. Along with increased interconnectivity, however, came greater vulnerabilities and threats from a cybersecurity perspective.
Romania: Amendments to the Obligation to Wear a Protective Mask at the Workplace
The Health Ministry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have issued Order no. 1204/99/09.07.2021 to supplement Order no. 874/81/2020, which established an obligation to wear a protective mask, epidemiological triage and mandatory hand disinfection to prevent contamination with the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the state of alert (the “Order”) and have published it in the Official Gazette no. 683 dated 9 July 2021.