Legislation Update - Montenegro
New Law on Business Organisations in Montenegro Entered into Force
The new Montenegrin Law on Business Organisations (in further text the “Law”) entered into force today. The reason for establishing the Law is directly related to the process of Montenegro’s accession to the European Union. The key criteria for the temporary closure of negotiations in Chapter 6 (Commercial law) is precisely the adoption of the […]
Read moreDawn Raids in Slovenia
Media Raided for Competition Concerns
According to public information, the Slovenian Competition Protection Agency has allegedly been conducting dawn raids in the three biggest Slovenian newspaper publishers, Delo, Dnevnik and Časnik Večer in the past few days, due to suspicion of failure to notify a merger. In September 2019, the Agency apparently received a complaint that the newspapers had subordinated […]
Read moreEnergy and Natural Resources Update: North Macedonia
Extended Deadline for Submitting Offers for Photovoltaic Plants in REK Oslomej
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the authorities of North Macedonia once again extended the deadline for the submission of bids to construct and operate two solar photovoltaic plants on top of the old coal mine in REK Oslomej (located near the town of Kichevo). The new deadline for submitting bids is 28 September 2020, 10:00 […]
Read moreEnergy and Natural Resources News: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ban on Construction of Small Hydro Power Plants in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Announced
Following intensive pressure of environmental activists, the House of Representative (lower house of the FBH Parliament) of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (“FBH”) adopted the Declaration on Protection of Rivers (“Declaration”). The main goal of the Declaration is to completely ban the construction of small hydro power plants (“SHPPs”) in the FBH. For the […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Montenegro Update
Montenegro Allows for a More Lenient Assessment of Cooperation Agreements in Response to Situations of Urgency Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic
The new COVID-19 reality did not only bring about the asymmetric demand characterised by a high rise in demand for certain essential (usually health-related) products and a steep decline in demand for other products that are considered non-essential in times of crisis but has also created various problems in supply chains and distribution of products […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Impact and Strategies
Karanovic & Partners at the WSG Banking and Finance Webinar on COVID-19 Impact and Strategies in Europe
Karanovic & Partners attended the World Services Group banking and finance webinar on COVID-19 impact and strategies in Europe on 23 June 2020. Partner Maja Jovančević Šetka* spoke about the situation in the banking and finance area in the SEE and the consequences brought on by the pandemic. The webinar, moderated by Lukasz Szegda, Partner […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Slovenia Update
Slovenia: Loosening Rules on Public Procurement
The newly adopted Act on the intervention measures to mitigate and eliminate the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic[1] (“Act”), which entered into force on 31 May 2020, introduces amendments to the Public Procurement Act.[2] Importantly, the thresholds are being loosened and less stringent rules for exclusion of tenderers from public procurements and organization of design […]
Read moreTender by the End of the Year
Tender for the Solar Power Plant in Podgorica at Velje Brdo by the End of the Year
The Montenegrin Ministry of Economy announced that the tender for the construction of the solar power plant at Velje Brdo site is expected to be initiated by the end of the year. This project, alongside solar power plant on Briska Gora and the wind power plants Gvozd and Brajići, is expected to have a strong […]
Read moreConsequences of COVID-19
Karanovic & Partners Holds a Webinar on Construction in the SEE/CEE
Karanovic & Partners, along with Pinsent Masons and 3lite, held a webinar centered around making claims under FIDIC Red 1999 edition as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and force majeure events on construction projects in Southern and Eastern Europe. The speakers included Franka Baica and Ermina Delić Kamenčić, Senior Associate* Ana Luković from Karanovic […]
Read morePublic Consultations Begin
Digital Markets and Competition Law: The European Commission Opens Public Consultations on Potential New Regulatory Tools
Generally speaking, competition rules have an in-built flexibility that allows the authorities to address evolving issues and novel practices. However, the European Commission (“EC”) has taken the position that certain structural risks related to online platforms cannot be adequately addressed within the current regulatory framework, and has opened public consultations on exploring the need for […]
Read moreFIC Human Resources Committee President Reappointed
Milena Jakšić Papac Re-elected as the President of the FIC HR Committee
Karanovic & Partners is pleased to announce that our Partner* Milena Jakšić Papac has been re-elected as the President of the Foreign Investors Council Human Resources Committee. Over the next two years, Milena’s main priorities as the President of the Committee will be focusing on the new Labour Law, digitalization and simplification of various procedures, […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Slovenia Update
New Rules on Foreign Direct Investments in Slovenia
The New Act on the intervention measures to mitigate and eliminate the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic[1] (“Act”) entered into force on 31 May 2020. Among others, it also introduces a new set of rules applicable to foreign direct investments into the Republic of Slovenia, which will have important implications for several fields, including M&A […]
Read moreSignificant Shift in Practice of the Serbian Intellectual Property Office
Powerlifting: Is Copyright stronger than Trademarks?
The story starts rather simply. Guangdong Puss Investment Co., Ltd. from China filed a trademark application for the NOME logo, in Serbia. Serbia applies a “first-to-file” system in terms of the trademark registration. There had not been prior similar trademarks, and the registration went smoothly. However, Guangzhou Renren Management Consulting Co., also from China, filed […]
Read moreNew Moves
Karanovic & Partners Advises 3Lateral in Purchase of a Lot in Novi Sad
Serbian leading IT company 3Lateral which was acquired by Epic Games last year, purchased a 6,500 square meters lot in Novi Sad at a price of EUR 7,7 million. Karanovic & Partners team led by Senior Partner Marjan Poljak and Senior Associate* Ana Luković provided full legal support to 3Lateral and Epic Games in this […]
Read moreOverview of the Rules
Karanovic & Partners Holds a Webinar on Interacting with Healthcare Professionals
Karanovic & Partners held a webinar dedicated to the interaction of pharma companies with healthcare professionals on 9 June 2020. Speakers Milica Filipović, Kevin Rihtar, and Boris Dvoršćak covered all aspects of engaging in ethical relationships with healthcare professionals in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. The webinar was moderated by Goran Radošević, Partner* in Corporate & […]
Read moreThe Outlook of M&A
Karanovic & Partners Holds a Webinar on the SEE M&A Landscape Post COVID-19
Karanovic & Partners, together with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, held a webinar dedicated to the post-COVID-19 landscape of M&A in Southeastern Europe. The webinar was held on 8 June 2020, with speakers being Senior Partners Dragan Karanović, Marko Ketler, and Rastko Petaković, who also moderated the discussion, while Natascha Doll and Sebastian Lawson spoke on behalf […]
Read moreEnforcement of Trademarks Online
Faculty of Law Takes Down a Fake Profile on Instagram
How trademarks are important shows a recent online legal battle won by the leading law school in the Balkans. The Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade is the owner of a trademark registered in Serbia for the following mark. Even though this institution is publicly owned, it has a long-lasting reputation in education, conferencing, and […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Slovenia Update
Third Anti-Corona Act in Slovenia – Measures for Employers
The purpose of the third Anti-Corona Act (entered into force on 31 May 2020) is to introduce new temporary intervention measures that will replace the ones that expire on 31 May 2020 due to the official revoking of the epidemic on that same date. The amount of State aid under the third Anti-Corona Act is […]
Read moreNew Grant
Serbia: State Aid Granted to Kyungshin for a Greenfield Investment
In May 2020, the Serbian State Aid Control Commission (“SACC”) has cleared a state aid granted to the Serbian subsidiary of the Korean investor Kyungshin Cable Co. Ltd.. The granted aid concerns the allocation of 61,534 m2 of state-owned land for the investment in a new factory for the production of electrical and electronic equipment […]
Read moreCOVID-19 Slovenia Update
Impact of the Anti-Corona Legislation on the Construction and Infrastructure Sector
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia estimates that without adequate state actions the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic on the construction sector will be significant. Accelerating investments in the construction industry makes an important contribution to mitigating the negative effects of the epidemic to the Slovenian economy. On 30 April 2020, the National Assembly […]
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