The telecommunication industry in Serbia and the region is going through transformative changes at the core of its business. The market has seen significant consolidation and competition for consumers has become tough. Considerable investment has ensued in the sector, introducing significant changes in both services and delivery. These trends have sparked a remarkable focus shift from traditional land and mobile telephony services to information technologies and media distribution. Consumer needs and aspirations, fueled by the convergence of technologies, have set the bar high, and telecommunication companies have been able to adapt quickly.
Market Snapshot: The Dawn of Unpredictability in Serbian Competition Law?
The Serbian Competition Authority (SCA) has been relatively busy lately, and the outcome is an abundance of soft law on the one hand and inconsistent practice in actual casefiles on the other.
Market Snapshot: Quo Vadunt Serbian M&A Transactions?
M&A activity in Serbia finally showed some positive trends in 2022, despite high inflation and supply chain challenges. During the first three quarters of 2022, the Serbian M&A market has performed well, given the current economic environment, and was primarily defined by deals in the energy and real estate sectors, the IT industry, and further consolidation of the banking sector.
Czech Republic: Upcoming changes to consumer protection
Consumer protection is strongly enshrined in the Czech legal system and will be strengthened or clarified even further. It will therefore be necessary for sellers to adjust their terms and conditions in this regard.
Turkish Constitutional Court Rules Against the GSM Operator That Rejected the Request of Provision of Phone Records
In its judgment dated June 28, 2022 and numbered 2018/6161, published in the Official Gazette dated December 20, 2022 and numbered 32049, the Constitutional Court ruled against the GSM operator that had rejected to provide phone line records upon the GSM owner’s request, on the grounds that as a result of such rejection, the right to effective remedy in connection with the right to request the protection of personal data within the framework of the right to respect for private life was violated.
Could Hunger for (Personal) Data Bring Benefits to Society?
As the terms “hunger” and “benefits” in most cases exclude each other and expectations of all interested parties are high on both ends, we spent hours listening carefully
to what lecturers and panelists of our data protection conference were saying, to summarise ideas and solutions to a complex question from the headline.
Romania: New Regulations Regarding Social Dialogue
Law 367/ 2022 on social dialogue was published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 1238 of 22 December 2022 ("Law 367/ 2022").
Ukraine Introduces E-Residence as A Special Tax Regime for Foreign Entrepreneurs
On April 1, 2023, the Law which enables foreigners to become e-residents in Ukraine (hereinafter “e-residence / e-resident”), will enter into the force (the “Law”).
2023 Monetary Limits of Consumer Arbitration Committee Applications and Related Administrative Fines Announced
The Communiqué on Increasing the Monetary Limits in Article 68 of the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and Article 6 of the Regulation on Consumer Arbitration Committees (“Communiqué”) was published in the Official Gazette dated 16.12.2022 and numbered 32045.
The Odyssey of Urban Planning in Bucharest
Bucharest is currently going down a rocky road insofar as urban regulations are concerned, which have gone through a real odyssey, from being judicially and administratively suspended, to some of them ending up by being finally cancelled by the administrative litigation courts.
Electricity Generation in Turkey Series II: Unlicensed Electricity Generation
Pursuant to the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Production in Electricity Markets [“Regulation”] [available in Turkish only], it is possible to generate electricity without being obliged to obtain a license / pre-license from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority [“EMRA”] or incorporate a company. Accordingly, the consumers can meet their electricity needs from their own generation facilities that are in the vicinity of the consumption points and sell the surplus electricity limited to the previous year's consumption.
Austria: The (New) Provisions on Unknown Exploitation Forms And The Right of Second Exploitation in Copyright Contract Law
The amendment to the Austrian Copyright Act introduces a whole range of new provisions on copyright contract law, strengthening the position of authors and performers.
The Roots Of The Current ESG Revolution
As a new business trend, ESG is of growing interest to an increasing number of markets. More and more businesses are publishing ESG strategies and with good reason. According to PwC’s 2021 U.S. survey, 83% of consumers indicated a preference for companies to implement ESG best practices, and 86% of employees prefer to work for companies that care about ESG values.
Temporary Reduction of the Enforceability and Applicability of Late Payment Interest
According to the Hungarian Civil Code, the debtor is liable to pay interest on any owed money that has fallen due from the first day of the delay in payment, even if the use of the money was free of charge until the delay.
Omnibus Bill Amending Tobacco Legislation Was Published
Law on the Amendment of the Law on the Regulation of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Alcohol Market and Certain Laws No. 7423 (the “Omnibus Bill”), which was submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on October 18, 2022 was legalized and published in the Official Gazette dated December 10, 2022 and numbered 32039. Some of the amendments in the Omnibus Bill entered into force on the date of its publication; while other amendments will enter into force on January 1, 2024.
The New Land Registry Act Postponed to 1 February 2024
On 2 December 2022, a new act entered into force on the modification of certain acts related to the operation of territorial administration, the land registry and regional development. Under the new act, the new Land Registry Act will enter into force one year later, on 1 February 2024, instead of 1 February 2023 as planned originally. The new modifying act also contains other amendments.
Montenegro – Digital Nomads Obtaining Residence Permits
After the Parliament of Montenegro adopted Law on amendments to the Law of Foreigners and introduced legal framework for digital nomads earlier in August 2022, further activities were undertaken in order to establish the practical applicability of the adopted legal framework.
Recent Changes to the Legal Framework for Promoting the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources
On 6 December 2022, Government Emergency Ordinance no. 163/2022 ("GEO 163/2022" or the “Ordinance”) for supplementing the legal framework on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and for amending and supplementing certain regulatory acts, was published in Official Gazette of Romania No. 1165, entering into force on the same date.