Following the recent election in Slovakia, the newly formed government has shifted its legislative focus. CLS Cavojsky & Partners Partner Peter Cavojsky and Taylor Wessing Partner Andrej Leontiev explore how the government’s priorities have changed in terms of public spending, criminal justice reform, and relations with non-governmental organizations.

Slovakia has undertaken a comprehensive reform of its court system. Peterka & Partners Partner Andrea Butasova and Ruzicka & Partners Partner Sarlota Stosova explore the ambitious restructuring and its consequences, the challenges encountered during its implementation, and its far-reaching implications for legal professionals and the justice system of Slovakia.

With a background in international law firms, Marcela Augustinic transitioned to become the first general counsel at DM Drogerie Markt in Slovakia, where she has been serving for the last eight years. Augustinic shares her strategies for balancing internal and external legal resources to tackle emerging regulatory challenges and drive sustainable growth in the ever-evolving market.

An in-depth look at Viliam Mysicka of Kinstellar covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.

As always in Slovakia, political changes are accompanied by personnel changes. Thus, having a new government and new deputies to the parliament has initiated the change of the key personnel, including the head of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (URSO) and of the Slovak electricity transmission system, Plc. (SEPS).

BPV Braun Partners, working with Watson Farley & Williams, has advised Creditas company UCED on the acquisition of GGE.

Schoenherr has advised the BHM Group on the sale of its majority stake in the Block Group to the Czech investment fund Central Europe Industry Partners. Rowan Legal reportedly advised CEIP.

Havel & Partners has represented HP Tronic and NAY on merger clearance from the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition and the Slovak Antimonopoly Office for their merger.

We bring you a brief overview of important legislative news from the Slovak Republic that should not escape your attention.

For our Checking In feature, we reach out to partners and heads of practice across CEE to learn how specific practice areas are faring in their jurisdictions. For this piece, we asked firm Labor experts:  Have whistleblowing regulations been implemented in your jurisdiction and would you advise companies to use an external solution or an in-house one? Why?

The new construction legislation approved in 2022, which aims, among other things, to speed up permitting processes, was to enter into force as a whole on 1 April 2024. This legislation divided the "old" Construction Act into two parts: spatial planning and construction.

As we outlined in our earlier article, the option of a demerger by means of a spin-off (odštiepenie) is a significant innovation introduced into the Slovak corporate landscape by the Transformations Act.

In The Debrief, our Practice Leaders across CEE share updates on recent and upcoming legislation, consider the impact of recent court decisions, showcase landmark projects, and keep our readers apprised of the latest developments impacting their respective practice areas.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. Given the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the legal profession, we asked: What is the one critical skill that you’re investing time and energy in to develop within your team, and why?

Permitting of any projects is a long-standing problem in the Slovak Republic. In international surveys, Slovakia ranks at the bottom, as it takes an average of 300 days to permit a simple building such as a family house. This problem becomes much more acute in the case of constructions that are more complicated and require the assessment of several administrative bodies or may have a significant impact on the environment.

Kinstellar has advised Dutch aircraft maintenance provider SAMCO Aircraft Maintenance on the acquisition of Austrian Airlines Technik – Bratislava. CMS, working with Netherlands-based BarentsKrans, advised Austrian Airlines on the sell side.

Nedelka Kubac Advokati has successfully represented Klement in an energy construction bid rigging case before the Slovak Competition Authority.

The requirements for the Whistleblowing Officer’s (WO) role are covered by various guidelines that have been published by the Slovak Office for Protection of Whistleblowers over the past several months. The multitude of information sources now requires clarification, as the role of the WO leading internal investigations of reports is becoming increasingly prominent.