Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka has advised Unconditional and its majority owner Edvard Varda on the sale of a stake in the company to the Fressnapf Group. Schoenherr reportedly advised the Fressnapf Group on the acquisition.

Deloitte Legal’s Krehic & Partners has advised the Kovacic family on their sale of Aquapark Istralandia to the Looping Group. Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka reportedly advised the buyer.

BDK Advokati has advised the sellers on the sale of Termoplast Grupa to Greiner Packaging. Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka and Selih & Partnerji reportedly advised the sellers as well.

Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka has provided legal support to the organizing committee of the WRC Croatia Rally 2022, including regarding the necessary agreements, permits, and the implementation of international sporting regulations.

On April 1, Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka announced that Havas Ground Handling’s acquisition of MZLZ Ground Handling Services (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 22, 2022) has closed.

On January 26, DTB announced that United Group's acquisition of the majority stake in Optima Telekom (reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 16, 2021) has now closed. 

Sustainable finance is at the very heart of the financial system ensuring financial service providers offer green products and push them and the corporate businesses to be greener, to reach a higher level of social and corporate relevance when making investment or financing decisions.

Political stability and predictability, shake-ups for the corporate and banking legislative frameworks, and a solid economic situation despite the pandemic – these are the current highlights in Croatia, according to Divjak, Topic, Bahtijarevic & Krka Partner Martina Kalamiza.

These are dynamic times for the Croatian energy sector, as the legislative framework is expected to undergo major changes very soon.

Just over a year ago, 2020 was shaping up to be a good one for the Croatian Transportation and Infrastructure sector. Croatia was presiding over the Council of the EU, and the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure, one of its most active ministries, had several interesting projects in the pipeline. Osijek was due to become the first 5G city in Croatia by year’s end, and major investment deals were planned to strengthen existing road and railway infrastructure. But then COVID-19 happened and dealt a complicated hand to both transport and infrastructure.

The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia abolished “social ownership” in 1990 and introduced a universal type of ownership – private ownership. Legislation that followed the introduction of the Croatian Constitution specified how social companies were to be transformed into private companies. To establish private ownership over companies undergoing this transformation, the companies had to appraise the property used in their share capital. However, land that was used by said companies that was located in the zones for tourism-related purposes near the Adriatic coast (which we will refer to as the “tourist land”) was often not appraised in its entirety towards share capitals, as the intention was for it to become the property of the state for developing Croatian tourism strategies. Therefore, social companies performing tourism-related activities (e.g., hotels and camps) often appraised only buildings, while the land on which the activities were also performed was left un-appraised, yet continued to be used without compensating the real owner – the state.

It is now more than obvious how much the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up both global and national economies. Although various measures have already been undertaken to support businesses during this COVID-19 crisis, financial distress of many companies is inevitable, which will ultimately, for many of them, result in bankruptcy or restructuring.

Advertising is no easy task for law firms in the former Yugoslavia, and law firm marketing and business development specialists in those legal markets face unique challenges in their attempts to promote their firms and obtain new clients.

Looking back on the first five months of 2020, three data processing topics in Croatia deserve attention, if for nothing else than their historical value. Data Protection – particularly finalizing the EU’s e-Privacy Regulation – has been identified as among the priorities of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency (AZOP) publicized its first administrative fine against a bank for denying its clients the right of access to their personal data. And, if you were hoping this article would skip the ubiquitous COVID-19, no such luck: data processing issues and guidance amid the pandemic is the winner of our mini chart.

“You’ve got mail!” Unfortunately, instead of coming from Tom Hanks, it’s the commercial court informing you that your company is being sued. Online! Are you and your SPV ready for the new mandatory electronic communication with Croatian courts?

Contributed by Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic.

Attendees to the 2019 CEELM Winter Party were cornered, over the course of the evening, and asked, without warning or an opportunity to prepare, what achievement over the past 12 months they were proudest of.

Representatives of more than sixty law firms from across Central and Eastern Europe and from as far away as the United States, United Kingdom, and China came together in Prague on June 6, 2018, for the first ever Dealer’s Choice international law firm conference and CEE Deal of the Year Awards Banquet.