Blog

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Tijana Kojović, our managing partner, is recognized as a recommended lawyer in the 2024 edition of Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration

Tijana Kojović, our managing partner and head of dispute resolution practice, is recognized as a recommended lawyer in the 2024 edition of Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration. The report highlights nearly 1,500 distinguished lawyers from close to 100 jurisdictions who have been endorsed by their peers and clients for their expertise in the field of arbitration.

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BDK Advokati contributed a chapter on Serbia in the latest edition of the Chambers ENVIRONMENTAL LAW 2023 Global Practice Guide

Our partner and environmental expert, Milan Dakic, contributed a chapter on Serbia in the latest edition of the Chambers ENVIRONMENTAL LAW 2023 Global Practice Guide. Milan shared views on various environmental topics – from the basic principles of environmental protection in Serbia and key permitting requirements, overview of waste management obligations, environmental liabilities, etc. to […]

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Austrian authorities interpret GDPR access right

In a case resulting in a recent decision of the Austrian Federal Administrative Court, the Court and the Austrian supervisory authority (Datenschutzbehörde) offered insightful interpretations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), particularly focusing on Article 15’s right of access. Most interestingly, the Court held that a data controller must inform the data subject, at […]

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BDK Advokati advised INVENIO Partners (INVENIO) in the process of segmentation of the vocational education division of LINK Group

BDK Advokati advised INVENIO Partners (INVENIO) who joined forces with Accession Capital Partners (ACP) in the process of segmentation of the vocational education division of LINK Group, a leading professional education business in Southeastern Europe. Dentons assisted in relation to English law matters, while NNDKP along with Gladei & Partners assisted in relation to Romanian […]

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Bisera Andrijašević, Lexology GTDT – Pharma & Medical Device Regulation 2024 – Serbia

BDK Advokati’s Head of Life Sciences Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia in the 2024 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through publication Pharma & Medical Device Regulation. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the legislative and regulatory landscape in Serbia, including insight into the regulatory framework related to obtaining and amending marketing […]

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The Government of Serbia repealed most of the recent restrictions on clinical trials in Serbia

As we reported, In August this year, the Government of Serbia adopted amendments to the Rulebook on clinical trials of human medicines (“Rulebook on Clinical Trials“), introducing significant changes to the clinical trials regime. The first amendment limited clinical trials to public healthcare institutions, excluding privately-owned healthcare institutions from the clinical trials system. The second […]

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BDK Advokati advised shareholders of Amiga in the sale to Beam Global (NASDAQ: BEEM)

BDK Advokati advised shareholders of Amiga DOO, a regional leader in the production of poles for mobile networks, street lighting and innovative solar poles in the sale of 100% of shares to Beam Global (NASDAQ:BEEM). Beam Global is at the forefront of clean technology innovation, offering sustainable solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, […]

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BDK Advokati advises Alcazar Energy on the acquisition of the windfarm project “Bijela” in Montenegro

BDK Advokati advised Alcazar Energy, a sustainable infrastructure fund, on the acquisition of the 118 MW wind farm project “Bijela” in Montenegro. BDK team was led by Senior Partner Luka Popović. Partner Milan Dakić provided construction-related advice. This is the first wind farm project for Alcazar Energy in the Western Balkans and we are happy […]

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“Tracking”, “monitoring”, and “profiling” in recent Clearview AI cases

In the past two years, most recently on May 10, 2023, when the Austrian Datenschutzbehörde issued its decision, supervisory authorities in several European countries declared the processing of personal data by the company Clearview AI to be contrary to the GDPR. To determine whether GDPR applied to the processing of personal data by the company […]

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BDK Advokati Tier 1 in IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate Law and Project Development 2023 rankings

We are pleased to announce that, according to the 2023 IFLR1000 rankings of law firms in Financial and Corporate Law and Project Development, BDK Advokati has maintained Tier 1 status in both Serbia and Montenegro. Our Project development practice in Bosnia & Herzegovina has also received significant recognition. IFLR1000 has ranked five of our partners […]

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New restrictions to clinical trials in Serbia

The Government of Serbia adopted in the beginning of August amendments to the Rulebook on clinical trials of human medicines (“Rulebook on Clinical Trials“), which entered into force on 12 August 2023. There are two significant changes which negatively affect clinical trials in Serbia. The first amendment relates to the site of a clinical trial, […]

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BDK Advokati on Serbia’s data protection law in GTDT/Lexology 2024 guide

BDK Advokati has contributed the Serbia chapter to the 2024 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Data Protection & Privacy (July 2023). The chapter presents the regulatory frameworks under Serbian data protection law, which has been in effect since August 2019. The law is modelled after the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Partner […]

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BDK Advokati advises Spanish Grupo Hotusa on the long term lease

BDK Advokati advised Spanish Grupo Hotusa on the long-term lease of the Queen of Montenegro hotel in Bečići, Montenegro. We are pleased to have contributed to securing a lease of this exceptional property for Grupo Hotusa. Our transactional team led by senior partner Luka Popović assisted with the transaction documents, provided corporate law advice, and helped obtained necessary licenses […]

Staff leasing is a permitted practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina despite being unregulated
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Serbia further relaxes the conditions for foreigners coming to work in Serbia

The Serbian parliament has adopted the amendments to the Foreigners Act and Employment of Foreigners Act, which aim to liberalize the conditions for the entry of foreigners into Serbia and shorten the procedures for obtaining residence and work permits. With tax incentives already in place for digital nomads, the new rules easing the administrative conditions […]

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Uber judgment: On human involvement in automated decision-making

The recent decision by the Amsterdam Court of Appeals, against Uber, underscores the significance of meaningful human involvement in automated decision-making. The judgment, dated 4 April 2023, provides specifics on what a genuine human involvement should include, in order to ensure lawfulness of the processing. Background Uber is an international transportation company that offers online […]

Can a contractual penalty be stipulated in the employment agreement?
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CJEU clarifies in Super Bock RPM is not necessarily a restriction ‘by object’:  Will the Serbian competition authority follow suit?

Summary Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) continues to be categorized as a hardcore restriction according to the recently updated Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER). However, under the latest ruling of the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in Super Bock, the competition authorities are not entitled to presume that RPM is a “by object” restriction under Article […]

European Union and the Western Balkans: A Game of Hot and Cold
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Foreign Subsidies Regulation and its impact on companies operating outside EU

On 12 July 2023, the Regulation 2022/2560 of the European Parliament and of the Council on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market (known as Foreign Subsidies Regulation or FSR), adopted on 28 November 2022, came into effect. Under the FSR, the European Commission (“Commission“) is competent to review concentrations that exceed specified monetary thresholds for […]

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EU deforestation-free regulation enters into force, Serbian exporters should adapt by the end of 2024

An EU regulation overflowing to Serbian market The European Union’s deforestation-free regulation (“Deforestation Regulation“) entered into force on 29 June 2023. This is the latest EU legislative intervention in trade in the attempt to combat deforestation and forest degradation globally. The Deforestation Regulation constitutes the newest addition to the legislative efforts within the EU to […]

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Belgian regulator delineates the boundaries of “special category of data” and “law”

The Belgian supervisory authority (APD) recently decided that the information about teachers’ participation in a strike is not a special category of data, because it does not amount to data about trade union membership. In the same decision 49/2023, dated 28 April 2023, the APD explained that, when the legal basis for the processing of […]

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Serbia introduces reimbursement for off-label use of medicines

Following the introduction of the procedure for off-label prescription of medicines in December 2022, the Serbian Government has now put in place the rules for reimbursements from the Health Insurance Fund (RFZO) for off-label use of medicines. Until December 2022, the Serbian law had not regulated off-label prescription of medicines. In practice, healthcare institutions prescribed […]

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BDK advises Mercator-CG on the acquisition of Franca retail business

Mercator-CG and Franca retail chain signed yesterday the share and purchase agreement for the acquisition of Franca retail business in Montenegro. Franca retail chain consists of 67 retail outlets with over 900 employees across Montenegro. Through this acquisition, Fortenova Group is strengthening its retail business on the markets in South-East Europe. The BDK Advokati team […]

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Legitimate interest assessment as a precondition for the lawfulness of data processing

On 11 January 2023, the Italian data protection authority (“Garante“) issued a decision against Commify Italia Srl for several violations of the GDPR. The decision demonstrates that the lawfulness of data processing may depend on whether the controller has conducted the legitimate interest assessment, or not. Background Commify is a company operating a platform called […]

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Norwegian Datatilsynet fines a fitness company for GDPR violations

On 6 February 2023 the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (“Datatilsynet“) issued an administrative fine in the amount of approx. EUR 860,000 against the Norwegian fitness company SATS ASA (“SATS“), for violation of GDPR through unlawful collection and processing of the members’ data. This blog post examines two particularly interesting aspects of the 45-page decision: one […]

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Joint venture between Integrator and Croatian Meritus in the HR sector

Integrator and Croatian Meritus closed the formation of Workplace, a JV company that will continue the integration of HR consulting business in SEE and will enable further expansion in the SEE, CEE and the Baltics. Integrator initially acquired ManPower Group (MPG) business in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Slovenia in 2020 and in Hungary in […]

BDK Advokati contributed the Serbian chapter to the 2022 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences 4
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Life sciences regulatory landscape in Serbia in 2023 – a new edition of the Chambers Life Sciences Guide

BDK Advokati’s counsel Bisera Andrijašević and Associate Anja Gligorević authored the chapter on Serbia featured among 23 jurisdictions in the 2023 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences. We have taken a snapshot of the life sciences regulatory landscape in Serbia in the current dynamic global regulatory climate. The EU pharmaceutical legislation […]

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Sending bulk emails by using CC or TO option is not allowed

Two recent decisions of the Italian data protection authority (Garante), one from January 2023 and the other from February 2023, lay down basic principles that the data controllers should follow when sending bulk emails. First Garante case i) Facts of the case An employee of a hospital from Padova accidentally sent an email to 19 […]

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CNIL consistently censures continual collection of geolocation data

On 16 March 2023, the French supervisory authority (“CNIL“) imposed an administrative fine in the total amount of EUR 125,000 against Cityscoot, a company that provides electric scooter rental service. CNIL found that Cityscoot violated provisions of the GDPR, by collecting its customers’ geolocation data almost constantly. Cityscoot failed to comply with the obligation to […]

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Acquisitions by dominant companies: a (not so) new form of abuse of dominance

The ECJ issued an important ruling on 16 March 2023 in Towercast case (C-449/21), in which it clarified that mergers which are not notifiable under the EU or national merger control rules can be reviewed based on Article 102 TFEU. This means that an acquisition by a dominant undertaking may, under certain conditions, represent in […]

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Exclusionary abuse of dominance: Amendments to the Guidance on Enforcement Priorities and announcement of the new Guidelines

Amendments to the 2008 Guidance on enforcement priorities The 2008 Guidance on the European Commission’s enforcement priorities in applying Article 82 of the EC Treaty to abusive exclusionary conduct by dominant undertakings (“Guidance”) has been until recently the only piece of soft law applicable to Article 102. In March 2023, the Commission amended the Guidance […]

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BDK Advokati advised Abu Dhabi Capital Group on the sale of The Capital Plaza

BDK Advokati’s team in Montenegro successfully advised Abu Dhabi Capital Group on the sale of the group of companies that own and operate The Capital Plaza, a premium business and residential complex in Podgorica, Montenegro. The companies were acquired by Big Group. The deal is the second largest M&A deal in Montenegro in the past […]

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BDK Advokati remains leading firm according to the Legal 500 ranking

BDK Advokati remains Tier 1 law firm in Banking and finance, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Projects and energy and Real estate and construction. Our Intellectual property, Employment and Competition practices are also highly ranked. We have also confirmed our status of a Leading firm on the Montenegrin market. We have three senior partners […]

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BDK Advokati contributed to the “Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Market Intelligence – Project Finance”, Serbia, 2023 edition

Dragoljub Cibulić and Dragoljub Sretenović analyzed recent trends and developments in Serbian project finance market for Getting the Deal Through: Market Intelligence. They authored the chapter in which they examine the impacts of the current macroeconomic environment and the regulatory measures. BDK represents sponsors, borrowers, lenders, and other participants in large energy and infrastructure projects. Among […]

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Changes to the Companies’ Act of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) affecting limited liability companies

The amendments to the new Companies’ Act of Republika Srpska, the sub-sovereign entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, entered into force on 2 March 2023. We offer an overview of the most important changes pertaining to limited liability companies (LLCs), this being the most common corporate form for private investments. Founding capital The popularity of LLCs […]

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ESOPs in Serbia

Employee share-based incentives are still relatively rare in Serbia, compared to more traditional cash bonuses. The Serbian Companies’ Act was updated in 2018 to provide, for the first time, a basic framework for implementing share incentive plans in a limited liability company, which is by far the most popular corporate form in Serbia. Share-based incentives […]

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Serbian competition authority continues its focus on RPM in e-commerce space

The Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition continues its RPM chasing spree. It has opened on 1 February 2023 yet another investigation into an alleged RPM practice, this time against Valliant, Serbian distributor of “Valliant” and “Protherm” heating equipment. The Commission has based its suspicion of RPM on its observation that the retailers selling  “Valliant” […]

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Degordian acquires shares in Shopycode

Degordian, a multinational digital-first agency originally from Croatia, has acquired 51 % in Shopycode, a Serbian software development company specializing in e-commerce. Shopycode started working in 2020 and in just a few years has become one of the leaders in e-commerce development, specialised in Shopify solutions, with a portfolio of clients from all over the […]

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From this year Serbian exports to Germany should comply with international human rights and environmental standards

Another foreign law overflowing to the Serbian market On 1 January 2023, the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (“Supply Chain Act“) entered into force (an English translation is available here). The Supply Chain Act is a product of a long-term and global aspiration to introduce international human rights standards, often […]

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BDK Advokati announces 2023 promotions

We are pleased to share the announcement of 2023 promotions: Luka Popović and Bogdan Ivanišević are promoted to Senior Partner. Luka has been with BDK for 10 years. He successfully leads our Montenegrin practice. Bogdan has developed and leads our intellectual property, data protection and e-commerce practices. He also engages in free speech and defamation […]

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Investor Group acquires large parts of Veritas Group

Two Turkish investor families around Mr. Baran Celik and Mr. Nuvit Gundemir signed the sale and purchase agreement with insolvency administrator Dr. Jan Markus Plathner to acquire large parts of Veritas Group, an insolvent automotive and industrial supply company based in Germany. The transaction was carried out as an asset deal. The acquisition includes three […]

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2023 update on Pharma & Medical Devices Regulation in Serbia

BDK Advokati’s Head of Life Sciences Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia in the 2023 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through publication Pharma & Medical Device Regulation. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the legislative and regulatory landscape in Serbia, including insight into the regulatory framework; clinical practice; marketing authorisation; amending authorisations; […]

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Sandberg Capital invests in Quantox Technology

Sandberg Capital, Slovak private equity firm which focuses on investing in smaller and middle-sized companies with growth potential, is investing EUR 20 million in Serbian IT company Quantox Technology, one of the largest regional software development houses. Quantox was founded in 2006 by entrepreneur Vuk Popović, and currently counts more than 500 experts working from […]

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BDK Advokati contributed to the Chambers Environmental Law 2022 Global Practice Guide

Partner Milan Dakić authored the Serbian chapter in the 2022 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Environmental law. The publication gives an overview of environmental regulations in Serbia, including in relation to environmental permits, authorisations of environmental inspection, liability for environmental damages, climate change, waste management and other. The Serbian chapter can be […]

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Integrator acquired Manpower’s business in Hungary

Integrator, the franchisee of Manpower in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Bulgaria, acquired Manpower’s business in Hungary from Manpower Inc. This transaction makes Integrator one of the major HR consulting and recruiting firms in the region, operating in six countries. BDK Advokati represented Integrator in negotiations of the transaction documents. BDK Advokati team […]

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Update on the Montenegrin rules on special residence regime for digital nomads

After the Foreigners’ Act announced in August 2022 new temporary residence permit regime for digital nomads, the Ministry of Interior has now enacted a bylaw which regulates the details of the procedure and documents required for the permit. Entry into Montenegro While the Foreigners’ Act remained ambiguous as to whether an applicant must enter Montenegro […]

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Konzilijum joins MediGroup system

MediGroup system and the Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics Konzilijum have formed a strategic partnership with the aim of further development and expansion of the laboratories network. Konzilijum is the first private accredited laboratory in Serbia. It has been operating successfully since 1994, providing quality service in various areas of laboratory diagnostics: biochemistry, microbiology, pathohistology, cytology, […]

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Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition steps up its enforcement activity

As the year-end approaches, the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition has increased its enforcement activity. In the course of one week, it has launched three gun-jumping investigations and one abuse of dominance investigation. Gun-jumping investigations Serbian acquisitions In late October and early November 2022, two investigations were launched against the Serbian company Dobergard, a […]

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Hodler Asset Management acquires shares in SUPERIOR FOODS d.o.o.

Hungarian PE Fund Hodler Asset Management has acquired 45% of shares in SUPERIOR FOODS d.o.o. Hodler Asset Management is primarily involved in agricultural and food industry and this is their first acquisition in Serbia. Superior Foods d.o.o. is a Serbian company active in poultry meat processing. Our senior partner Vladimir Dašić, senior associate Jelena Zelenbaba […]

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Clean Energy Tool to include Serbia

Simmons and Simmons’ Clean Energy Tool is an online portal providing access to legal and regulatory overviews for the development of clean energy projects in more than 45 jurisdictions worldwide. Based on the collaboration between global law firm Simmons and Simmons and BDK Advokati, this reliable database now includes comprehensive information regarding the legal framework […]

New Labour Act in Montenegro
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The Serbian State Aid Control Commission requires alignment of fiscal aid schemes

Serbia’s fiscal state aid schemes have been recurringly designated in the European Commission’s annual Progress Reports on Serbia’s progress in the process of implementing obligations from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (“SAA”) as incompatible with state aid rules. Article 73 of the SAA required Serbia to compile a comprehensive list of state aid schemes set […]

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BDK Advokati on Serbia’s data protection law in GTDT/Lexology 2023 guide

BDK Advokati has contributed the Serbia chapter to the 2023 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Data Protection & Privacy (August 2022). The chapter presents the regulatory frameworks under Serbian data protection law which applies since August 2019. The law is modeled after the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Among other topics, the […]

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Don’t take lightly the “necessity” requirement for collection of geolocation data, CNIL says

On 7 July 2022, the French supervisory authority (CNIL) imposed a EUR 175,000 fine on Ubeeqo International (Ubeeqo), a car rental service provider. Ubeeqo was found to be collecting customers’ geolocation data constantly and thus infringed the privacy of its customers. CNIL also found that Ubeeqo was storing the data on its customers for an […]

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Cloud provider a joint controller? Slovenian regulator joins CNIL in saying Yes

On 1 June 2022, the Slovenian supervisory authority (Information Commissioner) rendered a decision (no. 0612-23/2019/19) ordering a cloud provider (CP) to enter into joint controllership arrangements with its clients. The decision is noteworthy as a rare instance in which a supervisory authority determined that a cloud provider is a joint data controller, rather than a […]

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BDK Tier 1 in IFLR1000 Financial and corporate and Project development 2022 rankings

BDK Advokati is proud to report that we are Tier 1 law firm in both Serbia and Montenegro, according to IFLR1000 latest ranking of law firms for Financial and corporate and Project development areas. Our practice in Bosnia & Herzegovina has also received a valuable recognition. The following BDK partners are recognized by IFLR1000 as […]

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Open banking in a closed market

In 2014, Serbia made a big step forward in aligning its payment services regulations with the EU rules. The Payment Services Act (Zakon o platnim uslugama), a local equivalent of the first Payment Services Directive (“PSD1“), was adopted, opening the doors of the industry to non-bank service providers. The acquis target then moved in early […]

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Key takeaways from the ongoing UK data protection reform

On 17 June, the UK government introduced in the House of Commons the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, a 192-page document containing numerous amendments to the country’s data protection laws. If implemented, the intended changes would make the UK data protection law more attuned to the needs of businesses. In contrast, privacy activists are […]

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One Equity Partners to acquire Fortaco Group

Funds managed by CapMan Buyout have agreed to sell to PE firm One Equity Partners the holdings in Fortaco Group, the leading brand-independent strategic partner to the heavy off-highway equipment and marine industries offering technology, vehicle cabins, steel fabrications and vehicle assemblies. BDK Advokati advised on the Serbian aspects of the transaction. Closing of the […]

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The new VBER and how it affects the assessment of vertical agreements in candidate countries

The European Commission adopted in May 2022 a new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and new Vertical Guidelines (Guidelines), effective as of 1 June 2022 and valid until 31 May 2034. The new VBER applies to all agreements concluded on or after 1 June 2022. The agreements which were in force as of 31 May […]

Regulating cryptocurrencies
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BDK advises EPAM on expansion of its Serbian operations

BDK advised EPAM Systems Inc. (NYSE) on the acquisition of IP assets and takeover and integration of employees of Serbian IT company Vivify Ideas d.o.o. Novi Sad. Our team of lawyes was led by managing partner Tijana Kojović. The senior team on the transaction also included Tomislav Popović, corporate and tax law counsel; partner Bogdan […]

Telecoms and media in Serbia – overview by BDK Advokati 2
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Serbia to offer subsidies to employers registered in Serbia when hiring non-resident experts

The Government of Serbia adopted the Decree on the Criteria for Granting Incentives to Employers Hiring Foreign Experts Relocating to Serbia[1] (“Decree”), effective as of 18 June 2022. The Decree introduces state subsidies to companies and entrepreneurs registered in Serbia, as well as Serbian branches and representative offices of foreign companies (“Serbian Employer”), for hiring […]

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Serbian competition watchdog issues model compliance program

Model Program The Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition has published Model Competition Compliance Program, along with the guidelines on how market participants should adapt the model to their personal circumstances. The practice of competition law enforcement in Serbia so far shows that competition law infringements are often result of a complete lack of awareness […]

BDK Advokati contributed to the Chambers Construction Law 2022 Global Practice Guide
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BDK Advokati contributed to the Chambers Construction Law 2022 Global Practice Guide

BDK Advokati’s partner Milan Dakić authored the Serbian chapter featured among 25 jurisdictions in the 2022 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Construction law. The Serbian chapter gives a comprehensive overview of the regulatory framework for the construction in Serbia, covering the latest legal information on, inter alia, the impact of COVID-19 on […]

Montenegro – Soon to become a destination for digital nomads?
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Montenegro – Soon to become a destination for digital nomads?

On 18 May 2022, a group of MP’s proposed amendments to the Foreigners’ Act to introduce a possibility to obtain temporary residence permit for digital nomads. The parliamentary debate on the amendments is expected to start at the beginning of June 2022. The amendments are designed to attract to Montenegro foreigners from IT and other […]

Auto Draft 18
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Handle departing employee’s e-mails with care, Belgian DPA reiterates

On 1 April 2022, the Belgian DPA rendered a decision against an employer for restoring in an indiscriminate manner personal data on a former employee’s work laptop. The facts The case involves a Belgian employer who restored all e-mails that had previously been on the laptop of its ex-employee, both his private and professional e-mail […]

Greiner Packaging acquires 100% shares in Termoplast Grupa
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Greiner Packaging acquires 100% shares in Termoplast Grupa

Greiner Packaging International GmbH, an international group with 692m EUR sales revenues and over 4,900 employees worldwide, has acquired 100% of shares in Termoplast Grupa. Termoplast Grupa is the 49% shareholder of Greiner Packaging Slovenia, the leading producer of plastic packaging solutions in the SEE region that has two production plants located in Serbia. Our […]

BDK Advokati confirms seven Tier 1 positions in Legal 500 EMEA 2022
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BDK Advokati confirms seven Tier 1 positions in Legal 500 EMEA 2022

BDK Advokati remains Tier 1 law firm in Serbia in 6 practice areas: Banking and finance, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Competition, Dispute resolution, Projects and energy, Real estate and construction. We are also recognized again as a Leading firm on the Montenegrin market. Our Intellectual property and Employment practices are also highly ranked, whereas our […]

BDK Advokati at XII Belgrade Arbitration Conference and Belgrade Pre-Moot Competition
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BDK Advokati at XII Belgrade Arbitration Conference and Belgrade Pre-Moot Competition

We have once again hosted the teams showcasting their performance before lawyers, professors and arbitrators, in preparation for the 29th Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Best of luck to the Belgrade Vis Moot Team in Vienna! As part of the Belgrade Pre-Moot, our managing partner Tijana Kojović participated at XII Belgrade Arbitration Conference with a presentation on […]

BDK Advokati contributed the Serbian chapter to the 2022 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences 4
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BDK Advokati contributed the Serbian chapter to the 2022 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences

BDK Advokati’s counsel Bisera Andrijašević and junior associate Anja Gligorević authored the chapter on Serbia featured among 19 jurisdictions in the 2022 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences. The Serbian chapter gives an overview of the regulatory regime for the life sciences sector in Serbia, offering information on the topics such […]

CEECAT Capital acquires Gomex
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CEECAT Capital acquires a majority stake in Gomex

CEECAT Capital, private equity and private credit investor, has acquired a majority ownership interest in Gomex d.o.o., a leading neighborhood grocery store chain in Serbia. Gomex has approximately 2500 employees and more than 190 retail stores spread across Serbia. The investment will enable Gomex to accelerate its growth and expansion plans in Serbia. The investment […]

Yokohama Rubber to acquire Trelleborg AB’s Wheel Systems business
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Yokohama Rubber to acquire Trelleborg AB’s Wheel Systems business

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., tire manufacturing company based in Japan, entered into a share purchase agreement with the Swedish-based Trelleborg AB to acquire all shares of Trelleborg Wheel Systems Holding AB, a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of off-highway tires for agricultural and forestry machines, material handling, construction vehicles, motorcycles and other specialty […]

Serbia activates temporary protection for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine
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Serbia activates temporary protection for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine

On 17 March 2022, the Government of Serbia adopted the Decision on the Temporary Protection in the Republic of Serbia of Displaced Persons from Ukraine (available in Serbian here). The decision was published on 18 March 2022, and it entered into force on 19 March 2022. According to the Asylum and Temporary Protection Act (Official […]

Condo hotels in Montenegro
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Spain: Hotel fined for using photos of the IDs of their guests

In a recent decision, the Spanish Data Protection Authority (Agencia Española de Protección de Datos – “AEPD“) fined Marins Playa, S.A. (“Marins Playa“), a provider of hotel services, with 30,000 euros for collecting and further processing photographs contained in the ID documents of its guests. At check-in, the hotel personnel requests and scans the ID […]

ESG in Serbia at the beginning of 2022: status and prospects
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ESG in Serbia at the beginning of 2022: status and prospects

ESG in Legal Practice Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG“) is more than regulatory compliance. It assumes a proactive approach on the part of private actors in response to environmental, social, and governance concerns. The phenomenon might be difficult to grasp in societies captured in a long process of transition and catching up with global business […]

Fingerprints cannot be used for recording working hours, German court says
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Key points from EDPB’s guidelines on the right of access

Arts. 12 and 15 of the EU Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR“) regulate the right of access (“RoA“). This right consists of three main components: (i) confirmation of whether personal data are processed; (ii) access to the personal data; and (iii) information about the processing itself. The European Data Protection Board (“EDPB“) adopted, on […]

Spain: Amazon Road Transport fined for requesting criminal records from job candidates
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Spain: Amazon Road Transport fined for requesting criminal records from job candidates

On 11 February 2022, the Spanish Data Protection Authority (Agencia Española de Protección de Datos) fined Amazon Road Transport Spain, S.L. (“Amazon RT“) EUR 2,000,000, for including criminal record certificates within the documentation that it requests during the hiring process of freelance truck drivers. The following are the aspects of the decision which we have […]

New Law on Environmental Impact Assessment in the Pipeline: A step forward in Harmonization with the EU acquis
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New Law on Environmental Impact Assessment in the pipeline: A step forward in harmonization with the EU acquis

The Serbian Government is preparing a new Act on Environmental Impact Assessment[1] (“Draft EIA Act“) with the aim to further harmonize the existing environmental impact assessment (“EIA“) regulatory framework with that of the EU, which has been so far lagging behind the EU acquis, as well as to integrate the appropriate assessment procedure from the […]

Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation
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New payroll rules in Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Amendments to the Labour Act (“Labour Act”) of Republika Srpska (“RS”) entered into force on 1 January 2022, simultaneously with the amendments to the RS’ Social Contributions Act and the Income Tax Act. The novelties pertain to the change of the tax base, reduction of the tax rate, reduction of the health insurance contribution rate, […]

Planning for merger control process in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
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Planning for merger control process in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Low notification thresholds Competition laws of Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina have notoriously low merger control notification thresholds. In all three jurisdictions, it is sufficient for one party to a concentration to have sales on the local market for the concentration to be notifiable. Specifically: In Serbia, concentration is notifiable if: the aggregate combined […]

BDK Advokati contributed to the CEE Legal Matters Comparative Legal Guide on Real Estate 1
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BDK Advokati contributed to the CEE Legal Matters Comparative Legal Guide on Real Estate

BDK Advokati’s partner Milan Dakić authored the Serbian chapter in the 2021 edition of the CEE Legal Matters Comparative Legal Guide on Real Estate. The Serbian chapter outlines the critical aspects ranging from real estate ownership, acquisition, financing, and taxes to condominiums and commercial leases. The PDF version of the Serbian chapter can be viewed […]

Serbian competition commission adopts guidelines on competition compliance programs
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Serbian competition Commission adopts guidelines on competition compliance programs

The practice of the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition (“Commission“) shows that competition law infringements are often not intentional but a consequence of a lack of understanding of one’s obligation under the law. Aiming to increase the awareness among market participants of practical implications of abstract competition law norms and promote the adoption of […]

BDK Advokati contributed to the Chambers Environmental Law 2021 Global Practice Guide
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BDK Advokati contributed to the Chambers Environmental Law 2021 Global Practice Guide

BDK Advokati’s partner Milan Dakić, with the support of counsel Tomislav Popović, associate Jelena Zelenbaba, and junior associates Tijana Martinović and David Vučinić, authored the Serbian chapter in the 2021 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Environmental law. The Serbian chapter gives an overview of the regulatory framework for the environmental sector in […]

New round of BDK promotions
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BDK promotions 2021/2022

We are happy to announce promotions, effective as of 1 January 2022! This year, we promote four of our colleagues to the next level of their professional careers within our firm. Dragoljub Sretenović from our Banking & Finance practice is being promoted to the position of Partner. Dragoljub contributes nine years of experience. Throughout that […]

Investment Protection Between Serbia and Major Economies: Russia
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Investment protection between Serbia and major economies: Russia

Investment Flows We continue our series on investment protection between Serbia and major economies with the post on Russia. According to the Development Agency of Serbia, Russia is not among the top countries of origin of foreign investments in Serbia. However, according to the International Monetary Fund‘s Coordinated Direct Investment Survey for 2019, Russia is […]

Can a fixed-term employee be declared redundant under Serbian law?
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Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) enacts anti-mobbing legislation

The Act on Prohibition of Harassment at Work (“Anti-Harassment Act”) of Republika Srpska entered into force on 19 October 2021. It introduces protection mechanisms against harassment within the work environment and imposes certain ex ante obligations on the employers. Definition of harassment at work Harassment at work is defined as any behavior (physical, verbal, or […]

Innovation incentives in Montenegro
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Innovation incentives in Montenegro

Montenegro has specific tax rules applicable to innovative companies, within the framework of the  Innovation Activity Act (Zakon o inovacionoj djelatnosti), the Act on Incentives for Research and Innovation Development (Zakon o podsticajnim mjerama za razvoj istraživanja i inovacija), and implementing rulebooks, the key ones being the Rulebook on Registry of Innovation Activity (Pravilnik o […]

Law on Archival Material and Archival Activities – not much time left for compliance 1
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Law on Archival Material and Archival Activities – not much time left for compliance

The Law on Archival Material and Archival Activities imposes new compliance requirements on companies regarding protection of their archival and documentary material. Those include the requirement to put in place internal rulebooks until 31 December 2021, and to submit a copy of archive book to the state archive until 30 April 2022. Companies operating in […]

Investment Protection Between Serbia and Major Economies: China
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Investment protection between Serbia and major Economies: China

Investment Flows Following our initial post on the United States, we continue our series on investment protection between Serbia and major economies with the focus on China – one of the most important and publicized sources of foreign investments in Serbia. The Development Agency of Serbia reports that China ranks seventh country of origin of […]

Controversial amendments to the Serbian Expropriation Act – what is the the meaning of public interest
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Controversial amendments to the Serbian Expropriation Act – what is the meaning of public interest

On 26 November 2021, the National Assembly enacted the amendments to the Expropriation Act (“Amendments“), a legislation that originates from 1995 and has not been significantly updated since 2009. A number of public intellectuals, NGOs and opposition parties have loudly criticized the Amendments. We outline below the most important changes. Notion of public interest By […]

The rise of the BNPL model and the opportunities in the Serbian market
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The rise of the BNPL model and the opportunities in the Serbian market

The current global environment is giving BNPL (“buy now pay later”) incredible momentum. People are working and shopping more and more from their homes. Many of them need more financial support than usual to complete their purchases. That is where BNPL comes in handy. The basic model is simple: BNPL allows the customer to pay […]

Investment Protection Between Serbia and Major Economies: United States
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Investment protection between Serbia and major economies: United States

Introduction to the Series Foreign investments play an important role in Serbia’s economic policy. With 53 signed bilateral investment treaties (“BITs“), only few of which are not in force, Serbia has a notable network of international investment protection instruments for an economy of comparable size. However, investment protection regimes applicable between Serbia and various countries […]

DoorDash announced its acquisition of Wolt
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DoorDash announced its acquisition of Wolt

DoorDash, Inc. (NYSE: DASH) has reached a deal to acquire Finnish food-delivery company Wolt Enterprises OY in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately EUR 7 billion. Helsinki-based Wolt operates in over 180 cities across 23 European countries, including Serbia. It has over 45 000 merchant partners, 90 000 courier partners and 12 million registered customers […]

BDK Advokati on the Energy and Investment Days
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BDK Advokati on the Energy and Investment Days

First day of the 10th International Energy and Investment Days was held yesterday in Congress Centre “Master” of the Novi Sad Fair. The Association Renewable Energy Sources of Serbia (RES Serbia) and BDK Advokati hosted the panel discussion dedicated to investments in the renewable energy sector in Serbia. Panelists Dejan Popović, the president of the […]

Which employment-related documents can be executed in electronic form in Serbia? 1
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Which employment-related documents can be executed in electronic form in Serbia?

According to the Labour Act, a number of employment-related decisions (e.g. decision on termination of employment, decision on overtime work, decision on suspension etc) must be personally served on the employee at the employer’s premises, or at the employee’s address by registered mail. In case personal service fails, the decision must be published on the […]

PPF Group sells a minority stake in CETIN Group
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Law firm as a data controller: careful with the disclosure of sensitive data

On 22 September 2021, the Icelandic data protection authority (“Persónuvernd“) issued a ruling against a law firm, Magna Lögmanna ehf (“Magna“), in which it determined that the law firm’s disclosure of complainant’s personal data to the general e-mail address of an Icelandic municipality did not comply with GDPR. The complainant was in a dispute with […]

Financing for the construction of Morava Corridor
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Financing for the construction of Morava Corridor

J.P. Morgan and UK Export Finance are jointly supporting the construction of Morava Corridor motorway, by providing a €430 million guaranteed loan to the Republic of Serbia. This is one of the largest ongoing infrastructure projects in Serbia and one of the first sovereign loans granted by a commercial lender for development of infrastructure. The […]

PPF Group sells a minority stake in CETIN Group 3
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PPF Group sells a minority stake in CETIN Group

GIC, a global investment firm headquartered in Singapore, has acquired a 30% stake in CETIN Group. PPF Group remains the owner of the remaining 70%. CETIN Group is a leading wholesale provider of telecommunications infrastructure services in the CEE region, operating in four countries: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary and Serbia. CETIN Serbia was founded in […]

blinkdraft| Employment launched for Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
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blinkdraft| Employment launched for Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

blinkdraft| Employment launched for Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) blinkdraft| Employment is now available to corporate clients with their seat in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srspka. blinkdraft| Employment is an on-line service developed by BDK Advokati that allows clients to access a comprehensive database of employment law templates. The templates now made available to clients […]

Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation
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CNIL refuses to let Monsanto off the hook

On 26 July 2021, the French Data Protection Authority (“CNIL“) issued a fine of EUR 400,000 against Monsanto, leading company in the field of agricultural biotechnologies. The decision elucidates the criteria for differentiating between a data controller and a data processor and validates a strict approach to interpreting the obligation of data controllers to inform […]

Serbia’s data protection law - BDK Advokati in GTDT/Lexology 2022 guide
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Serbia’s data protection law – BDK Advokati in GTDT/Lexology 2022 guide

BDK Advokati has contributed the Serbia chapter in the 2022 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Data Protection & Privacy (July 2021). The chapter presents the regulatory frameworks under Serbian data protection law which applies since August 2019. The law is modelled under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The chapter also describes […]

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MediGroup acquired TalijaLab

MediGroup system acquired TalijaLab, biochemical laboratories which operate in 20 locations across Serbia providing services in various fields of laboratory diagnostics: biochemistry, microbiology and genetics. By this transaction MediGroup has expanded its MediLab network becoming the largest network of laboratories in Serbia with laboratories in over 50 locations. BDK Advokati advised MediGroup on this transaction. […]

New IFLR1000 rankings
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New IFLR1000 rankings

In the freshly released edition of IFLR1000 rankings, BDK Advokati keeps its top rankings in the Financial and corporate and Project development areas in Serbia and Montenegro. Our Bosnian practice also receives recognition. All our partners who work in the respective practices are recognized as highly regarded professionals: Tijana Kojović, Vladimir Dašić, Dragoljub Cibulić, Milan Dakić and Luka Popović. The […]

ADM to acquire Sojaprotein 1
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ADM to acquire Sojaprotein

The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE: ADM), an American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation, has signed a sale and purchase agreement to acquire Sojaprotein, one of the leading soybean processing companies in Europe and leading European provider of non-GMO soy ingredients. Sojaprotein is part of Victoria Group which has been recently acquired by MK Group […]

Indotek Group to acquire GTC's Serbian office portfolio
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Indotek Group to acquire GTC’s Serbian office portfolio

Hungarian real estate investor Indotek Group has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the purchase of 11 office buildings from Globe Trade Centre (GTC) for the proposed acquisition price of EUR 267,6 million. The GTC office portfolio is located in New Belgrade, a prime business district in Belgrade, and consists of 11 premium quality […]

Serbian businesses should prepare for human rights, environmental, and good governance due diligence
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Serbian businesses should prepare for human rights, environmental, and good governance due diligence

Trade with the EU prompts the need for compliance with EU law Serbia does not yet have legislation requiring its companies and other businesses to monitor the compliance with human rights and environmental standards throughout their value chains. However, such requirements are becoming increasingly relevant for Serbian companies, given the country’s high dependence on trade […]

Supervisory authority and court disagree on freedom of expression vs. data protection
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Supervisory authority and court disagree on freedom of expression vs. data protection

On 20 November 2020, the Austrian Federal Administrative Court issued a judgement. Contrary to the decision of the Data Protection Authority (“DPA“), the Court found a violation of the data subject’s rights. The judgement has shown how two different authorities can come to opposite conclusions based on the same facts and methodology. Background The judgement […]

Green House Gases on the Radar: New Permitting Requirements in Sight
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Green house gases on the radar: New permitting requirements in sight

The Serbian Parliament has enacted the Climate Change Act[1] with a view to further harmonize its legislation with its obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the related Paris Agreement, as well as with aquis. Driven by the Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, the Climate Change […]

Can a fixed-term employee be declared redundant under Serbian law?
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Can a fixed-term employee be declared redundant under Serbian law?

The provision of the Labour Act allowing termination for redundancy does not distinguish between fixed-term and permanent employees. The distinction between indefinite-term and fixed-term employees is made only with respect to the obligation to pass mass redundancy programme, which is triggered if certain minimum number of indefinite-term employees is being declared redundant. Redundancy occurs when […]

Enforcement of competition law during COVID-19 Crisis
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National Bank of Serbia refines its position on the permissibility of pledge on local receivables as security for claims of foreign creditors against Serbian debtors

Last week, we critically commented on the NBS’s interpretation of the Serbian Foreign Exchange Act with respect to the permissibility of pledge on local receivables as security for claims of foreign creditors against Serbian debtors. As a reminder, NBS negatively answered the question whether resident A may pledge its receivable against resident B as security […]

BDK Advokati contributed the Serbian chapter to the 2021 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences
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BDK Advokati contributed the Serbian chapter to the 2021 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences

BDK Advokati’s counsel Bisera Andrijašević and junior associate Anja Gligorević authored the chapter on Serbia featured among 19 jurisdictions in the 2021 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on Life Sciences. The Serbian chapter gives an overview of the regulatory regime for the life sciences sector in Serbia, offering information on the topics such […]

BDK Advokati keeps its Legal 500 Tier 1 rankings
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BDK Advokati keeps its Legal 500 Tier 1 rankings

BDK Advokati is once again among the top ranked law firms by Legal 500 EMEA. In the 2021 edition released on 14 April 2021, we are Tier 1 firm in Serbia in six practice areas – Banking and finance, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Competition, Dispute resolution, Projects and energy and Real estate and construction, and […]

National Bank of Serbia risks own goal with the new position on cross-border secured transactions
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National Bank of Serbia risks own goal with the new position on cross-border secured transactions

The National Bank of Serbia (“NBS“) released interpretative guidance regarding the application of the foreign exchange regulations on certain cross-border transactions. Among other things, the guidance responds to a question whether Serbian resident A may pledge a receivable owed to it by Serbian resident B (domestic receivable) for the benefit of non-resident C. Whereas it […]

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How far can a data controller go in relying on “legal obligation” (GDPR Art. 6.1(c))?

The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal, in the Netherlands, recently issued a decision concerning compliance with a legal obligation as legal basis for data processing (Article 6.1(c) of GDPR). The decision builds upon a line of recent court decisions in the Netherlands which allow data controllers to rely on the legal obligation more freely than what […]

Dutch Court clarifies the limits to the right of access
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Dutch court clarifies the limits to the right of access

The Court of Amsterdam rendered on 11 March 2021 the decision in a proceeding initiated against Uber for an alleged failure to observe the data subjects’ right of access (Article 15 of the GDPR). The Court for the most part accepted that Uber was not obliged to grant the data subjects access to their personal […]

Nomad Foods to acquire Fortenova Group’s Frozen Food Portfolio
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Nomad Foods to acquire Fortenova Group’s Frozen Food Portfolio

Nomad Foods Limited has entered into an agreement to acquire Fortenova Group’s Frozen Food Business Group (FFBG) for aggregate consideration of approximately €615 million on a debt-free, cash free basis. Nomad Foods is Europe’s leading frozen foods company (with brands such as Birds Eye, Findus, iglo, Aunt Bessie’s, Goodfella’s) whereas FFBG is a leading European […]

New rules on regional state aid in Serbia
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New rules on regional state aid in Serbia

The Government of Serbia adopted on 11 March 2021 two new bylaws under the State Aid Control Act (Zakon o kontroli državne pomoći, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia no. 73/2019): the Regulation on Conditions and Criteria for Compliance of Regional State Aid (Uredba o uslovima i kriterijumima usklađenosti regionalne državne pomoći) (“Regional Aid […]

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Mistakenly sending an email is data processing, but not data breach?

On 29 January 2021, the Belgian Data Protection Authority (“GBA“) issued a decision interesting for its contrast between a simple set of facts, on the one hand, and inclusion of bold statements about some fundamental data protection concepts, such as data breach and lawfulness, on the other hand. The parties to the proceedings before the […]

Council of Europe's useful guidance concerning facial recognition
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Council of Europe’s useful guidance concerning facial recognition

The Consultative Committee of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (“Convention 108+“) developed Guidelines on Facial Recognition, addressed to legislators, decision makers and businesses (“Guidelines“). The Committee brings together experts representing the 55 states parties to the Convention as well as 20 observer […]

Privacy overrides free expression in a Dutch blacklist case
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Privacy overrides free expression in a Dutch blacklist case

District Court of Central Netherlands in Utrecht rendered a decision on 8 January 2021 concerning the “naming and shaming” scheme published on a Dutch website. The court provided valuable insights into a conflict between the legitimate interests of data controller and third parties, on the one hand, and fundamental rights and freedoms of data subject, […]

BDK advises the shareholders of Frame on the sale to Nutanix 3
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Liberalization of the regime applicable to Chinese citizens working in Serbia

The Republic of Serbia and People’s Republic of China signed the Social Security Agreement (“Treaty“) which entered into force on 1 February 2021. Chinese citizens employed with Chinese companies but working in Serbia will be exempt from mandatory pension and unemployment insurance contributions in Serbia, while Serbian companies and Serbian employees will enjoy the same […]

Booking an appointment digitally – issues under the GDPR
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Booking an appointment digitally – issues under the GDPR

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) issued on 17 December 2020 a EUR 40,000 fine against an Italian software company (Miropass s.r.l.) for GDPR violations connected to the use of its appointment booking system. The decision analyses legal responsibility of the software company in its varied roles under data protection law – those of a […]

Video surveillance cannot disrupt a disrupting neighbor
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Sweden: Video surveillance cannot disrupt a disrupting neighbor

The case law across Europe on the use of video surveillance is possibly richer than case law on any other data protection issue – but there is always some new aspect for a decision-making body to examine and for lawyers to learn about. Most recently, the Swedish data protection authority (Datainspektionen) helped polish our understanding […]

Loans from non-EU IFIs no longer subject to minimum tenor requirements
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Loans from non-EU IFIs no longer subject to minimum tenor requirements

The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has updated its regulation of cross-border loans and guarantees involving Serbian borrowers and security providers (Update). The Update allows Serbian borrowers to agree to partially or fully repay at any time loans taken from international financial institutions (IFIs) of which Serbia is a member or with which Serbia has […]

BDK Advokati promotes three counsels and one senior associate
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BDK Advokati promotes three counsels and one senior associate

We are happy to announce promotions of three of our senior associates into counsels: Dragoljub Sretenović, Bisera Andrijašević and Tomislav Popović. We are equally glad to announce that our collegue Dijana Pejić Šinik, independent attorney at law from Banja Luka working in cooperation with our firm, has risen to the professional level of senior associate. […]

Austria: Probabilities as personal data
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Austria: Probabilities as personal data

The Federal Administrative Court of Austria confirmed by its decision of 26 November 2020 the stance of the Austrian Data Protection Authority (“Datenschutzbehörde“) that so-called “party affinity” data may not be processed without the data subject’s consent. Most importantly, the Court clarified that data about an individual fall within the scope of “personal data” even […]

P&O ports acquires Luka Novi Sad
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Illegal state aid threatens to sink Montenegrin maritime transport companies

Following the decision on opening investigation into alleged illegal state aid to Montenegrin airline company Montenegro Airlines, which led to grounding of its airplanes and termination of transport operations in December 2020, the Montenegrin Agency for Protection of Competition (“Agency“) has opened two more investigations into alleged illegal state aid granted to state-owned transport companies. […]

The Ministry of Labour's Guide through occupational health and safety when working from home
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The Ministry of Labour’s Guide through occupational health and safety when working from home

The Serbian Ministry of Labour published on 18 January 2021 the Guide for Safe and Healthy Work from Home (Vodič za bezbedan i zdrav rad od kuće) (“Guide“). The Guide defines work from home as work which involves the use of information and communication technologies (PC, laptop, smartphone, and tablet) enabling remote work. Documenting work […]

AFP cites Relja Radović in an article on the B&H Constitutional Court ruling
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AFP cites Relja Radović in an article on the B&H Constitutional Court ruling

AFP news agency has published an article debunking anti-maskers’ interpretation of a recent decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning COVID-19-related measures, which implied that the Court invalidated the mandatory use of face masks. AFP cited our attorney at law Relja Radović and linked to his analysis of the Court’s decision published […]

Tax reform to affect Serbian IT industry
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Introduction of electronic application for temporary residence permit

As of 1 April 2021, foreigners can apply for the temporary residence permit without having to enter Serbia, electronically via e-Government Portal (“Portal“). The applicant should select “Living in Serbia”. After submitting the application form, the applicant will be instructed on further actions through the Portal. Once the temporary residence permit is granted, the applicant […]

Zdravlje Leskovac gets a new owner 1
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Zdravlje Leskovac gets a new owner

Britain’s Frontier Pharma and the Baystone Investment Group have acquired Serbian pharmaceuticals company Zdravlje Leskovac, which is owned by Actavis, a subsidiary of Israeli company Teva. Baystone Group and Frontier Pharma are expected to further invest in Zdravlje Leskovac production and bring additional products to the facility over time. BDK Advokati advised Frontier Pharma and […]

BDK Advokati contributed to the 2020 edition of Chambers and Partners Practical guide on Gaming
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BDK Advokati contributed to the 2020 edition of Chambers and Partners Practical guide on Gaming

The 2020 edition of the Chambers’ Global Practice Guide on gambling law includes the chapter on Montenegro authored by Luka Popović, partner and Stefan Đurović, junior associate in BDK Advokati Montenegro. The Montenegrin chapter gives an overview of the regulatory regime for the games of chance industry in Montenegro, offering information on the topics such […]

Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 1 May 2020
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Update on Covid-19-related fiscal incentives to corporate sector – payment of deferred tax

On 24 December 2020, the Serbian government published a new decree that provides details on how the tax liabilities deferred under the fiscal stimulus decree of 10 April 2020 and additional governmental decision of 31 July 2020 are to be paid under the rescheduled terms. Deferred liabilities concern payroll tax and social security contributions (“SSC”) […]

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B&H Constitutional Court once again declares COVID-19 measures unconstitutional, although toothlessly

Introduction On 22 December 2020, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (“the Court”) declared unconstitutional two measures imposed in the efforts to suppress the COVID-19 epidemic, namely the mandatory use of face masks in the Canton of Sarajevo and the general restriction of movement in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (“Federation”). The Court […]

Serbia relaxes the procedures for employment of foreigners
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Serbia: New procedure for temporary residence permit and work permits

As of 1 December 2020, the application for temporary residence permit and work permit for foreigners can be submitted at one stop-shop at the police station in the district of the foreigner’s temporary address in Serbia (application available here: http://www.pravno-informacioni-sistem.rs/SlGlasnikPortal/prilozi/prilog.html&doctype=reg&abc=cba&eli=true&eliActId=431184&regactid=431184)The police forwards the application for the work permit to the National Employment Service (“NES“). Foreigner […]

Regulating Cryptocurrencies – Update
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Regulating cryptocurrencies – update

At one of the last sessions this year, the Serbian parliament voted to adopt the Digital Assets Act (Zakon o digitalnoj imovini) intended to regulate, but also enhance, the use of cryptocurrencies and similar instruments in Serbia. The new legislation, which will apply from June 2021, was adopted substantially as proposed in the draft which […]

Germany: Detailed guidance concerning data processing by CCTV
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Germany: Detailed guidance concerning data processing by CCTV

A court in Germany rendered a decision on 24 September 2020, re-affirming the position of supervisory authorities and courts in Europe that processing of data by CCTV in a public area is generally prohibited. The decision should be noted because it provides a detailed analysis of the conditions under which the use of CCTV is […]

COVID-19 Commercial Contracts
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New moratorium on loans and financial leasing obligations in Serbia

The National Bank of Serbia has adopted new measures to facilitate loan and financial leasing instalment repayments to corporate clients affected by COVID-19 pandemic, which have come into force on 15 December 2020. Banks and financial leasing providers are obliged to publish on their websites an offer to the clients affected by COVID-19 pandemic for […]

M&A trends in Serbia in light of COVID-19
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Belgium: Employee’s consent can be a valid ground for processing

On 9 November 2020 Belgian Data Protection Authority (“APD“) rendered a decision confirming that the employee’s consent can be a valid ground for processing under certain conditions. The decision by APD also points to the importance of including in a notice to data subjects all elements required by the GDPR.      I. Background The […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Bisera Andrijašević on legal practice for the life sciences industry in Serbia
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BDK Advokati 2021 update on life science regulation

Partner Bogdan Ivanišević and senior associate Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia in the 2021 edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through publication Life Sciences. The contribution provides a comprehensive overview of the legislative and regulatory landscape in Serbia for the life sciences industry. We examined the organisation and financing of healthcare structures, the […]

Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije
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Affidea Special Hospital joins Medigroup system

Medigroup system acquired Affidea Special Hospital, a modern and well-equipped diagnostic centre in Belgrade (Serbia). BDK Advokati advised Affidea Diagnostic B.V. on this transaction. Affidea Special Hospital is well known for diagnostic services including MRI, MDCT, mammography, X-ray, ultrasound, EEG, EMNG, gynecological ultrasound etc. The sale will enable Medigroup to expand its network and offer […]

Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation
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HR trends

Our attorney-at-law Marija Gligorević participated in this year’s edition of HR week at the panel HR for tomorrow: leading the changes. Other panelists were our colleagues from Karanović and partners, Ivana Karanović and Milena Papac, Aleksandra Dutina from Carlsberg and Dragana Koruga Ristić from Coca Cola. Marija talked about challenges employers are nowadays faced with […]

ICO reins in data-broker’s collection and use of data
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ICO reins in data broker’s collection and use of data

On 27 October 2020, following a two-year investigation, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), published its enforcement notice against credit reference agency Experian Limited (Experian). During the investigation process, Experian strove to improve compliance with the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act, but it did not go far enough and ICO’s enforcement notice points […]

Embracer Group AB acquires Mad Head Games
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Embracer Group AB acquires Mad Head Games

BDK Advokati advised the Embracer Group AB on the acquisition of all issued shares of Mad Head Games d.o.o. (MGH), an award-winning and growing development studio from Novi Sad, Serbia. Our team conducted due diligence on MHG and worked together with Gernandt & Danielsson Advokatbyrå KB on transaction documents. Embracer Group AB is a Swedish […]

New COVID-19-related measures of relevance to businesses
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New COVID-19-related measures of relevance to businesses

The Serbian parliament adopted amendments to the Act on Protection of Population from Infectious Diseases (Zakon o izmenama i dopunama Zakona zaštiti stanovništva od zaraznih bolesti, “Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, no. 136/2020), which has entered into force with immediate effect. Personal protection measures against infection The amendments impose on retail businesses the […]

Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation
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Effort to place responsibility on the data processor does not impress Garante

On 17 September 2020, Italian data protection authority (Garante) rendered two related decisions, one against a hospital in Naples, and the other against an IT company, concerning a data breach which affected two thousand applicants for positions in the hospital. The decisions underlie the importance of transparency in the processing of personal data, proper identification of […]

Regulating cryptocurrencies
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Regulating cryptocurrencies

By the end of this year, Serbia is expected to have a completely new legislation dedicated to cryptocurrencies and other instruments referred to as “digital assets” (digitalna imovina). The draft legislation (Nacrt Zakona o digitalnoj imovini) was prepared by the Ministry of Finance and a group of stakeholders, including the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and […]

BDK Advokati on Pharma & Medical Devices Regulation in Serbia
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BDK Advokati on Pharma & Medical Devices Regulation in Serbia

This year’s edition of Lexology Getting the Deal Through publication Pharma & Medical Device Regulation includes a contribution by BDK Advokati. Partner Bogdan Ivanišević and senior associate Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia. Bogdan and Bisera provide a comprehensive overview of the legislative and regulatory landscape in Serbia for this dynamic and innovative industry. […]

Recapitalisation measures added to the Serbian state aid framework for COVID-19 crisis
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Recapitalisation measures added to the Serbian state aid framework for COVID-19 crisis

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the Government of Serbia has adopted several state aid measures aimed at helping the economic entities preserve jobs and liquidity. In this respect, the Government took the lead from the European Commission and its measures adopted within the scope of the Temporary Framework to support the economy in […]

Germany: Data leakage does not automatically justify compensation claim
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Germany: Data leakage does not automatically justify compensation claim

On 18 September 2020 Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main rendered an interesting judgement which holds, in the main, that data leakage does not on its own evidence controller’s breach of the GDPR and warrant payment of non-material damages. More is required for a plaintiff to succeed in his or her claim. Background A Belgian […]

Garante: Employers, deactivate e-mail account of the departing employees
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Garante: Employers, deactivate e-mail account of the departing employees

If employers want to be compliant with GDPR, what should they do with employee’s corporate e-mail account after termination of his employment? Italian supervisory authority’s decision of 2 July 2020, against Mapei S.p.A. (“Mapei“), gives us answers to this question. Background A former employee of Mapei lodged a complaint before Italian supervisory authority (“Garante“) in […]

Processing agreements: Copy-pasting from GDPR art. 28 does not suffice
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Processing agreements: Copy-pasting from GDPR Art. 28 does not suffice

Last September, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB“) issued its Guidelines 07/2020 on the concepts of controller and processor in the GDPR. The guidelines were subject to public consultation until 19 October. As it can be inferred from the title, the document gives criteria for the correct interpretation of some key concepts used in the […]

Nowak: Opinions are personal data; access is to data, not documents
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Nowak: Opinions are personal data; access is to data, not documents

The Court of Appeal of Ireland adopted on 1 July 2020 a judgement in a dispute between Peter Nowak and the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, as respondent (“DPC“), at the end of a years-long judicial saga. The case, taken in its entirety, offers interesting insight into two important questions: can written opinions and assessments made […]

Serbian competition authority opens a new gun jumping case
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Serbian competition authority opens a new gun jumping case

The Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition launched its fourth investigation in September 2020. The latest one will look into whether Zdravstvena ustanova Apoteka Janković, a privately owned chain of pharmacies (“ZUA Janković“), breached merger control rules by not notifying the acquisition of control over the pharmaceutical business of state-owned chain of pharmacies Zdravstvena ustanova […]

IFLR1000 rankings
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IFLR1000 rankings

We are grateful to our clients for the work that has landed us once again into Tier 1 for Corporate and Finance in both Serbia and Montenegro in the latest IFLR1000 directory. We are satisfied with our Tier 2 ranking in Bosnia and Herzegovina in this practice area. We will work harder to improve the […]

M&A trends in Serbia in light of COVID-19
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M&A trends in Serbia in light of COVID-19

BDK’s senior partner Vladimir Dašić spoke at FINIZ round table on trends in mergers and acquisitions in Serbia in light of the pending COVID-19 crisis. He stressed that the crisis had a significant negative impact on the economies of the region. Serbia declared the state of emergency in spring which significantly disturbed economic activity. However, […]

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CNIL imposes a fine on a French online shoe retailer

The French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) issued on 28 July 2020 a fine of €250,000 against Spartoo, a French company which specializes in selling shoes online. The decision offers rich insights into the failures of a data controller to fulfil the GDPR requirements concerning data minimization, data retention, privacy notices, and security of processing. The […]

Fingerprints cannot be used for recording working hours, German court says
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Fingerprints cannot be used for recording working hours, German court says

An appellate labour court in Germany rendered a decision on 4 June 2020, stating that a biometric time recording system, in the employment context, as a rule is not lawful. This decision is in line with earlier EU member states’ practice. There is an emerging consensus that processing of biometric data is impermissible except in […]

Lansirali smo blinkdraft| Corporate! 2
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Lansirali smo blinkdraft| Corporate!

Uz blinkdraft| Corporate, korisnici pristupaju odabranom templejtu i, prateći online intervju, kreiraju finalni dokument prilagođen specifičnostima organizacije. Usluga je dostupna u web shopu. “blinkdraft| Corporate je komplementaran sa blinkdraft| Employment koji smo lansirali u martu 2020. Projekat je odraz našeg oslanjanja na tehnologije u pružanju pravnih usluga i uverenja da standardizovani pravni procesi treba da […]

BDK Advokati advised EBRD and ENEF on a €12 million loan in Serbian IT sector
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BDK Advokati advised EBRD and ENEF on a €12 million loan in Serbian IT sector

BDK Advokati advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Enterprise Expansion Fund (ENEF) on their recent closing of a €12 million secured credit facility loan to the software developer and technology research and development service provider, High Tech Engineering Center (HTEC). This loan will provide HTEC capital to support their short- […]

Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 1 May 2020
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Vlada Srbije produžila direktna davanja iz budžeta privrednim subjektima

Vlada Srbije je 31. jula 2020. objavila Zaključak kojim privrednim subjektima odobrava dodatnu direktnu pomoć iz budžeta. Preduzetnici i mikro, mala i srednja pravna lica (MMSP) koja su u julu 2020. godine primila direktnu pomoć iz budžeta u skladu sa Uredbom o fiskalnim pogodnostima i direktnim davanjima privrednim subjektima u privatnom sektoru i novčanoj pomoći […]

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New banking and financial leasing moratorium in Serbia

Obligations subject to moratorium Less than a month after the expiry of the first COVID-19-related moratorium on corporate and retail debt, to Serbian banks and financial leasing companies, the National Bank of Serbia has imposed a new moratorium on payment obligations owed to banks under banking products (such as loans, overdrafts, credit cards, hedge instruments […]

Montenegro: New Companies Act
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Montenegro: New Companies Act

The new Montenegrin Companies Act entered into force on 11 July 2020, introducing numerous novelties in the regulation of companies. Some of the new provisions have not been sufficiently developed to be operational and will have to be supplemented by further legislation or interpretation. Existing corporates will have to amend their memorandums of association and […]

New safety and health measures the employers must take during an epidemic
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New safety and health measures the employers must take during an epidemic

The Ministry of Labour adopted the Rulebook on Prevention of Epidemics of Infectious Diseases (Pravilnik o preventivnim merama za bezbedan i zdrav rad za sprečavanje pojave i širenja epidemije zarazne bolesti “Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, no. 94/2020) (“Rulebook“), which will become applicable on 11 July 2020. The employers must enact a Plan […]

BDK advises the shareholders of Frame on the sale to Nutanix
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EU proposes a strict system a control of foreign subsidies on the single market

Levelling the playing field on the internal market by competition law and state aid control rules has been the EU’s mantra from the very beginning. Meanwhile, the EU has become both the world’s main destination for foreign direct investment, with EUR 7,197 billion worth of foreign direct investment stocks held by third-country investors in the […]

Tijana Kojović among IFLR1000 Women Leaders 2020
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Tijana Kojović among IFLR1000 Women Leaders 2020

We are pleased to say that our managing partner Tijana Kojović is among the leading female transactional experts, according to the 2020 edition of IFLR1000 Women Leaders. Tijana has been ranked as a leading lawyer in Serbia for the last 15 years by major legal directories regardless of her gender. IFLR1000 Women Leaders is a […]

BDK Advokati appointed as Google’s DP representative in Serbia
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BDK Advokati appointed as Google’s DP representative in Serbia

Google LLC has appointed BDK Advokati to act as the local representative under the Serbian Data Protection Act. The appointment letter was also published at the website of the Serbian Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. The data subjects may continue using established channels to directly contact Google regarding the rights […]

BDK Advokati advises Lach:ner
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Update on COVID-19 related tax incentives and financial aid measures in Bosnia and Herzegovina – status on 18 May 2020

This is an update to the article originally published on our website on 14 May 2020. The article is updated from time to time to reflect new developments on the topic of financial and fiscal aid provided by various authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.   Republika Srpska Financial aid Horizontal aid for March 2020 Republika […]

COVID-19 related tax incentives and financial aid measures in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 related tax incentives and financial aid measures in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Republika Srpska Financial aid Republika Srpska has so far adopted a modest package of financial aid. Its Solidarity Fund will finance social contributions for March salaries to the businesses which were closed by order of the Government of Republika Srpska in March due to COVID-19 epidemics. Those are the businesses from the sectors such as […]

COVID-19 Update #45: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #49: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 10114 registered cases. State of emergency lifted. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

COVID-19 Update #5: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #48: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

There are no changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro compared to our update published on 7 May   Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 9848 registered cases. State of emergency lifted. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in […]

Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 25. april 2020.
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COVID-19 Update #47: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 9791 registered cases. State of emergency lifted. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

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The new compliance environment for future issuers of ‘Corona’ bonds in Serbia

As a follow-up to the Decree on the Procedure for Issuance of Debt Securities (“Decree“), the Serbian Securities Commission (“SEC“) has enacted amendments to the Regulation on Content of Application for Prospectus Publication Approval and Documentation Accompanying Application and the Regulation on Form and Minimal Content of Information to be Included in Prospectus, Basic Prospectus […]

COVID-19 Update #22: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #46: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 9677 registered cases. State of emergency declared, will last until Thursday 7 May 2020. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers […]

COVID-19 Update #45: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #45: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. On 5 May 2020, there are no changes to our last daily report on Serbia and Montenegro. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1947 confirmed cases (Republika Srpska 985; Federation B&H 942; Brčko 20). Bosnia and Herzegovina declared emergency situation. Republika Srpska declared state of emergency; in force as of 3 […]

COVID-19 Update #16: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #44: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 9464 registered cases. State of emergency declared, will last until Thursday 7 May 2020. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and […]

Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 1 May 2020
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Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 1. maj 2020.

Engleska verzija Ovaj tekst je prvobitno objavljen na našem veb sajtu 11. aprila 2020. godine, a ažuriramo ga s vremena na vreme u skladu sa pojašnjenjima i izmenama regulative koje donose nadležni organi.   Ko se kvalifikuje za fiskalne pogodnosti i direktnu pomoć Mere su dostupne sledećim kategorijama pravnih lica: preduzetnicima, uključujući i one koji […]

Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 1 May 2020
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Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 1 May 2020

Serbian version This is the update to the article originally published on our website on 11 April 2020. The article is updated from time to time in accordance with the clarifications and changes to the regulations issued by the Serbian authorities.   Who qualifies for the fiscal incentives and direct financial aid The measures are […]

COVID-19 Update #10: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #43: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 8724 registered cases. State of emergency declared, will likely last until 10 May 2020. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers […]

COVID-19 Update #9: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #42: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 8497 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

COVID-19 Update #8: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #41: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 8275 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

Belgrade waste management PPP deal wins IFLR Europe 2020 award in Project Finance
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Belgrade waste management PPP deal wins IFLR Europe 2020 award in Project Finance

BDK Advokati is proud to announce that the project financing for the Belgrade waste management PPP project has received the IFLR Europe DoY 2020 award. Together with Clifford Chance, we have been representing IFC, EBRD and OeEB as lenders on this deal. In accordance with its policy to take innovation as key aspect when evaluating deals across Europe, […]

Montenegrin Government adopts measures to support the economy amidst the coronavirus epidemic
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Vlada Crne Gore usvojila mjere za podršku privredi usljed krize izazvane epidemijom korona virusa

Engleska verzija Vlada Crne Gore usvojila je dva seta mjera u cilju suzbijanja negativnih efekata epidemije korona virusa na privredu, kao i na najranjivije kategorije stanovništva. Prvi paket je obuhvatio set hitnih mjera koje su najvećim dijelom usmjerene na ograničavanje budžetske potrošnje u cilju uštede i preusmjeravanja javnih resursa na borbu protiv korona virusa, sa […]

COVID-19 Update #7: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #40: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 7779 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

Montenegrin Government adopts measures to support the economy amidst the coronavirus epidemic
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Montenegrin Government adopts measures to support the economy amidst the coronavirus epidemic

Montenegrin version The Government of Montenegro adopted two sets of measures in order to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 epidemic on the economy, as well as on the most vulnerable categories of citizens. The first package involves a set of emergency measures mostly aimed at limiting the budget spending and redirecting public resources towards […]

Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 25. april 2020.
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Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 25. april 2020.

Engleska verzija Ovaj tekst je prvobitno objavljen na našem veb sajtu 11. aprila 2020. godine, a ažuriramo ga s vremena na vreme u skladu sa pojašnjenjima i izmenama regulative koje donose nadležni organi.   Ko se kvalifikuje za fiskalne pogodnosti i direktnu pomoć Mere su dostupne sledećim kategorijama pravnih lica: preduzetnicima, uključujući i one koji […]

COVID-19 Update #6: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #39: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 7483 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 14 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 25. april 2020.
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Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 25 April 2020

Serbian version This is the update to the article originally published on our website on 11 April 2020. The article is updated from time to time in accordance with the clarifications and changes to the regulations issued by the Serbian authorities.   Who qualifies for the fiscal incentives and direct financial aid The measures are […]

COVID-19 Update #38: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #38: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 7276 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

COVID-19 Update #5: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #37: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 7114 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who enter the country, except for: crew members in international road, rail, water and air transport; Serbian or foreign agricultural workers and owners of agricultural land across the […]

Serbian Government unveils the details of COVID-19-related fiscal and direct financial aid to corporate sector
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Fiskalne pogodnosti i direktna finansijska pomoć privatnom sektoru u Srbiji usled COVID-19 – stanje na dan 22. april 2020.

Engleska verzija Ovaj tekst je prvobitno objavljen na našem veb sajtu 11. aprila 2020. godine, a ažuriramo ga s vremena na vreme u skladu sa pojašnjenjima i izmenama regulative koje donose nadležni organi.   Ko se kvalifikuje za fiskalne pogodnosti i direktnu pomoć Mere su dostupne sledećim kategorijama pravnih lica: preduzetnicima, uključujući i one koji […]

Serbian Government unveils the details of COVID-19-related fiscal and direct financial aid to corporate sector
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Update on COVID-19-related fiscal incentives and direct financial aid to corporate sector in Serbia – status on 22 April 2020

Serbian version This is the update to the article originally published on our website on 11 April 2020. The article is updated from time to time in accordance with the clarifications and changes to the regulations issued by the Serbian authorities.   Who qualifies for the fiscal incentives and direct financial aid The measures are […]

COVID-19 Update #3: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #36: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 6890 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #35: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 6630 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19: Latest updates
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COVID-19 Update #34: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 6318 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

New Liquidation Proceedings Act of Republika Srpska
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State guarantee scheme as a measure to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 on the economy

On 16 April 2020, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted a decree establishing a scheme for the issuance of unconditional, on-demand state guarantees to banks for working capital loans to Serbian corporates. The total guaranteed amount is EUR 480 million, while the total value of the COVID-19-related loans to be guaranteed by the […]

Impact of COVID-19 on performance of contractual obligations: force majeure, changed circumstances and anticipatory breach
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Impact of COVID-19 on performance of contractual obligations: force majeure, changed circumstances and anticipatory breach

COVID-19 outbreak has triggered a myriad of legal issues, one of them being how one can lawfully be excused from performance of its contractual obligations where such performance is affected by the consequences of the epidemics. The golden rule of contract law is pacta sunt servanda (contract must be observed). We will analyse below three […]

Serbian moratorium on loan and financial lease repayments explained
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Serbian moratorium on loan and financial lease repayments explained

The National Bank of Serbia has taken steps to preserve financial stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and the associated state of emergency declared in Serbia. Specifically, NBS imposed moratorium on payment obligations of corporate and retail borrowers and payment obligations of corporate and retail debtors under financial leasing contracts. The moratorium […]

COVID-19 Update #22: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #33: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 5690 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

BDK Advokati retains top ranking by Legal 500
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BDK Advokati retains top ranking by Legal 500

BDK Advokati is delighted to announce that it is once again among the ranked firms by Legal 500 EMEA 2020 edition. We are in Tier 1 in Serbia in 6 practice areas – Banking and finance, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Competition, Dispute resolution, Projects and energy and Real estate and construction, and Tier 2 in Intellectual property and Employment. Our […]

Serbia: COVID-19 and data processing in the workplace
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COVID-19 Update #32: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 5318 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #18: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #31: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 4873 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

EU relaxes the rules on horizontal cooperation during COVID-19 crisis 1
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EU relaxes the rules on horizontal cooperation during COVID-19 crisis

Following the joint statement of 23 March 2020 by the European Competition Network (ECN), consisting of the European Commission, the European Surveillance Authority and the national competition authorities of each EU/EEA Member States on the joint approach to the application of competition law during the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission (“Commission“) issued on 8 April […]

COVID-19 Update #16: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #30: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 4465 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #12: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #29: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 4054 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #10: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #28: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 3630 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

Serbia: Employee share options in limited liability companies
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Emergency rules on the issuance of “Corona bonds” in Serbia

The Government of Serbia adopted on 10 April 2020 the emergency Decree on the Procedure for Issue of Debt Securities (“Decree“), which provides for the simplification of the current regime regarding public offerings of debt securities by Serbian companies on the territory of Serbia. This new simplified regime will be in force for a period […]

COVID-19 Update #13: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Serbian Government unveils the details of COVID-19-related fiscal and direct financial aid to corporate sector

Serbian version This article was published on 11 April, and updated on 16 April 2020. See our latest update as of 1 May 2020. Who qualifies for the aid The measures are available to the following categories of commercial actors: private entrepreneurs (sole proprietorship), including those who have registered temporary cessation of business activities on […]

COVID-19 Update #8: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #27: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 3380 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #9: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #26: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 3105 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #6: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #25: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 2867 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

Serbia: New Act on Games of Chance
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Serbia: New Act on Games of Chance

The new Serbian Act on Games of Chance, adopted in March this year, is set to apply from 10 April 2020. The novelties are not numerous, and conceptually the gambling activity is regulated in the same manner as in the outgoing legislation. The changes will affect the operators financially as the new legislation imposes stricter […]

COVID-19 Update #7: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #24: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 2666 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #5: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #23: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 2447 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #22: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #22: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 2200 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije
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COVID-19 Update #21: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 1908 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #20: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 1624 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

Enforcement of competition law during COVID-19 Crisis
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Enforcement of competition law during COVID-19 crisis

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe, several national competition authorities have already opened investigations into potential infringements of competition laws. Italian competition authority has opened an abuse of dominance investigation into the sale of medical masks, gloves, and hand gels at alleged anti-competitive prices by Amazon and eBay, while the Greek competition authority has […]

COVID-19: Latest updates
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COVID-19 Update #19: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 1476 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #18: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #18: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 1171 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020 (14 days for health professionals, prison guards, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military personnel). Isolation at home […]

COVID-19 Update #3: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #17: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 1060 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020. Mass testing and quarantine for COVID-19 positive announced. Movement of people Total closure of borders, except for road transport crews […]

Serbia: COVID-19 and data processing in the workplace
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Serbia: COVID-19 and data processing in the workplace

Serbian version Serbian data protection authority – the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection – has not issued any guidance on the processing of personal data in the workplace, during the coronavirus outbreak. Serbian employers who wish to know the boundaries of permissible data processing under the current circumstances are left […]

COVID-19 Update #16: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #16: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 900 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020. Mass testing and quarantine for COVID-19 positive announced. Movement of people Total closure of borders, except for road transport crews and other persons with special permit. Foreign […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Bisera Andrijašević on legal practice for the life sciences industry in Serbia
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COVID-19 Update #15: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Changes to the yesterday report are marked. Serbia 785 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020. Mass testing and quarantine for COVID-19 positive announced. Movement of people Total closure of borders, except for road transport crews […]

BDK Advokati advises Industriaimport-Industriaimpex AD
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COVID-19 Update #14: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 659 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who entered the country after 14 March 2020. Mass testing and quarantine for COVID-19 positive announced. Movement of people Total closure of borders, except for road transport crews and other persons with special permit. Foreign […]

COVID-19 Update #13: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #13: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 528 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Self-isolation at home or quarantine for 28 days for those who enter the country. Mass testing and quarantine for positive announced. Movement of people Total closure of borders, except for road transport crews and other persons with special permit. Foreign crew transiting Serbia by inland […]

COVID-19 Update #12: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #12: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 528 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia must self-isolate in their homes for 28 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and […]

Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije
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COVID-19 Update #11: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 457 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia must self-isolate in their homes for 28 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and […]

New data protection law discussed at the Chamber of Commerce
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Bosnia: Publication of coronavirus data ‘not fair and not lawful’

Serbian version By the Decision of 24 March 2020, Personal Data Protection Agency (“DPA”) in Bosnia and Herzegovina banned state-level and local authorities in the country from releasing the data of individuals who test positive for coronavirus. The Agency also prohibited making publicly available the data on isolated and self-isolated persons who adhere to the […]

COVID-19 Update #10: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #10: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 384 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia must self-isolate in their homes for 28 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and […]

COVID-19 Update #9: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #9: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 303 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia must self-isolate in their homes for 28 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and […]

Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation
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Montenegro publishes personal data of persons in isolation

Montenegrin version As a measure against further spread of coronavirus, the authorities in Montenegro have published on a government website lists of individuals who are in mandatory self-isolation after returning home from abroad. The lists, structured by municipalities, include individual’s name, surname, date from which the person is in isolation, and the home address. The […]

BDK Advokati advises Convex Holding
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BDK Advokati on the first SHRC online event

First Serbian HR Community online event “Remote Teams” was held on 20 March. The topic was remote work and the challenges that such work provides. HR executives of over 100 companies from various industries attended the event. BDK’s senior associate Nikola Cincović spoke on legal aspects of remote work. He explained the legal framework and […]

COVID-19 Update #8: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #8: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 222 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia must self-isolate in their homes for 28 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and […]

COVID-19 Update #7: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #7: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 222 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia prior to the ban must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, […]

COVID-19 Update #6: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #6: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 149 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia who entered Serbia prior to the ban must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those who came prior to the ban from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, […]

COVID-19 Update #5: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #5: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 118 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia allowed to enter Serbia but must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those coming from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and Greece. Movement of […]

The New Medical Devices Act in Serbia 1
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COVID-19 Update #4: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 97 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia allowed to enter Serbia but must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those coming from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and Greece. Movement of […]

COVID-19 Update #3: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #3: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 83 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia allowed to enter Serbia but must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those coming from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and Greece. Movement of […]

Serbia: Employers during the state of emergency
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Serbia: Employers during the state of emergency

Serbian government has issued a special regulation on the organization of work during the state of emergency prompted by COVID-19 (Uredba o organizovanju rada poslodavaca za vreme vanrednog stanja, “Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, no. 31/2020). The question is, however, to what extent this regulation really answers the employers’s real dilemmas. Key provisions […]

COVID-19 Update: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina
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COVID-19 Update #2: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 65 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia allowed to enter Serbia but must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days. 28 days of quarantine for those coming from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and Greece. Movement of […]

COVID-19: Latest updates
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COVID-19 Update #1: Serbia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia 55 registered cases. State of emergency declared. Health measures Serbian nationals and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Serbia allowed to enter Serbia but must self-isolate in their homes for 14 days (28 days for those coming from Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Romania, Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia and Greece). Movement of people Provisional […]

Detailed guidelines on the application of "independent contractor test" released
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Detailed guidelines on the application of “independent contractor test” released

On 26 February 2020, the director of the Serbian Tax Administration revealed a detailed instruction (“Instruction“) on the application of the “independent contractor test”. The test was introduced by the recent amendments to the Personal Income Tax Act and it applies as of 1 March 2020. The Instruction is addressed to tax inspectors. The independent […]

blinkdraft|! 5
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blinkdraft|!

blinkdraft| is a new service of BDK Advokati that allows clients to access a comprehensive database of templates in employment law in Serbian language-only or in bilingual version (English and Serbian). Clients can quickly convert templates into custom made, ready-to-use, legal documents through an easy and highly intuitive process. blinkdraft| requires only a basic understanding […]

Another presentation on new rules on equity incentives
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Another presentation on new rules on equity incentives

Following recently organized presentation in ICT Hub concerning the new rules of the Serbian Companies’ Act on equity incentives in limited liability companies, BDK’s senior associate Tomislav Popović, expert in corporate and tax laws, held another presentation on this topic to Serbian start-ups. The event was hosted by Impact Hub. For more information on the […]

Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije
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Measures the employers can take in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic

Serbian COVID-19 is spreading. According to publicly available information to date, there are two registered cases of infection with the virus in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one registered case in Serbia. There are no registered cases in Montenegro, yet. However, taking into account the developments in the neighboring countries, no one can exclude that infection […]

Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije
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Šta poslodavci mogu da preduzmu u kontekstu COVID-19 epidemije

English COVID-19 se širi. Prema javno dostupnim informacijama, u Bosni i Hercegovini su na današnji dan registrovana dva slučaja zaraženih virusom, a u Srbiji jedan. U Crnoj Gori još nema registrovanih slučajeva, ali se, s obzirom na okruženje, njihova pojava ne može isključiti. Institucije u Srbiji još nisu izdale posebna uputstva poslodavcima o merama koje […]

Data Protection in the Education Sector
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Data Protection in the Education Sector

Senior associate Milica Basta participated in the International Symposium for Directors of Primary and Secondary Schools organized by the publishing company Klett from Belgrade. The event took place on 27-29 February 2020 in Vrnjačka Banja, and gathered almost 400 school directors from Serbia and Montenegro. Milica delivered a presentation on the obligations of schools as […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Bisera Andrijašević on legal practice for the life sciences industry in Serbia
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BDK Advokati on life sciences law in Serbia

BDK Advokati has contributed Serbia chapters to two related Getting the Deal Through publications: Life Sciences 2020 and Pharma & Medical Device Regulation 2020. Both chapters were authored by partner Bogdan Ivanišević and senior associate Bisera Andrijašević. In the Life Sciences chapter, we examined the law and practice concerning organisation and financing of healthcare, advertising, […]

Gaming: Merkur-Balkan bet cross-ownership
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Tax treatment of director’s agreement under Serbian law – are tax inspectors overstepping their authority?

A number of corporates whose directors are not employed but engaged on no-remuneration management contracts have reported unusual requests by tax inspectors in response to their exercise of legal right to claim VAT refund. The Serbian tax authorities have a long-lasting practice of responding to such requests with visits to the petitioner’s premises and detailed […]

GetSwift acquires majority stake in Logo d.o.o.
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GetSwift acquires majority stake in Logo d.o.o.

GetSwift, a worldwide leader in delivery management automation headquartered in New York City and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, has acquired a 60% stake in Logo d.o.o., a Serbian information and communications technology firm. Logo d.o.o. operates in the Serbian market for almost 30 years and also provides its services in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and […]

Serbia gets its standard contractual clauses
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Serbia gets its standard contractual clauses

Serbian Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection (“Commissioner”) issued on 16 January 2020 the long-awaited Standard Contractual Clauses (“Serbian SCCs”). The document will become applicable on 30 January 2020. Serbian SCCs are not designed as a cross-border transfer instrument first and foremost. Rather, the clauses apply to a controller-processor relationship irrespective […]

Serbia: Employee share options in limited liability companies
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Serbia: Employee stock options in limited liability companies

Serbia has recently amended the Companies’ Act to introduce a legal framework for employee stock option plans (“ESOPs“) in limited liability companies (“LLCs“). Although the Parliament passed the law on 23 December 2019, the relevant provisions enabling creation of ESOPs in LLCs will take effect on 1 April 2020. LLC is the most popular corporate […]

New Labour Act in Montenegro
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New Labour Act in Montenegro

New Montenegrin Labour Act introduces important changes to the regulation of employment. 1. The maximum duration of fixed-term contract is extended to 36 months Although the basis for conclusion of fixed-term contracts remains limited (work the duration of which is pre-determined by a deadline, by a completion of certain work, or occurrence of a specific […]

BDK Advokati on Private Client topic
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BDK Advokati on Private Client topic

BDK Advokati contributed to the latest edition of The In-house Lawyer Private Client guide, which provides an overview of the laws and regulations of Private Client across a variety of jurisdictions, including Serbia. The Serbian chapter was contributed by BDK’s Tomislav Popović and Luka Radojević. The chapter offers a nimble summary of main rules on […]

BDK Promotions
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BDK promotions

BDK Advokati announces the promotion of Saša Stojanović to partner and Bisera Andrijašević to senior associate. Saša joined BDK Advokati in 2018 from the top Viennese law firm Eisenberger & Herzog as experienced M&A lawyer. He led several M&A transactions in the course of 2019 and proved himself as competent lawyer and excellent manager and […]

Biomin acquires Vinfeed
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Biomin erwirbt Vinfeed

Biomin GmbH erwirbt sämtliche Anteile an der serbischen VINFEED DOO, welche eine der führenden serbischen Vertriebsgesellschaften im Bereich der Tierernährung ist. Biomin GmbH ist Mitglied der österreichischen ERBER Group, welche eine führende Gruppe im Bereich Futter- und Lebensmittelsicherheit mit weltweiter Präsenz ist. Die Transaktion wurde am 18 Dezember 2019 vollzogen. Über den Kaufpreis wurde Stillschweigen […]

AmCham Round Table on Judicial Practice in Commercial Matters 3
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AmCham Roundtable on Judicial Practice in Commercial Matters

Tijana Kojović, managing partner of BDK Advokati, co-moderated with Milan Lazić, partner in Karanović & Partners, the AmCham Roundtable on Judicial Practice in Commercial Practice. The participants to the roundtable were Nela Kuburović, the Minister of Justice, Vesna Lazarević, deputy president of the Administrative Court, Radmila Obućina, president of the Commercial Court of Appeals, Jovan […]

Cross-border ESSPs and ESOPs in Serbia – has anything really changed?
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Serbian Ministry of Finance clarifies that there is no withholding tax on payments on a notional principal under interest rate swaps

The Ministry of Finance has finally reversed its own 2007 opinion which incorrectly held that gross payments on a notional amount under an interest rate swap agreement between a Serbian resident and a non-resident are subject to withholding tax on interest. This opinion was obviously wrong as it overlooked the economic essence of the payments […]

Labiana closes acquisition of Vetzavod
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Labiana closes acquisition of Vetzavod

Labiana Group, one of the global leaders in animal health industry, closed the acquisition of all issued shares in Veterinary Institute of Subotica (Vetzavod), a Serbian leading animal vaccine producer. Labiana acquired 67.05%  of Vetzavod’ shares from Victoria Group AD and 32.95% from Sojaprotein AD. Labiana Group has two pharmaceuticals plants in Spain and is […]

Drivers and issues for M&A in the South-east Europe
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Drivers and issues for M&A in the South-east Europe

Senior partner Vladimir Dašić shared his thoughts on “Drivers, issues and countermeasures” at a panel organized by SEE Private equity and M&A forum in Belgrade. Other speakers at the panel were Alexandra Nagle from Alantra and Leo Morozov from Fortenova group. Vladimir emphasized the importance of maintaining a regional perspective because this is what gives investors the opportunity to […]

BDK Advokati advises Dnata
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Serbia has new State Aid Control Act

The Serbian National Assembly enacted on 10 October 2019 the new State Aid Control Act, which will become applicable only on 1 January 2020 (with the exception of the provisions regulating the organization of the Commission for State Aid Control (“Commission“), which are already applicable). The new legislation was drafted with a view to harmonization […]

Challenges facing the private sector in enforcement of international contracts
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Challenges with enforcing international contracts

BDK partner Luka Popović spoke about challenges facing the private sector in enforcement of international contracts during a judicial workshop on enforcement of international sales contracts. The workshop was organized on 24-25 October by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), and the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro. The workshop is part of […]

New health-related legislation in Serbia
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MediGroup expands in Serbia

MediGroup has acquired 100% of the shares in Zdravo Med, healthcare clinic based in Subotica, while its human laboratory division MediLab has opened its laboratories in the city of Niš. MediGroup is the largest private healthcare provider in Serbia with 15 facilities across key cities, providing inpatient, outpatient, lab, IVF, ophthalmology and cosmetology services. Zdravo […]

Legislative novelties in the gaming industry
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Legislative novelties in the gaming industry

Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference, held in September this year in Budapest, gathered a prominent group of stakeholders in the gaming sector to discuss the most recent business and legal developments in the industry across the European markets. BDK partner Luka Popović spoke at the Balkans panel about legislative changes in the Montenegrin and […]

Clarity needed on data protection compliance audit 1
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Clarity needed on data protection compliance audit

For the second consecutive time, CEE Legal matters organized Balkan GC Summit in Belgrade. The event gathered general counsels, compliance officers and lawyers from the region to discuss vibrant topics in the legal industry. BDK Advokati’s partner Bogdan Ivanišević  held a presentation in which he addressed the issue of misunderstandings that often occur between companies […]

New Liquidation Proceedings Act of Republika Srpska
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New Liquidation Proceedings Act of Republika Srpska

The new legislation on liquidation proceedings in Republika Srpska (Zakon o likvidacionom postupku “Official Gazette of Republika Srpska”, no. 82/19) (“New LPA“) comes into force on 12 October 2019. It introduces new, simplified, form of voluntary liquidation of companies and other business entities, and detailed rules on liquidation of assets and claims settlement in ordinary […]

Financing agreements for the Vinča waste-to-energy PPP signed 1
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Financing agreements for the Vinča waste-to-energy PPP signed

Financing agreements for the waste management public-private partnership project in Vinča, Belgrade, were signed last week. The project has total investment size estimated at approximately EUR 350 million, envisaged to be financed by equity and non-recourse debt from IFIs – EBRD, IFC and OeEB. This is one of the largest and certainly the most complex […]

Data processing at the workplace
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Data processing at the workplace

Milica Basta, senior associate at BDK Advokati, has held a seminar on the processing of personal data in the context of employment for representatives of Serbian companies. The event took place on 26 September 2019 in Belgrade and was hosted by Forum Media. In her presentation, Milica examined the legal bases on which employers may […]

Auto Draft 4
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Serbia: Yet another brush-up of the legislation on enforcement proceedings

The Amendments to the Enforcement Act (“Official Gazette of RS”, No. 54/2019) came into force on 3 August 2019 (“Amendments“) but will, all but one, become applicable only on 1 January 2020. The following are the main novelties: Dormant enforcement proceedings pending against blocked bank accounts The only provision that became applicable on 3 August […]

Bogdan Ivanišević speaks to Startit about the initiative to postpone implementation of Data Protection Act
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Bogdan Ivanišević speaks to Startit about the initiative to postpone implementation of Data Protection Act

Newly appointed head of Serbian data protection supervisory authority recently stated that implementation of Data Protection Act 2018 should be postponed. Possible delay in implementing the new law attracted attention from the local media and specialized organizations. One of those, Startit, interviewed BDK Advokati partner Bogdan Ivanišević on this topic, together with Rodoljub Šabić – […]

Auto Draft 3
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A misguided call to put Serbian data protection law on hold

Serbian In the past two days, the recently appointed head of Serbian data protection supervisory authority announced one radical move and sharply criticized some provisions in Serbia’s new data protection law. The commitment and audacity of Milan Marinović should be encouraging to those who feared that the new data protection tsar would be the exact […]

CNIL's primer on video surveillance at work: Uniontrad Company decision
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CNIL’s primer on video surveillance at work: Uniontrad Company decision

On 18 June 2019, the French data protection supervisory authority (CNIL) issued a decision on video surveillance at work. The Uniontrad Company case demonstrates that a law specifically regulating the processing of images is not an indispensable prerequisite for reaching a decision. Instead, CNIL relied on the general GDPR rules on proportionality, fair notices, and […]

A note on concerted practice under the Serbian Competition Act
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A note on concerted practice under the Serbian Competition Act

The Serbian Commission for the Protection of Competition (“Commission“) terminated on 15 May 2019 an investigation initiated in November 2015 against Philip Morris, JT International, British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco[1] for allegedly having entered into a restrictive agreement in the form of a concerted practice. The investigation, the first one ever in Serbia on […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Milica Basta at Tarabica 2019
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Bogdan Ivanišević and Milica Basta at Tarabica IT conference

Partner Bogdan Ivanišević and senior associate Milica Basta represented BDK Advokati at this year’s edition of Tarabica IT conference, held on 25 May in Belgrade. The event is traditionally dedicated to topics relevant to the IT industry and as such it mainly gathers IT professionals from major Serbian companies and institutions. During the session named […]

Serbia relaxes the procedures for employment of foreigners 1
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Serbia relaxes the procedures for employment of foreigners

Modern business transcends national borders and increasing workforce mobility is a natural consequence. While the conditions for working in Serbia remain the same, the recently adopted amendments to two Serbian statutes regulating employment of foreigners make the procedures applicable to obtaining work permits in Serbia easier. Under the current regime, foreigner must first obtain temporary/permanent […]

Condo hotels in Montenegro
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Condo hotels in Montenegro

One of the long-term aims proclaimed in the Montenegro’s tourism development master plan is to develop country’s high-end tourism offering. As high-end tourism requires high-end hotels, a number of regulatory incentives has been introduced in order to foster their development, such as construction-related duties reliefs and VAT exemptions. A recently adopted strategic planning document for […]

Milica Basta speaks about the new Data Protection Act 3
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Milica Basta speaks about the new Data Protection Act

Milica Basta, senior associate at BDK Advokati, was one of the speakers at the Forum Media data protection conference held on 23 April 2019 in Belgrade. At the event, which gathered a large number of Serbian companies, Milica held a presentation on requirements that Serbian new Data Protection Act imposes on local businesses. She emphasized […]

New health-related legislation in Serbia
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New health-related legislation in Serbia

The new Health Protection Act (Zakon o zdravstvenoj zaštiti “Official Gazette of RS“, no. 25/2019) and Health Insurance Act (Zakon o zdravstvenom osiguranju “Official Gazette of RS“, no. 25/2019) have come into force on 11 April 2019. Status of health institutions According to the Health Protection Act, the general legislation on corporates will apply also […]

BDK Advokati ranked Top Tier firm in 7 practice areas by Legal 500 EMEA
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BDK Advokati ranked Top Tier firm in 7 practice areas by Legal 500 EMEA

The 2019 edition of Legal 500 EMEA guide ranks BDK Advokati as Band 1 firm in Serbia in Banking and finance, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Competition, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Projects and energy and Real estate and construction. We are in Band 2 in Intellectual Property in Serbia. Our practices in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are also ranked. Managing partner Tijana Kojović is confirmed as leading individual […]

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BDK Advokati at XI Belgrade Arbitration Conference and Belgrade Pre Moot Competition

Our Managing Partner Tijana Kojović chaired the second panel at XI Belgrade Arbitration Conference, devoted to the taking of evidence in arbitration. The panel had three segments: witness statements, expert evidence and admissibility of evidence. Dr. Andreas Lienhard, associate and member of Pestalozzi’s Litigation & Arbitration Group had a presentation on witness statements. Aleksandra Petrović, […]

Cross-border ESSPs and ESOPs in Serbia – has anything really changed?
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Cross-border ESPPs and ESOPs in Serbia – has anything really changed?

Serbian residents are generally allowed to acquire shares in foreign companies. However, the Serbian Capital Markets Act (“CM Act“) prohibits cross-border public offers of shares directed at Serbian residents. Public offer is defined as any notice providing sufficient information on the conditions of the offering and the securities being offered so to allow offerees to […]

Belgrade Airport Concession wins IJ Global European Airports Deal of the Year 2018
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Belgrade Airport Concession wins IJ Global European Airports Deal of the Year 2018

IJ Global, the market intelligence platform covering the global infrastructure finance, has awarded its prestigious IJ Global Awards at the annual awards ceremony held on the 21 March 2019 at the Natural History Museum, London. The magnificent venue was appropriate setting to mark the achievements of global infrastructure and project finance professionals. The Belgrade Airport […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Marko Popović in "Copyright 2019" (Chambers)
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Bogdan Ivanišević and Marko Popović in “Copyright 2019” (Chambers)

BDK Advokati has contributed a Serbia chapter to “Chambers Global Practice Guide Copyright 2019”, one of the Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guides. Each country chapter, including the chapter on Serbia, provides detailed answers to 71 questions concerning the categories of copyrightable works, authorship and copyright ownership, economic and moral rights, exceptions to copyright, neighboring […]

Valvoline
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Valvoline to acquire FAM’s production plant and related IP rights

BDK Advokati represented Ellis Enterprises d.o.o. a subsidiary of Valvoline (NYSE: VVV), in the acquisition of the production facility and IP rights from Serbian lubricant producer FAM for a purchase price of EUR 9.5 million. As a result of this acquisition, Valvoline will add to its portfolio FAM’s products which are well-known in the Balkan […]

BDK Advokati advises Coca Cola HBC on the acquisition of Serbian confectionary firm Bambi
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BDK Advokati advises Coca Cola HBC on the acquisition of Serbian confectionary firm Bambi

Coca Cola HBC AG has penned an agreement with Mid Europa Partners to acquire Bambi a.d. for an enterprise value of EUR 260 million. By this acquisition, Coca Cola HBC will add to its beverage portfolio snack brands well-known in the Balkan region, such as Bambi, Plazma, Wellness and Zlatni Pek. The deal is expected […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Bisera Andrijašević on legal practice for the life sciences industry in Serbia
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Bogdan Ivanišević and Bisera Andrijašević on legal practice for the life sciences industry in Serbia

Bogdan Ivanišević, partner, and Bisera Andrijašević, associate, authored the Serbia chapter in the 2019 edition of Getting the Deal Through –  Life Sciences 2019. The chapter describes the legal regime and practices concerning a broad range of topics, including collaboration of pharmaceutical manufacturers with healthcare professionals, advertising of medicines and medical devices, infringements of competition […]

BDK Advokati advises Industriaimport-Industriaimpex AD
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BDK Advokati advises Industriaimport-Industriaimpex AD

BDK Advokati advised Montenegrin publicly listed company Industriaimport-Industriaimpex AD on the acquisition of 49% of registered capital of Serbian pharma wholesaler Farmalogist d.o.o. from PE firm Adriatic Fund B.V. BDK Advokati also assisted Industriaimport-Industriaimpex AD in connection with the Shareholders’ Agreement entered with the owners of the remaining 51% of shares in Farmalogist. The acquisition […]

BDK Advokati advises lenders in a landmark infrastructure project finance in Serbia 1
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BDK Advokati advises lenders on the financing of the Belgrade Airport concession

On 21 December 2018, VINCI reached financial close and took over the management of Belgrade Airport Nikola Tesla, marking an important milestone for the project finance market in Serbia. With more than EUR 400m of loan commitments, it is the country’s largest project financing to date. BDK Advokati acted as Serbian legal counsel to the […]

Data Protection & Privacy: BDK Advokati contributes Serbia chapter to GTDT
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BDK Advokati seminar on GDPR attracts 70 participants from Montenegro

BDK Advokati in cooperation with AmCham Montenegro held on 18 December 2018 a seminar on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Podgorica, for 70 participants from Montenegrin companies and law firms. Bogdan Ivanišević, head of BDK Advokati team specialized in data protection & privacy, summarized the key characteristics of GDPR and explained how the Regulation extends […]

The regulation of gambling in Montenegro
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The regulation of gambling in Montenegro

The International Comparative Legal Guide, a series of publications providing comparative legal information on a range of practice areas, added a Montenegrin chapter to its Gambling 2019 guides. The publication  covers common issues in gambling regulations, including licencing requirements and restrictions, online operations requirements, enforcement and liability. The Montenegrin chapter to Gambling 2019 guide was […]

Mandatory licensing for all construction and designing companies in Serbia
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Mandatory licensing for all construction and designing companies in Serbia

The latest amendments of the Planning and Construction Act,[1] effective as of 6 November 2018, introduce the requirement for all construction and designing companies (including solo entrepreneurships) to obtain licenses for various types of design/construction works until 6 November 2019. The licensing requirement that now applies across the board previously applied to the designing or […]

Bogdan Ivanišević and Zorana Brujić published in ECTA Daily
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Ana Jankov and Milica Basta speak about background checks and other acute labour law topics

Ana Jankov, employment partner at BDK Advokati, was one of the panellists at the Forum Media conference held in Belgrade on 31 October 2018. The conference was attended by legal specialists from governmental institutions and Serbian companies. The speakers and the participants focused on hot topics in the field of labour law and fuelled a […]

Burning issues on the gaming market in the region 2
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Burning issues on the gaming market in the region

The inaugural edition of the European Gaming Congress was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 16 October. The event was organized by European Gaming Events and was designed to provide the participants with an opportunity to discuss burning issues on the gaming markets and regulatory updates in the countries of Mediterranean, Balkan, and DACH region. Our […]

Data Protection & Privacy: BDK Advokati contributes Serbia chapter to GTDT
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Data Protection & Privacy: BDK Advokati contributes Serbia chapter to GTDT

Bogdan Ivanišević, partner, and Milica Basta, senior associate, authored the Serbia chapter in the 2019 edition of Getting the Deal Through – Data Protection & Privacy (September 2018). The authors analyse the scope of legal protection of personal data, grounds for lawful processing, obligations on the part of data controller and data processors, cross-border transfer […]

BDK Advokati advised Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. and Enlight K-2 Wind on the development and financing of the Pupin Wind Farm

BDK Advokati successfully advised Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. and Enlight K-2 Wind on the development and financing of the 94.4MW Pupin Wind Farm, slated for construction in the municipality of Kovačica. The Pupin Wind Farm emerged as one of the successful bidders in last year’s market premium auction, and is the first one to secure […]

Concentration between two major coffee producers in Serbia cleared subject to conditions

My colleague Tijana Kojović wrote earlier this month about the decision of the Serbian competition authority fining two major coffee producers in Serbia, Atlantic Group and Strauss Adriatic for concerted practice on the market of wholesale of ground coffee. During the investigation, Atlantic and Strauss signed an agreement whereby Atlantic’s Serbian subsidiary Atlantic Grand (“Atlantic […]

Montenegrin Competition Agency issues two state aid recovery decisions

The Montenegrin Agency for Protection of Competition (“Agency“) adopted on 15 March 2024 two decisions in which it found that unlawful state aid has been granted and ordered its recovery. It has not yet published decisions. Steel mill “Željezara Nikšić” The first decision concerns a former state-owned company, steel mill Željezare Nikšić (“Željezara“). At the […]

Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia in the 1st Edition of The Legal 500: Life Sciences Comparative Guide

BDK Advokati’s Head of Life Sciences Bisera Andrijašević authored the chapter on Serbia in the 1st Edition of The Legal 500: Life Sciences Comparative Guide, available here. The chapter on Serbia provides information about the current issues affecting life sciences practice in Serbia and addresses topics such as legislative framework, regulatory processes, advertising, restrictions, risks […]

New waste management obligations in real estate and infrastructure development sector

The second half of 2023 brought about significant changes to the Serbian waste management regulations affecting the real estate and infrastructure developers. The approval to the waste management plan is a prerequisite to construction permit The new Decree on Manner and Procedure for Management of Construction and Demolition Waste (Uredba o načinu i postupku upravljanja […]

Serbian Anti-Trust Commission fines two coffee producers and conditionally approves their merger

On 29 February 2024, the Serbian competition authority published its decision dated 29 December 2023 imposing fines on Croatian Atlantic Group and its two Serbian subsidiaries (“Atlantic“), and Serbian coffee producer Strauss Adriatic (“Strauss“), for concerting to exchange commercially sensitive information on wholesale prices of ground coffee. Atlantic Group and the subsidiaries were jointly and […]