Deloitte Legal’s Krehic & Partners has advised sellers Tomislav Plesa and Domagoj Makar on the sale of their shares in Heloo to TaskUs. Wolf Theiss, working with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, advised the buyer.

The global events and current energy crisis have demonstrated once again the imperative of continuous development of the energy sector and its modernization, which is both time-consuming and financially burdensome, but inevitable for the sustainability of the economy and overall society. It has additionally pointed out the real need for the equal or quasi-equal level of development of the electricity, gas and oil sector and increased dynamic development of the renewables energy market and, the imperative of having a firm orientation to diversification and establishment of different routes and different sources of supply. There is  a necessity of having a long-term strategic determination to stability and security of supply and national strategic plan to achieve it.

With the global pandemic, high inflation rates, and the war in Ukraine being the main drivers of work in Serbia, PR Legal’s Corporate and M&A practice has been quite busy, according to PR Legal Partner Milan Petrovic.

PR Legal has advised Coca-Cola on its acquisition of the plant for bottling the Rosa Homolje natural mineral carbonated water in Neresnica, Serbia.

Pursuant to Article 7, paragraph 1, item 12) of the Law on Standardization (Official Gazette of RS no. 36/2009 and 46/2015) (“the Law”), the Institute for Standardization of Serbia (“the Institute”) published on April 12, 2022, the Rules for obtaining approval for the use of the National Mark of Conformity with Serbian standards (“the Rules”).

Serbian Personal Income Tax Law and Serbian Corporate Income Tax Law, as well as the Serbian Law on Mandatory Social Insurance Contributions, prescribe tax and social insurance contributions related reliefs for companies that conduct activities of research and development in the Republic of Serbia.

Doklestic Repic & Gajin has advised Beijing New Building Materials Plc on the transaction with the Coal Mine and Thermal Power Plant Ugljevik for the creation of a EUR 50 million gypsum board joint venture. China's Shihui Partners reportedly advised BNBM on the deal as well.

More countries, that have, until recently, been considered the pandemic’s epicenter, are easing COVID restrictions. Serbia takes the same direction and cancels majority of COVID-19 related restrictive measures.

Several amendments to the by-laws passed to the Law on Electronic Invoicing (“the Law”) are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia no. 46 dated 8 April 2022, i.e.:

With the war in Ukraine affecting a number of business sectors, Serbia still manages to have a very vibrant market with a number of important projects being developed primarily in the infrastructure and energy sectors, according to Karanovic & Partners Managing Partner Darko Jovanovic.

Energy has been Jankovic Popovic Mitic’s busiest practice, according to Senior Partner Jelena Gazivoda, mainly driven by Serbia’s long-standing aspiration to achieve energy stability and security of supply and bolstered by recent legislative amendments and the expected energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Jankovic Popovic Mitic has successfully represented FCC Kikinda before a Serbian court of first instance in a criminal case concerning environmental charges.

Amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance (“the Law”) from 2019, notably Article 11 thereof, have eradicated the practical issues that used to exist in relation to the mandatory social insurance of persons working for foreign employers in Serbia.

BDK Advokati has advised the sellers on the sale of Termoplast Grupa to Greiner Packaging. Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka and Selih & Partnerji reportedly advised the sellers as well.

Usage of corporate cards issued by goods and services providers to their corporate clients, have been recognized and regulated by the latest amendments of relevant Serbian regulations related to fiscalization and to VAT.

On April 11, 2022, CEE Legal Matters reported that Jankovic Popovic Mitic had advised Gomex and the Seaf South Balkan Fund on the sale of Gomex to Ceecat Capital. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Goran Kovacevic, General Director at Gomex, to learn more about the sale.

With the acceleration of the process of transition to a market economy, since 2001, Serbia has carried out a fundamental reform of its tax system, which has undergone several further changes in the past two decades. Last year brought numerous changes to the tax system in Serbia, and the introduction of the taxation regime for digital assets and tax control were a particular focus.

Legal framework of the digital assets market.