On 27 July 2020 the National Bank of Serbia (“NBS”) adopted further decisions concerning emergency measures to facilitate the position of citizens and businesses in servicing debt towards local banks and financial leasing companies in times of the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic crisis, specifically:

Companies around the globe are having to make urgent decisions to keep their employees safe and ensure business continuity in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to fulfil these goals, companies need to find the right balance between providing a safe working environment and respecting their employees’ privacy, which can prove to be quite difficult in practice.

On 30 July 2020, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted a decision on direct payments and fiscal benefits for economic entities in private sector, with a view to mitigate economic consequences of COVID-19.

On 16 July 2020, Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has rendered a landmark decision declaring the Decision 2016/1250 of the European Commission on the adequacy of the protection provided by the EU-US Data Protection Shield (“Privacy Shield Framework”) invalid with the immediate effect. This decision has caused a major shift in the way in which personal data may be transferred to the United States of America. However, the scope of the decision is far broader and includes far more restrictions than it may appear at first glance.

Jankovic Popovic Mitic has advised French multinational company C.D Holding Internationale SAS on its EUR 5 million acquisition of an additional stake in Emergo Sport d.o.o., the Serbian subsidiary of Fitpass Limited. Fitpass was advised by Bojovic, Draskovic, Popovic, and Partners. 

ODI has helped Nova Ljubljanska Banka obtain Macedonian merger clearance for the acquisition of 83.23% of the ordinary shareholding in Komercijalna Banka a.d. Beograd.

Doklestic Repic & Gajin has launched a French Desk, led by Partner Marija Papic.

Frankly, this question has to be determined by the acting court as and when it arises with reference to particular facts and circumstances of each individual case.

NKO Partners has advised CTP on financing of EUR 13.5 million from the EBRD for real estate project development in Serbia. CMS advised the EBRD on the transaction.

Over the past few years CMS advised the OTP Bank Group on an extensive series of acquisitions across Bulgaria, Moldova, and former Yugoslavia. This series of separate deals was shortlisted for CEE Legal Matters’ CEE Deal of the Year in each of the countries involved, actually winning the 2018 Deal of the Year for Bulgaria and the 2019 Deal of the Year Award for Montenegro. We reached out to Eva Talmacsi, who led CMS’s multi-jurisdictional team, to learn more about the firm’s impressive work on OTP’s behalf.

The Law on Central Register of Mandatory Social Insurance (“ZOCROSO”) was amended at the end of 2019 and the most important novelty was the extension of deadline for employers to adjust to the Decision on single codebook for entry and codification of information in databases in the field of labour, enacted in 2018 (“the Decision“).

In January 2020, the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition (“Commission”) initiated investigations against Imlek and Apatinska Pivara which are two leading national dairy and beer producers, and against a number of retailers, including Metro Cash & Carry and Veropoulos, for allegedly employing resale price maintenance (“RPM”) agreements to restrict intra-brand competition.

PR Legal has successfully defended the interests of coffee producer and manufacturer Strauss Adriatic in a dispute over the alleged infringement of the "C Kafa" trademark.

The Law on fees for the use of public goods (“the Law“) prescribes an obligation for legal entities and entrepreneurs that are deemed to have negative environmental impact to pay the fees for protection and improvement of the environment (“Eco-fee“).

The Rulebook on preventive measures for safe and healthy work to prevent the occurrence and spread of an epidemic of infectious diseases (the “Rulebook”) was adopted on 29 June 2020. The Rulebook closely regulates preventive measures that employers are obliged to apply in order to prevent the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases and eliminate the risks for safe and healthy work of employees, as well as persons found in the work environment, when the competent authority declares an epidemic of infectious diseases.

On July 11, 2020. the new Rulebook on preventive measures for health and safety at work in order to prevent the occurrence and spread of an infectious disease epidemic entered into force.

The Rulebook on Preventive Measures for Safe and Healthy Work to Prevent the Occurrence and Spread of the Infectious Disease Epidemic (“the Rulebook”) has been adopted and it will enter into force on July 11th 2020.

In accordance with the Law on Health and Safety at Work, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs passed a Rulebook on preventive measures for safe and healthy work for prevention of onset and spreading of epidemic of communicable disease (“the Rulebook”), published in the Official Gazette of RS no. 94/2020 on 3 July 2020 that will enter into force on 11 July 2020.