Disagreements between shareholders can be a healthy thing, leading to creative solutions through the reaching of compromises. Differences can involve issues as diverse as how a company should be managed and controlled, and the direction and strategy it is taking. However, if differences become entrenched, the result can be potential deadlock and the loss of the ability to make important decisions, which can be severely damaging to a company and its shareholders.

The “Regulation on Electronic Commerce Intermediary Service Providers and Electronic Commerce Service Providers” ["Regulation"] was published in the Official Gazette no. 32058 dated December 29, 2022 and abolished the previous Regulation on Electronic Commerce Service Providers and Intermediary Service Providers published in the Official Gazette dated 26.08.2015 and numbered 29457.

There will be a significant number of tax changes in Romania in 2023. While companies may welcome some of them, others will bring them additional tax costs this year or next.

On 1 January 2023, an amendment to the Act on Significant Market Power in the Sale of Agricultural and Food Products and Its Abuse (the “Act”) comes into effect. The amendment significantly expands the Act’s scope both in terms of who is affected as well as the obligations it imposes.

At the beginning of last year, the Electronic Invoicing Act (“Act“) was passed, which entered into force on May 7, 2021. Since the Act brought significant changes to the Serbian economy, the application of some provisions of the Act is postponed, so the latest set of provisions will apply from January 1, 2023. It is when VAT payers must start issuing electronic invoices in all mutual transactions with other VAT payers from the private sector and transactions with public sector entities. Even in the very first stage of this Act, Gecić Law gave an insight into which novelties we can expect.

The 2022 Mergers and Acquisitions (the "M&A") Outlook Report (the "Report") drafted by the Turkish Competition Authority's (the "Authority") Economic Analysis and Research Department regarding the transactions notified to the Authority in 2022 was published on the Authority's website on January 6, 2023.

A new Consumer Protection Act (the "Act") entered into force in North Macedonia on 15 November 2022.

As a rule, medical device advertising can be conducted by economic operators, i.e. manufacturers, distributors, authorized representatives and importers (Article 56 (1) of the Polish Medical Devices Act of 7 April 2022 (the MDA)). Other entities can conduct advertising only after approval of the advertisement in writing by the economic operators.

On 26 January 2023, a new Consumer Protection Act (“the Act“) will enter into force, which combines the provisions of the currently applicable Consumer Protection Act and the Act on the Protection of Consumers against Unfair Commercial Practices.

As in the case of EU Regulations 2017/745 on medical devices (the MDR) and 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (the IVDR), the Polish Medical Devices Act of 7 April 2022 (the MDA) does not provide any definition of advertising. It can therefore be difficult for the industry to understand in practice which activities are likely to be treated as advertising by the regulatory authorities. Whilst the new legislation provides for stricter rules for advertising addressed to the general public, the MDA fails to provide guidance on what the advertising to the general public in fact is and determine a clear distinction between such activities and the advertising directed to non-laymen.

On 28 November 2022, the European Commission published its proposals for a Regulation amending Community Design Regulation No 2/2006 as well as a proposal for an amendment of the Community Design Directive.

1 January 2023 brought a major change to medical device advertising in Poland. From this date, the new national regime for medical device advertising applies. Therefore, all promotional activities associated with medical devices in Poland need to comply not only with the European Union regulations, but also with the new national requirements.

A number of changes have been recently introduced and will be introduced in the near future in Hungary that fundamentally affect both the most commonly applied legislation, as well as the day-to-day work of lawyers. Below is an overview of the important points of these developments.

Recent years have brought significant progress in terms of formalities for the incorporation of legal entities that carry out economic activities.

On 13 December 2022, Law No. 357/2022 (“Law 357/2022”) on the approval of Emergency Ordinance No. 119/2022 amending Emergency Ordinance No. 27/2022 (“GEO 27/2022”) on measures applicable to final customers in the electricity and natural gas market in the period between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, as well as for amending certain regulatory acts in the energy field (“GEO 119/2022”) was published in the Official Gazette of Romania no. 1198. Law 357/2022 entered into force on 16 December 2022, except for certain provisions which will enter into force at a later date. Below is a selection of some of the more relevant provisions set forth under Law 357/2022.

The European Union is fast-tracking the road to a greener future as EU institutions reach provisional agreements on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”) and the EU Emissions Trading System (“ETS”). After round-the-clock negotiations between EU officials, the “Fit for 55” legislative package with the ultimate goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 is now being finalized. What are the implications for non-EU countries?

Lately, the tech industry seems to have taken a major hit, with more and more companies deciding to lay off hundreds or even thousands of employees and/or implementing a hiring freeze until next year. When we see FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Alphabet) announcing such massive layoffs, there is no point asking whether this will affect the entire tech industry. However, the question remains whether this will trigger a domino effect in the market, or even if it is the start of a new HR layoff trend and how companies should approach this situation.

Amendments to the Law on Electronic Invoicing (Off. Gazette of RS no. 44/2021 and 129/2021), the Law on Fiscalisation (Off. Gazette of RS no. 153/2020, 96/2021 and 138/2022) and the Law on Deadlines for Settlement of Monetary Obligations in Commercial Transactions (Off. Gazette of RS no. 119/2012, 68/2015, 113/2017, 91/2019, 44/2021, 44/2021 – other law, 130/2021 and 129/2021 – other law) have been published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia no. 138/2022 of December 12, 2022.