Client Alerts
New EU regulation – The end of geo-blocking when shopping online
A new EU Regulation, which will take effect on 3 December 2018, provides for borderless online shopping.(1) Traders are obliged to treat online customers equally, regardless of which EU-member state they come from. Geo-blocking will be abolished in many cases. However, digital content protected under copyright law and some other services are not yet affected by the Regulation. Following the abolition of roaming charges and the adoption of the Portability-Regulation, this new Regulation is the next step in contributing to the European Union strategy of creating a properly functioning digital internal market without unjustified geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination based on a customer's nationality, place of residence or place of establishment....
Bulgaria – Competition protection commission recommends amendments of the energy act concerning the heating sector
On 8 February 2018, the Bulgarian Competition Protection Commission ("CPC") issued a Decision in a Competition Advocacy proceeding initiated in 2017 for the assessment of conformity with Competition law of the legal framework applicable to heat energy supply legislation. The Competition Advocacy proceeding analyzed the respective sections of the Energy Act ("EA"), the Heat Energy Supply Ordinance (1) and the General Terms and Conditions of the heating companies....
Bulgaria – Amendments to the energy act in relation to REMIT to be reviewed by the competition protection commission
On 07 February 2018, the Bulgarian Competition Protection Commission ("CPC") initiated Competition Advocacy proceedings in relation to the recently proposed amendments to the Bulgarian Energy Act ("EA"), aiming to increase controlling and enforcement powers of the Bulgarian Energy and Water Regulatory Commission ("EWRC") in respect of possible energy market manipulations under REMIT (Regulation 1227/2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency)....
The new law on Ukrainian limited liability companies is adopted
On 6 February 2018 the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a long-awaited Law "On Limited Liability Companies and Additional Liability Companies" No. 4666 (the "Law"). The law will supersede the legislation currently regulating the most popular type of Ukrainian companies – limited liability companies ("LLC")....
Bulgaria: Recent employment law changes restrict M&A transactions for bad employers
Protection of employees which was given strong support by Bulgarian Parliament led to difficulties in closing M&A transactions...
Bulgarian competition watchdog launches a sector inquiry into electricity markets
On 22 January 2018 the Bulgarian Competition Protection Commission ("CPC") announced that it opened a sector inquiry into the electricity markets in Bulgaria. The formal decision has not yet been published. However, the sector inquiry is expected to cover the entire electricity value chain....
The corporate income tax law — Serbia — 2015
The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted on 29 December 2015 amendments to a number of tax laws, including the Corporate Income Tax Law, Law on Tax Procedure and Tax Administration, Personal Income Tax and Law on Mandatory Social Security Contributions....
Long awaited and much anticipated: Poland’s new act on restructuring: its significance for debtors and creditors.
The majority of provisions of the new Act on Restructuring Law (Journal of Laws from 2015, item 978) (the "Restructuring Law") become effective as of the 1st of January 2016. The new law implements the so called „politics of the new or second chance” and seeks to provide balanced protection of entrepreneurs, workplaces, creditors and employees in the face of a company's financial problems. In contrast to prior law, bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings will be regulated in two separate acts....
BVergG-Novelle 2015 beschlossen / Der Letztstand im Überblick
Am 10.12.2015 hat die Novelle zum BVergG nach Vornahme letzter – nicht unwesentlicher – Änderungen den Nationalrat passiert. In Kraft treten werden die neuen Regelungen (nach entsprechender Zustimmung des Bundesrats) am 1.3.2016....
Austria: Die Neuerungen des Arbeitsmarktpakets
Am 10.12.2015 hat das Parlament das Arbeitsrechts-Änderungsgesetz 2015 sowie ein arbeitsrechtliches Elternpaket beschlossen. Wesentliche arbeitsrechtliche Änderungen treten mit 1.1.2016 in Kraft....
Serbia: Employers with more than 10 employees must adopt an internal “whistleblower act”
The Serbian Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers (the Whistleblower Law), applicable as of 5 June 2015, introduced rules governing the rights and obligations of both employers and employee whistleblowers; on the same date, the Ministry of Justice also adopted a bylaw to further regulate internal procedures regarding whistleblowers for all employers with more than 10 employees (the Bylaw)....
How to avoid errors in public procurement funded by EU
On 30 October 2015 the European Commission published a new Guidance to assist contracting authorities across the EU member states to avoid the most common errors in planning and delivering purchases of public works, supplies or services funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds ('Guidance')....