Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii has advised Belgian developer WDP on the full acquisition of the Expo Market Doraly wholesale, cash & carry, and retail shopping complex in Romania. Deloitte Legal reportedly advised sellers ARA Europe and Gheorghe Iaciu.

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.

As 2023 comes to a close, reflections on the year reveal challenges and achievements across Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Managing Partner Gabriel Zbarcea, Schoenherr Bulgaria Local Partner Ilko Stoyanov, and Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko share their thoughts on what kind of a year it has been.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen has advised a syndicate of banks on providing a EUR 101.5 million loan facility to the RodBun Group, by refinancing and increasing its existing facilities by EUR 37.14 million. Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii advised the RodBun Group.

Did you know that, according to the Activity Rankings function of the CEELMDirect website, a total of twenty law firms and seventeen individual lawyers worked on five or more reported Romanian client matters in 2023? 

The VAT deduction right is probably the most important topic in the VAT system of the European Union. This is also confirmed by the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, where it represents the most addressed subject.

Schoenherr and sole practitioner Mihaela Aliman have advised Renovatio on its two-pronged transaction with OMV Petrom concerning the sale of a 50% stake in 1-gigawatt renewable projects company Electrocentrale Borzesti and the sale of Renovatio Asset Management, operating more than 400 electric-vehicle charging points in Romania. Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii advised OMV Petrom.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii has advised the Amethyst Radiotherapy Group on the sale and lease-back of three buildings to the BT Property Alternative Real Estate Investment Fund.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Partner Catalin Baiculescu talks about the evolution of the TMT sector and their role as legal advisors in Romania over the last 10 years.

The end of 2022 has brought numerous and substantial updates to employment legislation in various areas, such as adjustments to the minimum content of the internal regulations and to the mandatory template for the employment contract, as well as a whole new piece of legislation regulating social dialogue: Law no. 367/2022 to replace the former Law no. 62/2011.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii and the IFC have worked alongside Romania's General Secretariat of the Government, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Development, Public Works, and Administration, and Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to update the country's regulatory framework regarding public-private partnership projects, works concessions, and service concessions.

On November 2, 2023, Act Botezatu Estrade Partners announced that Louis Delhaize’s sale of Cora's Romanian operations to the Carrefour Group (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 8, 2023) had closed.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Partner Gabriela Anton, Gecic Law Counsel Miodrag Jevtic, ACI Partners Head of Banking/Finance Marina Zanoga, Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko, NazaIi Tax & Legal Partner Nilay Goker Duran, PRK Partners Senior Attorney-at-Law Norbert Hink, and Schoenherr Bulgaria Local Partner Tsvetan Krumov look at how the financial services landscape in the CEE region has been shifting, as local non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) are gradually gaining ground in an area historically dominated by the banking sector.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. As the summer is likely to bring a brief lull, this time we asked: How do you tend to use the general downtime during the month of August?

Did you know that 10 of the 18 law firms in Romania that have reported four or more client matters so far in 2023 are independent law firms, unaffiliated with international or regional law firms? According to the Activity Rankings function of the CEELMDirect website, that group of domestic Romanian law firms is led by Filip & Company and RTPR, both of which have reported working on 12 client matters so far in 2023.

While international private equity players still dominate blockbuster deals in CEE, locals and regional players are gaining more and more ground – especially in terms of volume. PRK Partners Co-Head of Corporate and M&A Practice Group Milan Sivy, Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Managing Partner Gabriel Zbarcea, and Avellum Managing Partner Mykola Stetsenko provide an in-depth analysis of the PE landscape in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Ukraine.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii has advised arranger and financier Banca Transilvania and financier OTP Bank Romania on credit facilities worth RON 30.5 million and EUR 26.7 million for the Holde Agri Invest group. Filip & Company advised Holde Agri Invest.

Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii has successfully represented BMC Truck & Bus in two challenge proceedings arising from Bucharest Municipality's tender for the delivery of 100 electric buses and the related charging infrastructure.