The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia introduced the newest amendments of the Rulebook on Conditions and Procedure for Public Bidding for Lease/Use of State Owned Agricultural Land, which came into force on 24 June 2021.

AP Legal has advised the founder and sole shareholder of YU PD Express doo Belgrade Ljiljana Zivkovic Karaklajic on the sale of the company to Slovenia Broadbank S.a.r.l. Schonherr reportedly advised Slovenia Broadbank on the deal.

AP Legal, working with CMS’ London office, has advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG and its subsidiary Raiffeisen bank a.d. Belgrade on the acquisition of Credit Agricole Bank Serbia a.d. Novi Sad and its subsidiary CA Leasing Serbia from Credit Agricole S.A. D’Ornano Partners and Maric, Malisic & Dostanic acted as legal advisors to Credit Agricole.

BDK Advokati has advised MediGroup on its acquisition of biochemical laboratories TalijaLab in Serbia.

Zivkovic Samardzic and Cytowski & Partners have advised Credo Ventures on Serbian and Us aspects, respectively, of its investment in Trickest. Solo practitioners Vladimir Boskovic and Dusan Delic advised the founder of Trickest on the deal.

NKO Partners has advised CTP on its acquisition of a 7-hectare plot on the outskirts of Belgrade from a group of unidentified sellers. Solo practitioner Jadranko Kecman reportedly advised the sellers.

Vulic Law has advised the International Finance Corporation on the restructuring procedure of Vino Zupa. 

On 4 June 2021, the European Commission adopted two implementing decisions (Decision no. 2021/914 and Decision no. 2021/915) which contain Standard Contractual Clauses for processing and transferring of personal data and are set in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (“GDPR”) with the hope of bringing about a higher level of personal data protection.

BDK Advokati, working with Sidley Austin, has advised Archer Daniels Midland on the acquisition of Sojaprotein from MK Group, Apsara Limited, Mr. Milija Babovic, and Sliderule Trading Limited. Holman Fenwick Willan advised the sellers on the deal, with Jankovic Popovic Mitic advising Sliderule and Markovic Vukotic Jovkovic advising MK Group, Apsara Limited, and Milija Babovic.

When advising organisations how to comply their businesses with GDPR, i.e., with the Serbian Law on Personal Data Protection, many times we received answers that organisations apply “best information security practices”. What does this formulation mean?

Managed Entry Agreements consist of various forms of confidential arrangements between pharmaceutical companies and paying healthcare systems that aim to facilitate access to new technologies in public healthcare systems. MEAs make innovative and costly medicines or medical technologies affordable to patients by providing conditional access to a reimbursement system for a limited period and on balanced terms.

Annual reports make up a fundamental part of many regional CEE law firms’ marketing strategies, providing those firms with an annual opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise in a particular area, their geographic footprints, and their ownership and facility with the research and technological tools and manpower necessary for the production of such comprehensive projects.

Karanovic & Partners has advised Founders Jasmina Knezevic and Milan Knezevic on the sale of a 70% share in Bel Medic to Acibadem Healthcare Group. Prica & Partners and Esin Attorney Partnership advised Acibadem on the deal.

The Law on Electronic Invoicing entered into force on 7 May 2021 (“Official Gazette of the RS“, no. 44/2021). It obliges public and business entities to use the system of electronic invoices for issuing, sending, receiving and storing electronic invoices. On July 9 2021, the government adopted a set of bylaws necessary to implement the law.

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.

On 24 May 2021, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the amendments to the Law on Planning and Construction (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 52/2021), which entered into force on 25 May 2021.

DLA Piper has advised Gazprom Export on the acquisition of Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG from Gazprombank.

The standard approach in cases involving abuse of dominant position implies that the competition authority determines the market influence of the company due to which it can operate in the relevant market to a significant extent independently of other market participants and, provided that the company has a dominant position, whether its actions result in abuse of such position. The standard approach came naturally in markets that are geographically and economically limited. The core of the principle is that the public authority reacts ex-post (after the event) to abuses, by imposing the obligation to terminate anticompetitive practices or imposing penalties for prohibited behaviour.