“It has been busy in the business arena,” says Marko Ketler, Senior Partner and Attorney at Law in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners, citing ongoing consolidation in banking sector with the potential sale of Abanka, the third largest bank in Slovenia, and recent major M&A transactions, including the sale of Intereuropa, the largest Slovenian logistics company, to Posta Slovenije. "We can expect a busy summer with several large M&A deals pending."
Dispute resolution is another busy area, with the continued filing of lawsuits against banks by consumers who took loans denominated in CHF a few years ago, Ketler says.
There are two major legislative changes being considered, Ketler reports. The first is a new Companies Act, which is currently in its first reading and which is expected to be introduced in the next few months. Among the most significant changes contained in the law, Ketler says, is the requirement that all owners of shares in joint stock companies disclose their identity, which “might potentially force some owners to sell their shares.” The law will also impose further limits on the establishment of companies in Slovenia.
The second changes Ketler cites are related to the introduction of a new Attorney Act. In the past few weeks, a first draft of the act was circulated among lawyers across the country for recommendations and feedback. The law was prepared by the Slovenian Bar Association and the Faculties of Law in Ljubljana and Maribor.
On a political front, Slovenia seems to be passive, says Ketler, who describes a general indifference in the country towards the EU parliamentary elections. “Slovenia has only eight seats and the people in general are not enthusiastic to vote,” he says. In fact, the turnout for the EU parliamentary elections in Slovenia on May 24, 2019, was only 28% across the country, preserving the eight seats.
