Stoian Partners Of Counsel Alexandru Cretu has launched Cretu. The Law Office, a business law firm covering both litigation cases and legal counseling, in Bucharest.

CEE Attorneys/Boanta Gidei si Asociatii has advised Romanian start-up Flip.ro on a EUR 1.5 million financing from eMAG Ventures. Filip & Company advised eMAG on that investment and on its acquisition of a stake in Flip.ro from minority shareholders.

Former Kinstellar Partner Bogdan Bibicu has joined the Corporate Investigations practice of Wolf Theiss in Bucharest as a Partner.

On 21 September 2021, the Commission launched a public consultation on the revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation. The public consultation ends on 21 December 2021. Any interested party may submit comments and observations. The consultation concerns certain key topics such as access and affordability, solutions to address unmet medical needs, incentives for innovation, medicine shortages, environmental challenges and sustainability. The amendments of the general pharmaceuticals legislation may be however much wider in scope, in line with the strategic areas identified in the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, as part of which the public consultation is organized. Following the consultation process, the Commission will adopt a final legislative proposal, which is expected to be published by the fourth quarter of 2022.

Former Kinstellar Counsel Alexandru Mocanescu has joined KPMG Legal Toncescu si Asociatii as a Partner and Head of the firm's Real Estate and ESG practices in Romania.

Until November 2021, crowdfunding activities (investment-based or lending-based) have not benefited from a dedicated regime and may interfere with the EU banking and financial services rules, triggering ultimately significant risks to all parties involved.

Kinstellar, working with Linklaters, has advised a consortium of banks on the Romanian law aspects of an USD 800 million joint high-yield bond issuance by Canpack Poland and Canpack US. Bulboaca & Asociatii advised Canpack on Romanian law. Morgan Lewis reportedly advised the lenders on English law. Latham & Watkins reportedly acted as international counsel for the issuers.

 In “The Corner Office” we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With summer having just passed, the question this time: What is your one favorite yearly activity to disconnect?

In the late Summer of 1984, while hanging out in Bucharest one evening, a university friend and I decided (with the help of some local red wine) to go “look for Dracula.” Full of adventure and certainly educational, the experience was not a positive one. Due to the harsh policies of the Ceausescu regime at the time, Romania was a dark place (there were literally few if any lights during the evenings), with little food to eat (even for foreigners like us), and a local population who would rarely, if ever, talk to us (unbeknownst to us at the time, the Romanian secret police, the Securitate, required anyone who had contact with a foreigner to report the interaction – needless to say, this was not conducive to long and meaningful conversations).

In 1874, a French writer, forerunner of science-fiction literature, named Jules Verne (1828-1905) wrote in his famous novel The Mysterious Island about a world where “water will one day be used as a fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen, which constitute it, used alone or simultaneously will provide an inexhaustible source of heat and light of an intensity that coal cannot have.” More than 110 years after his death, hydrogen is a hot topic in the global energy industry.

Radu Taracila Padurari Retevoescu has advised Sarmis Capital on its acquisition of a majority stake in Corporate Office Solutions, in Romania. Lata & Associates advised COS.

Vertis Legal has advised Arobs Transilvania Software on a RON 74.2 million private placement on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The firm also advised the BRK Financial Group on mediating the investment.

CMS has advised plastic packaging and recycling company Alpla on its acquisition of the Wolf Plastics Group. Binder Groesswang advised the sellers on the deal.

Wolf Theiss has advised Banca Comerciala Romana on its inaugural RON 500 million issuance of senior preferred green notes under its multi issuer EMTN Program.

Romanian lawyer Anela Musat has joined Blue Horizon as its General Counsel in Zurich, Switzerland.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii, working with Swiss law firm Kellerhals Carrard, has advised Autonet Group Holding on its acquisition of a 51% stake in Augsburg International. Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii advised the shareholders of Augsburg International. 

CEE Attorneys/Boanta Gidei and Associates has advised Kinderpedia on a EUR 1.8 million financing round led by Early Game Ventures which also included funds from RocaX, Growceanu, and several business angels. DLA Piper advised Early Game Ventures.

Deloitte Legal's Reff & Associates has advised the Romanian chemical industry company Chimcomplex on receiving a EUR 90 million refinancing loan from CEC Bank and Alpha Bank.