Client Alerts

After extensive public consultations and parliamentary procedures, on 24 January 2019 the law implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC ("GDPR") into the Bulgarian Personal Data Protection Act ("Implementing Law") was officially adopted by the Bulgarian Parliament. Shortly after, on 4 February 2019, the Bulgarian President vetoed the Implementing Law due to concerns regarding the regulated data processing for journalistic purposes and the purposes of academic, artistic or literary expression.

Wolf Theiss together with other qualified legal professionals from more than 30 European countries, contributed to the release of two new reports on GDPR for the CPC network, the largest European information platform explaining data protection laws.

Destruction or anonymization of personal data – an appropriate way to comply with the right to erasure?

The Austrian Data Protection Authority (DPA) has further consolidated its case law on the right to erasure.

The Bulgarian Council of Ministers adopts an amitious action plan for State Concessions 2019-2020, providing the launch of tenders for major ports and airports.

With the effect from 7 February 2019, the Law of Ukraine "On Currency and Currency Operations" no. 2473-VІІІ, dated 21 June 2018 (the "Currency Law"), and regulations of the National Bank of Ukraine (the "NBU"), adopted to implement the Currency Law provisions, introduce a new currency control regime including new rules governing the financial arrangements of Ukrainian borrowers with foreign lenders.

On 03 December 2018, the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation ("SCC") published an interpretative judgement under case No. 1/2017 (the "Judgment"), where the Court provides long awaited guidance concerning insolvency proceedings. The Judgment addresses nine questions which were inconsistently resolved by lower courts. Bulgaria has been widely criticized for its inefficient and unreliable insolvency proceedings, but in the last couple of years both the legislator and the judiciary try to overcome the existing difficulties.

EU Directive 2016/1148 on Security of Network and Information Systems (the "NIS Directive") regulates the main EU legislative framework, which aims to achieve a high common level of network and information systems security across the European Union.

The NIS Directive applies to so-called Operators of Essential Services ("OESs") acting in sectors that heavily rely on information and communications technology, such as Water Transport, Energy, Digital Infrastructure, Banking and Financial Market, Healthcare or Transport. The NIS Directive also applies to those Digital Service Providers ("DSPs"), that normally provide their services for remuneration, at a distance, by electronic means and at...

What does this mean for my business?

The Czech Republic has implemented EU Trademark Directive No. 2015/2436 by way of amending the Czech Trademark Act No. 441/2003, effective as of 1 January 2019. The most important changes can be summarized as follows: