On September 9, 2021, CEE Legal Matters reported that Ibrahimovic & Co had advised Studen & Co Holding on an agreement with the Brcko District's Government to build a free business zone in the district. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Natasa Pucar, Corporate Communication Director at Studen & Co Holding, to learn more about the matter.

Investors planning construction or reconstruction in St. Petersburg must consider the strict restrictions of Russian and international legislation for the protection of cultural heritage sites. These restrictions can roughly be divided into two levels: (1) those stipulated by Russian legislation for the protection of cultural heritage sites and (2) those stipulated by UNESCO legislation.

Up until fairly recently, the lease of business buildings and business premises (offices, warehouses, pertaining parking spaces, etc.) in Slovenia was governed by the Business Buildings and Business Premises Act (“Act”). Since the Act was adopted back in 1974, it was not shaped for the modern business environment in which it is both in the interest of the lessee and the lessor to be able to act quickly and have at least a certain degree of flexibility when it comes to adopting business decisions. The obligatory 12-month notice period for termination of lease agreements, concluded for an indefinite period, and the obligation to terminate the lease agreement through court proceedings, for example, all but served those interests.

The pandemic has transformed the Czech real estate market. While the residential and logistics real estate markets strengthened, the retail, tourism, and hotel sectors are among the worst affected. However, interest in investing in real estate has not waned as, in uncertain times, the purchase of real estate represents a safe place to park one’s funds and watch them appreciate. There has been no significant decline in property prices, even in the case of commercial real estate, as some investors had anticipated. The Czech market still lacks enough quality investment opportunities. The clear winner of this situation is the logistics segment. Our Prague office assisted in several transactions in the logistics segment, the largest being the purchase of 130 hectares of land intended for warehouse development, at one of the exits of the western D5 motorway. According to some real estate players, we can also expect increased interest in the industrial segment soon, including sale & leaseback transactions.

CEE Legal Matters has been reporting on an increased number of deals in the Czech Republic’s logistics sector. We reached out to several Czech real estate lawyers to discuss both the drivers behind the spike in work in the sector and the challenges it faces in the country.

Dentons Managing Counsel Martin Mendel has been appointed Co-Head of the firm’s Real Estate practice in Slovakia. He will lead the real estate team together with Partner Jiri Strzinek.