Integrites has advised UAID Fund on financing the reconstruction of the Giraffe Mall in Irpin, Kyiv Region.

The International Arbitration and Cross-Border Litigation practice has taken center stage for Asters in Ukraine according to Co-Managing Partner Oleksiy Didkovskiy, with work driven by the war and the pandemic and a focus on state and quasi-state clients.

On 26 April 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (“Government”) approved the Procedure for Using Funds from the State Budget to Provide State Support for the Implementation of Investment Projects Involving Significant Investments (“Budget Procedure”).

Asters has successfully defended PrivatBank in a dispute over the title to Pryozernyi, a shopping mall in Dnipro with a total area of more than 32,000 square meters.

On 15 May 2024, amendments to the Labour Code of Ukraine came into effect aiming to regulate the rights and obligations of parties in labour relations during a change of control over business. The Ukrainian parliament adopted such amendments to align Ukrainian legislation with EU Directive 2001/23/EC, dated 12 March 2001.

Despite the ongoing war, there was a significant increase in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) transactions and private equity (PE) investments in 2023 compared to 2022, predominantly in the IT sector. Openly accessible market evaluations indicate that the volume of M&A deals might have reached $1.7 billion in 2023, five times more than in 2022. While that does not quite match the level of activity observed in 2021, it sets a cautiously optimistic tone for 2024.

Sayenko Kharenko has successfully represented Agrocenter, Zmiivska Ovocheva Fabryka, Kombinat Teplychny, Kremenchytska Ovocheva Fabryka, Ovochevyy Kombinat Stanyshivka, Perspektyva, Greenhouse Complex Dniprovsky, and Uman Greenhouse Complex in initiating anti-dumping investigation against imports into Ukraine of cucumbers and tomatoes originating from Turkiye.

On 15 May 2024, the Law of Ukraine “On amendments to the Labour Code of Ukraine on employment relations in case of business entity transfer” entered into force. The new Law establishes additional guarantees to employees in the event of business transfer. The Law aims at approximation of the national legislation to the Transfers of Undertakings Directive 2001/23/EC of 12 March 2001.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised the Green for Growth Fund on a EUR 6 million loan to Bank Lviv to support investments in sustainable agricultural equipment, energy-efficient measures, and small-scale renewable initiatives.

Asters, working with Kellerhals Carrard, has successfully represented the interests of FC Metalist LLC, based in Kharkiv, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne in a case concerning the issue of sports succession and a related claim brought by a former player of FC Metalist PJSC, the football club that has been in liquidation since 2017 due to bankruptcy.

Across Europe, defense sectors are experiencing significant transformations and budgetary escalations, driven by a need for enhanced military readiness and modernization. Avellum Partner Andriy Romanchuk, Cobalt Partner Deividas Soloveicik, Nagy es Trocsanyi Partner Gyorgy Kiszely, and Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Partner Serban Paslaru take a closer look at defense spending in their respective countries.

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?

On January 19, 2024, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) entered into a strategic partnership with Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development. The deal aims to create National Particular Conditions for using FIDIC contracts in Ukraine. This is promising news for professionals familiar with drafting such contracts for Ukrainian construction projects. But can FIDIC forms be used in Ukraine while this initiative is in progress, and what challenges do professionals face in using these contracts in the country?

On 4 May 2024, new amendments to Regulation of the Board of the National Bank of Ukraine “On the Operation of the Banking System during the Period of Martial Law” No. 18, dated 24 February 2022, came into effect. Such amendments aim to further ease relevant currency control restrictions, including (i) lifting all currency restrictions on imports of works and services, (ii) permitting businesses to repatriate “new” dividends, (iii) easing restrictions on repayment of “new” foreign loans, (iv) allowing payment of interest on “old” foreign loans, and (v) allowing to transfer funds abroad under leasing/rental agreements.

The post-war reconstruction of Ukraine is an immense challenge that necessitates mobilization of substantial resources. During a United Nations Security Council meeting in November of the previous year, the approximate cost of the country's reconstruction and rehabilitation was estimated at $400 billion. Acknowledging the impossibility of covering such expenses solely through state funds and international aid, Ukraine is placing emphasis on enhancing collaboration with the private sector. Among the various forms and mechanisms for securing resources required for rebuilding of the destroyed infrastructure, public-private partnership (PPP) stands out as one of the most widely debated.

On 27 April 2024, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine adopted Order No.262 (the ''Order'') which amended Order No.402 ''Regulations on Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine'' dated 14 August 2008.

CMS, working with Harneys Cyprus, has advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on a EUR 22 million loan to the Cyprus-based Farmak Group and Ukraine's JSC Farmak for the acquisition of Poland's Symphar and the upgrade of JSC Farmak's IT systems.

On April 22, 2024, Everlegal announced it had been appointed to provide legal support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – the UN Refugee Agency – for its activities in Ukraine.