On November 3, 2023, Zivkovic Samardzic announced that the sale of Eurobank Direktna Beograd to AIK Banka (reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 8, 2023) had closed upon receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals.

Deloitte Legal has advised Immofinanz on its sale of office properties in Wienerberg, Vienna, to S Immo. Dorda reportedly advised Immofinanz as well. Schoenherr reportedly advised S Immo.

Schoenherr, working with Kirkland & Ellis, has advised Davis-Standard on its acquisition of the Extrusion Technology Group from Dutch investor Nimbus. Allen & Overy reportedly advised Nimbus on the deal.

Boyanov & Co has advised the Aurelius Group on its acquisition of Lufthansa’s catering operations in Bulgaria. Schoenherr advised Lufthansa.

The world has seen a significant shift towards sustainable energy sources in recent years. One of the most promising and rapidly growing sectors in the renewable energy industry is offshore wind parks. These structures that use the power of wind over the open seas are quickly gaining popularity as part of the global effort to combat climate change. This article will explore the global trend of offshore wind parks and shed light on Montenegro's potential in this eco-friendly energy source with a special focus on fixed-bottom wind parks.

DLA Piper has advised Romanian grain and oilseed trader East Grain on the sale of a majority stake in the company and its Hungarian subsidiary to the Czech Republic's Agrofert group. Schoenherr advised the buyer.

Despite limited summer market activity, optimism prevails in Romania, with Schoenherr Partner Narcisa Oprea citing a successful EUR 1.9 billion IPO and increased private sector interest amid quite a few likely regulatory improvements still to come.

Havel & Partners has advised Turk Electronik Para on its acquisition of Twisto Payments from Australia's Zip. Schoenherr reportedly advised Zip.

Schoenherr has advised the BHM Group on the share-deal acquisition of the Trencin Industrial Park in Slovakia and related financing. Kinstellar advised the Nova Real Estate investment fund on the sale.

Can one or more of a company's shareholders claim that a transfer of shares to third parties by other shareholders is null, even if the claimants were not interested in acquiring those shares? And when faced with such a claim, would Romanian courts rule in favour of the claimant? A recent court ruling has answered both questions with a resounding "yes", opening new horizons in M&A-related matters in Romania.

Schoenherr, working with Hamburg's Lawentus, has advised Frankfurt-listed Beta Systems Software on the full acquisition of Polish software company InfiniteData from its founders. Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka reportedly advised the sellers.

Schoenherr has advised the Erste Bank on the legal implementation of the Financial Health Prototype text-based chatbot. 

Did You Know that the ten firms that have worked on the most client matters reported by CEE Legal Matters through Q3 of 2023 are equally divided between international and regional powerhouses? According to the Activity Rankings function of the CEELMDirect website, Magic Circle-member Clifford Chance, which has worked on a remarkable 66 deals reported by CEE Legal Matters in the first nine months of 2023, leads the pack, but Vienna-based Schoenherr is close behind with 64.

Schoenherr has advised Wienerberger on its EUR 350 million issuance of 4.875% sustainability-linked 2023-2028 bonds. Wolf Theiss advised joint lead managers and bookrunners Commerzbank, Danske Bank, Erste Group Bank, and UniCredit Bank.

Schoenherr has advised the BHS Private Equity Fund on participating in the acquisition of Altran alongside BHS's general partner Versute Investments and Altran managers Petr Havlik, Jaromir Kejval, and Milan Krovina. CMS advised the Capgemini group on the sale. Arrows reportedly advised the managers on the deal.

Former Zivkovic Samardzic Partner Igor Zivkovski has joined Schoenherr’s Serbian affiliate Moravcevic, Vojnovic i Partneri as a Local Partner.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Partner Gabriela Anton, Gecic Law Counsel Miodrag Jevtic, ACI Partners Head of Banking/Finance Marina Zanoga, Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko, NazaIi Tax & Legal Partner Nilay Goker Duran, PRK Partners Senior Attorney-at-Law Norbert Hink, and Schoenherr Bulgaria Local Partner Tsvetan Krumov look at how the financial services landscape in the CEE region has been shifting, as local non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) are gradually gaining ground in an area historically dominated by the banking sector.

The CEELM Top 10 series looks back over the past ten years and celebrates the milestones we have achieved together. The list below highlights the most-read interviews, with a short description of each.