The EU Commission, further incited by the Paris terrorist attacks, has declared the fight against tax avoidance, money laundering and terrorist financing a top priority; in 2018 stricter rules will enter into force also in Austria – legal entities should prepare themselves in good time....

In preparation for the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), which comes into force in May 2018, Romania has updated its Classification of Occupations (COR) to include data protection officers (DPOs)....

Austria's Federal Competition Authority ("FCA") has issued its first comprehensive guidance on inspections of undertakings carried out by the FCA....

Verplichtung zur E-Vergabe wird teilweise zum Stolperstein Die Richtlinie 2014/24/EU bringt maßgebliche Änderungen für Vergabeverfahren. Diese betreffen u. a. die e-Vergabe, die grundsätzlich verpflichtend wird. Die Umsetzung durch das neue Bundesvergabegesetz erfolgt voraussichtlich im ersten Halbjahr 2018. Die bisherige Praxis zeigt bereits, dass die richtlinienkonforme vollelektronische Abwicklung von Vergabeverfahren auch neue Probleme mit sich bringen kann:...

Poland becomes top market for expansion in emerging Europe In response to the growing demand for legal advisory services in Poland, Wolf Theiss has continued its rapid expansion in central Europe's largest economy this year, bringing on three new Partners in the Warsaw office. As one of the leading law firms in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Wolf Theiss plans further additions to its team in Poland, providing best-in-class services for local and international firms in the most promising industries....

A peculiarity of Austrian laws has - partially - been abolished Stamp duties on certain legal transactions were introduced nearly 300 years ago to enable the illiterate to enter into legal agreements. Even after the decrease in illiteracy, these stamp duties have never been abolished....

The end of October brought new amendments to the Hungarian Competition Act. Most changes focus on administrative and procedural issues which are less relevant for businesses. Some of the amendments, however, directly affect the day-to-day operation of businesses in Hungary. They take effect as of 1 January 2018....

Important news in the data privacy field after the Article 29 Working Party Plenary held in October 2017: the drafts of two new guidelines were finalized and a final form of a third one was adopted. The guidelines are aimed at ensuring a harmonized application of the GDPR, after 25 May 2018....

On 10 January 2017, a proposal for a new Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the respect for private life and the protection of personal data in electronic communications and repealing Directive 2002/58/EC ("e-Privacy Regulation") was published on the European Commission's website....

In early October a draft bill introducing a tax on certain types of commercial real estate was submitted by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament for consideration. This new tax may increase the financial burdens of entrepreneurs operating in the real estate sector in Poland....

Recently, a Class Action Act was adopted which will take effect as of 21 April 2018. The Act aims at providing for an efficient joint pursuit of rights by injured parties that, until now, were discouraged by lengthy and expensive court proceedings....

Drafts of the new Polish Personal Data Protection Act ("PDPA Draft") and Provisions Implementing the Personal Data Protection Act (“Amending Act Draft”) were published on 14 September 2017. The Amending Act Draft amends 133 sectoral acts, in this client alert we describe changes to the Labour Law. The drafts are now subject to social consultations. The proposed regulations are to ensure the successful implementation of Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 ("GDPR")....