Wolf Theiss, working with Ropes & Gray, has advised Bain Capital Tech Opportunities on its USD 150 million investment in Ataccama, a unified data management platform provider. Deloitte Legal reportedly advised Ataccama.

An Energy Service Company (ESCO) provides energy services and/or other energy efficiency improvement measures to consumers and, as a result of providing such services and/or measures, accepts a degree of financial risk. Payment for the services provided by an ESCO is based, in whole or in part, on the energy efficiency improvement and the fulfillment of other performance criteria agreed upon by the parties. As a rule, the ESCO is paid out of the cost reductions achieved following the energy upgrades and/or efficiency measures. Because payment is made from the energy savings, the costs of financing and implementing such an efficiency project may, based on the financing structure applied, be treated as an off-balance sheet asset.

Following the wave in Europe on the enforcement of foreign direct investment screening, Romania has just shifted to new rules for non-EU investors. The new regime entered into force on April 18, 2022, and is expected to be fully operational by June 18, 2022, when the new FDI Screening Commission is to be set up.

Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr and Wolf Theiss, working with Fredrikson & Byron, have advised Odyssey Investment Partners and its portfolio company PIP Global Holdings on the acquisition of Industrial Starter and its local subsidiaries in Europe. Perez-Llorca and Chiomenti Studio Legale reportedly also advised the buyer. Adacta reportedly advised the seller.

By most counts, 2021 was a successful year for the Romanian M&A market. Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii Deputy Managing Partner Stefan Damian, Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen Partner Gabriela Cacerea, Dentons Managing Partner Perry Zizzi, and Wolf Theiss M&A Partner Ileana Glodeanu have many reasons to believe 2022 could be a good year as well, but also quite a few to expect a slowdown in activity.

On June 30, 2022, CEE Legal Matters hosted the fifth edition of the CEELM Budapest Law Firm Bowling Challenge: A competition of four-person teams from leading law firms in Hungary, with all proceeds going to the previous winner’s charity of choice. A total of 13 law firms competed for the trophy – and the bragging rights that go along with it.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Savoric & Partners, and Filip & Company have advised Borealis on a binding offer for its nitrogen business from the Agrofert group. Wolf Theiss advised Agrofert. Oppenheim, Boyanov & Co, and PRK Partners reportedly advised Borealis as well.

Former KPMG Legal Senior Managing Associate Flavius Florea has joined the Wolf Theiss Bucharest office as a Counsel and Head of the firm's TMT, IP & Data Protection practice.

Wolf Theiss, working alongside NautaDutilh and lead counsel WilmerHale, has advised Lookout on the acquisition of SaferPass.

In the past few years, Hungary has witnessed accelerated merger trends in the fields of TMT, healthcare, and energy, among others. We reached out to several competition lawyers and spoke about Hungarian merger control regulations and the role of the Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA).

Wolf Theiss has advised Erste Group Bank on its update of the Unlimited Commercial Paper and Certificate of Deposits program. Hogan Lovells’ Frankfurt office advised the bank syndicate which worked on the update, led by the arranging Citigroup Global Markets Limited.

Dana Toma has joined Wolf Theiss’ Bucharest office as a Counsel and Coordinator of the Real Estate practice.

Deloitte Legal’s Krehic & Partners has advised sellers Tomislav Plesa and Domagoj Makar on the sale of their shares in Heloo to TaskUs. Wolf Theiss, working with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, advised the buyer.

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen has advised Marcos Provit on its EUR 8.5 million cross-border corporate bond issuance through a private placement under the coordination of CVI Dom Maklerski. Wolf Theiss advised CVI.

Wolf Theiss and Yavuz & Uyanik & Akalin have advised 4iG Nyrt on the acquisition of an 80.27% stake in AlbTelecom from a subsidiary of Turkey's Calik Holding. Tashko Pustina reportedly advised the sellers. The deal was cleared by the Albanian Competition Authority on March 4, 2022.

Suciu Popa and Dentons have advised SNGN Romgaz on its acquisition of the ExxonMobil subsidiary that owns 50% of the rights and obligations for the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea. Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen advised the seller.

The Slovakian legal market has, for quite some time, been a vibrant landscape of international law firms. Given the positioning of the central European country, and the proximity of major markets such as Austria, Poland, and Ukraine, Slovakia has been able to maintain the high number of international law firms, especially relative to other CEE jurisdictions. Taking a deeper dive into the reasons behind the persistence of such a high number of major international law firms, we reached out to legal professionals who work in Slovakia to get their insights.

On June 15, 2021, Hungary passed legislation that bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change. Dubbed by many as simply the “Anti-LGBTQ+ Law,” it has wide-ranging implications – even leaving social issues / social impact aside. CEE Legal Matters spoke with several Hungarian lawyers to discuss the law’s business implications and the impact it had on law firms’ work.