CEELM: First, congratulations on winning the DOTY!

Despite facing various challenges brought on by unfavorable market trends and the global events that shaped them, the Serbian real estate market continued to grow in the last quarter of 2022 according to a press release by the Serbian Republic Geodetic Authority (RGA).

Contributed by Jankovic Popovic Mitic

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia has recently issued the opinion no. 011-00-313/2022-04 (“the Opinion”), which refers to taxation of the fees paid by resident legal entities to non-residents for leasing servers abroad.

Serbian Parliament is currently deciding on two laws of major importance for foreigners seeking job opportunities or establishing businesses in Serbia. The first proposal concerns the Law on Foreigners, and the second the amendments to the Law on Employment of Foreigners. These two legal acts form general criteria for entry, movement, stay, and return of foreigners, as well as the conditions and procedures for the employment of foreign citizens in the Republic of Serbia.

Starting from July 1, 2023, the newly adopted Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations on Research and Development Agreements (“R&D“) and Specialisation agreements (together “HBERs“) shall take effect in the EU.

Zivkovic Samardzic has successfully defended the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK) on appeal in a case filed by Serbia's Minister of Internal Affairs – and former Director of the country's Security Information Agency – Bratislav Gasic.

The energy development strategy of the Republic of Serbia until 2025 with projections until 2030, as well as the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, which is
currently being developed and adopted, foresee an increase in the share of energy obtained from renewable energy sources in the energy balance of the Republic of Serbia
as a strategic goal.

Contributed by Gecic Law.

In accordance with the 2021 amendments to the Law on Companies, delivery of electronic documents to Serbian companies shall be performed to the registered mail on the e-government portal (eUprava).

The Government of the Republic of Serbia, at its session held on 4 May 2023, adopted the Draft Amendments to the Planning and Construction Act, so that, in due course, the adoption of the Draft and the adoption of the amendments to the Planning and Construction Act can be expected.

In this second installment of our series focusing on the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and the legislative initiatives in the US to address them, we will be examining the proposed AI Bill of Rights.

AP Legal has advised the Serbian Export Credit and Insurance Agency on the sale of an NPL portfolio to EOS Matrix.

AP Legal has advised UniCredit Bank Srbija on its loan to Marera Properties member MPP Palata Beograd. Isailovic & Partners reportedly advised Marera Properties.

The new Law on Safety and Health at Work was published on April 29, 2023, in the Official Gazette of RS no. 35/23 and went into force on May 7, 2023. With the entry into force of the new law, it completely ceases to be valid the previous Law on Safety and Health at Work (“Official Gazette of RS”, nos. 101/2005, 91/2015 and 113/2017).

American actor Jim Belushi met with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to discuss the Albanian government’s initiative to legalize cannabis and the possibilities of exporting this product for medical purposes.

On 16 March 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“ECJ”) published its judgment on Towercast’s appeal against the French Competition Authority’s decision in Towercast’s case (Case No. C-449/21), confirming that abuse of dominance rules may equally apply ex post to transactions in which national and EU merger control thresholds were not met.

AP Legal has advised Raiffeisen Banka Beograd on its merger with RBA Banka Novi Sad and on the merger of CA Leasing Srbija into Raiffeisen Leasing.