Due to rising energy prices more and more employers are considering continuing or (re)introducing the home office (i.e. (partial) teleworking), previously introduced out of necessity, where workloads allow and now on the basis of cost efficiency. For the time being, the rise in energy prices does not seem to have discouraged employees from teleworking, and in many places the possibility of teleworking has become an expectation of employers.

Kocian Solc Balastik has advised the VGP Group on expanding its warehouse space in Slovakia and Hungary.

Kocian Solc Balastik, Szecskay, and DLA Piper have advised Sandberg Capital on its acquisition of a majority stake in the Green Fox Academy. The Arday, Sisa and Joosz Law Firm reportedly advised the sellers.

Drakopoulos has advised the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy on reviewing the transposition process of Directive 2018/2001 (RED II) on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources into the Greek legal framework. Dimitrov Petrov & Co, Kirm Perpar, Wardynski & Partners, and Kinstellar Croatian affiliate Zuric i Partneri advised on the transposition review in Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, and Croatia, respectively. CLM Bitai & Partners and Vojcik & Partners also reportedly advised the European Commission.

No one signs a commercial contract expecting or wanting a dispute. But a watertight contract with a solid arbitration clause can provide a vital sense of security to the signing parties. In some cases, however, an arbitration clause itself can cause procedural complications that have to be addressed even before a dispute between the parties can begin to be solved.

Lakatos Koves & Partners has advised the Japan-based Toyo Ink Group on its market entry and operation of its new battery component plant in Hungary.

Lakatos Koves & Partners, working with Stevens & Bolton, has advised the Zenitech group on the acquisition of Autsoft.

According to its latest ruling, the Spanish tax authority certainly considers so. However, the recent boom in the popularity of NFTs poses more questions than answers from the perspective of indirect taxes.

Hungarian lawyer Balazs Mak, Vice President of Legal Affairs at Paramount Global Content Distribution, has moved to Paramount Global’s Amsterdam offices.

The energy crisis has led to businesses shutting down for the winter and subsequent employment-related issues, with the Hungarian government now providing energy subsidies, according to KCG Partners Founding Partner Rita Parkanyi.

According to the Hungarian Labor Code, employers shall keep records of the durations of regular working time and overtime, standby duty, periods of leave and overtime work performed. The working time records should be updated on a daily basis and should contain facilities to identify the time of commencement and end of any regular and overtime work and standby duty. Records of the durations of regular working time and overtime may be maintained in the form of verifying the work schedule made out in writing at the end of the month, updated on a daily basis. The Labor Code, however, does not address the question where the working time records should be physically stored.

Ban, S. Szabo, Rausch & Partners has advised E.ON Hungaria on the merger of trading companies Elmu-Emasz Energiaszolgaltato and Elmu-Emasz Energy Supplier into E.ON Energy Solutions.

The Hungarian Parliament passed a law at the beginning of October 2022 to set up a new anti-corruption authority called “Integrity Authority” as a part of a legislative package, that was aimed to reach a compromise with the EU regarding the withholding of funds.

According to a new government decree published in the Hungarian Gazette on 26 September 2022, taxpayers can pay their local business tax advance and local business tax from 1 January 2023 by transferring the amount in euro or US dollars. Taxpayers belonging to a special economic zone can pay the local business tax to the account opened for this purpose by the National Tax and Customs Authority.

Dentons has advised Groupama Gan REIM on its acquisition of the Freedom Palace in Budapest. 

Former Dentons Partner Annamaria Csenterics has joined Kinstellar in Budapest as a Partner to co-head the Corporate/M&A service line, including Real Estate and Private Equity, together with Gabor Gelencser.

Andersen Legal has advised Solar Markt on a long-term strategic agreement with investor Hiventures. Moore Legal Kovacs advised Hiventures.

There are substantial recent developments in dispute resolution and litigation in Hungary, with some uncertainty about the application of the CJEU’s jurisprudence to domestic litigation, as well as new arbitration rules coming into force, according to Provaris Managing Partner Istvan Varga.