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Kinstellar's Regional 2024 Competition Review and 2025 Outlook: Key insights and trends
We are excited to release the first edition of Kinstellar's Regional 2024 Competition Review and 2025 Outlook: Key insights and trends. This report provides an overview of the latest developments in competition law across our jurisdictions, highlighting key regulatory updates, enforcement trends, major fines, merger control decisions, foreign direct investment (FDI) screening developments, and upcoming legislative changes, among others. Competition authorities across the region—Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan—are intensifying their scrutiny of anti-competitive practices, strengthening enforcement efforts, and refining national competition
Regional report: Energy and natural resources trends in the CEE and Central Asia for the year 2025
We are excited to release the first edition of the Report | Energy and Natural Resources Trends in the CEE and Central Asia for the year 2025. This comprehensive report provides an overview of the latest and emerging developments in the energy and natural resources sector across Kinstellar’s jurisdictions, with a particular focus on the opportunities and advancements in renewable energy, battery energy storage systems, hydrogen, nuclear, or oil & gas—each tailored to the specific energy landscape in: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Designed for investors and industry professionals, the report brings forward an overview of the
EUIPO offers SMEs trade marksand designs grants of up to EUR 1,350 again in 2025
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has launched the 2025 SME Fund, offering up to 75% savings on, among others, trademark and design application fees, as well as pre-diagnostic IP services. Since 2021, more than 72,000 businesses have benefited from the fund. This year with a budget of over EUR 18 million, this initiative will help startups, videogame studios, and other small businesses, regardless of industry, to strengthen their Intellectual Property portfolios. Applications are open from 3 February to 5 December 2025 — but remember: it is on a first-come, first-served basis! Secure your IP portfolio! Read more in our overview below by Natalia Kirichenko, Partner
ESG legal update: Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions
The past year has seen a flurry of regulatory developments related to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), particularly in the alignment of climate, environmental and reporting rules across the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. Although the deadline for transposition of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD) passed in July 2024, not all EU member states have managed to fully implement the directive. The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against 17 member states, including the Czech Republic and Romania, and it remains to be seen whether it will take further steps in the infringement procedure. Attention is turning to the Corporate
Important notice to our Clients and Contacts: Beware of impersonation emails
6 January 2025 – It has come to our attention that some companies in our countries (most recently from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia) have received unauthorised fraudulent emails falsely claiming to originate from Kinstellar. This appears to be part of an illegal scam (fraudulent impersonation) campaign. We assure you that these fraudulent emails did not come from our official Kinstellar domain and have nothing to do with our Firm. Our IT and Risk & Compliance teams are giving this matter their highest priority and are actively investigating the issue. We are bringing this matter to the relevant authorities. Importantly, this illegal scam campaign appears to have been
Important notice to our valued Clients: Beware of impersonation emails
4 November 2024 – It has come to our attention that some companies in Hungary have received unauthorised fraudulent emails falsely claiming to originate from Kinstellar’s Budapest office (wrongly called “Andrékó Ferenczi Kinstellar Ügyvédi Iroda” – our Budapest Office’s official name is different). This appears to be part of an illegal scam campaign. We assure you that these emails did not come from our official Kinstellar domain and have nothing to do with our Firm. Our IT and Risk & Compliance teams are giving this matter their highest priority and are actively investigating the issue. We are bringing this matter to the relevant authorities. Importantly, this illegal scam campaign appears to have been
TMT Legal Update
Our TMT Legal Update provides insights from our law experts and aims to keep you regularly up to date with sector news, trends and legislation in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. This issue covers key updates from our jurisdictions from the past few months. REGIONAL Implementation status of certain EU regulations Technology 01. New development regarding NIS 2 Directive implementation in various Kinstellar jurisdictions The EU's NIS2 Directive is a cybersecurity act aimed at improving overall cybersecurity in the EU. Member States must implement it by 17 October 2024. Below we provide
Competition Law in the CEE Region: "Cross-Sector Perspectives" Conference
We are pleased to announce Kinstellar’s Competition Law Conference: Cross-Sector Perspectives, taking place on 15 November 2024 at the Hilton Hotel in Belgrade, Serbia. This exclusive event will bring together leading experts to explore the latest developments and challenges in competition law, providing valuable insights across various sectors. T he agenda includes: Fast Forward: Competition and the Current Trends in FMCG, moderated by Olga Šipka, Special Counsel, Co-head Competition & State Aid, Kinstellar, Belgrade Speakers: Stefan Dobrić (Bambi), Vukašin Petković (Nectar Group), Vitaly Pruzhansky (RBB Economics), Branislav Žeravić (Delhaize), Geoffroy van
Hugh Owen, a top M&A lawyer in Central and South Eastern Europe, joins Kinstellar as Partner
Kinstellar is very pleased to announce that Hugh Owen joins the Firm as a Partner, effective 1 October 2024. Hugh is a very well-known leading M&A lawyer in the Central and South Eastern European region with an impressive track record. He spent over 23 years at Allen & Overy, including 13 years as a partner. He then ran his own law firm and M&A training business for four years as a sole practitioner, closing over 20 deals with a combined value of over EUR 2.5 billion. For two years from July 2022 to June 2024 he served as Head of Legal Business Solutions for PwC CEE, responsible for the strategy for Legal in over 25 jurisdictions, including Eurasia, core CEE countries, the Baltics, Ukraine and South-Eastern
Consumer Law Update – CJEU rules that a price reduction announced in an advertisement must be calculated on the basis of the lowest price in the last 30 days
On 26 September, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") issued its much anticipated decision in the case Aldi Süd (C-330/23) concerning the announcement of price reductions in an advertisement. At issue was whether a price reduction announced in an advertisement must be calculated on the basis of the lowest price in the last 30 days, or whether the price reduction can be calculated from another price, with the information on the lowest price in the last 30 days being provided together with the reference price for calculating the reduction (as an additional figure). The CJEU concluded that that a price reduction announced in an advertisement must be determined on the basis of the lowest price applied
Kinstellar announces New Office Managing Partners in Bratislava and Prague, Adam Hodoň appointed as COO
Kinstellar is delighted to announce the appointment of new managing partners for our Bratislava and Prague offices, and of a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective 1 July 2024. Viliam Myšička is the new Managing Partner of the Bratislava Office, succeeding Adam Hodoň. Adam has been appointed as the Firm’s COO. Viliam has been with Kinstellar since its inception and was previously with Linklaters. He leads the M&A service line in Slovakia and serves as the head of the firm-wide Restructuring & Insolvency service line, as well as the co-head of the firm-wide Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) sector. Viliam brings nearly 20 years of professional experience, advising clients across a wide range
Luke Wochensky, Central & Eastern Europe/Central Asia Risk and Investigations expert, joins Kinstellar as Partner and Head of Firmwide Risk and Investigations Service Line
Kinstellar is pleased to announce that Luke Wochensky has joined the Firm as Partner and Head of the firm-wide Risk and Investigations Service Line. Luke is a civil- and common-law qualified lawyer with an extensive track record in internal and government investigations, cross-border disputes, and providing commercially sensitive and practical counsel to clients operating in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Qualified to practice in New York and a US citizen, Luke has over 15 years of experience representing US and multinational corporations operating in the region. He regularly counsels clients in risk mitigation, compliance, and integrity issues, particularly those involving cross-border internal and