As much as the rise of new technologies and novel business models has shown as inevitable in the past few decades, so has the payment of taxes. Most taxpayers operating in the Republic of Serbia are aware of their obligation to pay taxes and contributions. However, questions arise for those who work and earn abroad through new and increasingly complex business models (although physically residing mostly in Serbia), and may not be aware that they have to pay taxes and contributions, and should report to the Tax Office. The precipitous rise in the number of new types of creatives and […]
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Gecić Law’s innovation, drive and perseverance in pushing the envelope ever further, were once again recognized at the very highest level, by The Lawyer, a leading global legal magazine. This year, we entered Europe’s exclusive legal playoffs and were honored to be shortlisted for The Lawyer European Awards in two competitive categories, of which one is Europe-wide: European competition or antitrust team of the year – Top Five category, where we entered again the revered playoffs, neck and neck with the best competition and antitrust teams from the whole of Europe (without the UK). Law firm of the year: Eastern […]
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Although it has been more than a year since the new Personal Data Protection Act (“Act”) entered into force in Serbia, some of its provisions are not yet fully applicable. One clear-cut example is Article 44 of the Act, which requires foreign companies (therefore those who does not have a registered business seat in Serbia) to appoint a Personal Data Protection Representative for Serbia (“Representative”). Who is the Representative? This provision, (as well as the majority of the Act’s provisions), was adopted from Article 27 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and refers to any personal data controller and […]
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Autumn on the European money market has sparked discussion on digital money. The rapid development and use of digital technology increased the volume of online/e-payments due to COVID-19, but also competition coming from digital currencies developed by other central banks, such as the Chinese central bank, from cryptocurrencies and digital currencies developed by tech giants, are some of the reasons that spurred the European Central Bank (ECB) i.e. Eurosystem to publish the Report on a digital euro. The Report analyses potential options and conditions under which the digital euro could operate, reflecting clear caution from its introduction as a means […]
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Here we bring you a more detailed overview of the State aid package granted to Montenegro Airlines A.D. Podgorica, Montenegro’s national airline. We touched on the topic a few weeks ago. Introduction To recap, just days after announcing a EUR 133 million aid package for Montenegro Airlines the country’s national competition and state aid authority, the Protection of Competition Agency (“Agency“), launched an investigation into the State aid package. The Agency’s investigation found that the MEO test conditions had not been fulfilled, therefore qualifying this boost to Montenegro Airlines as State aid. On foot of that finding the Agency ordered […]
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Do experts in arbitration and court proceedings help tribunals in making decisions or they are just instruments a party? Experts in arbitration and court proceedings have the task of assisting arbitrators and judges, in connection with complex issues related to a particular field. These experts possess specialized knowledge in various fields and help the arbitral tribunal and judges to better understand the problem that is being adjudicated. Experts make an exceptional contribution to the accurate assessment of the facts of the case since the tribunal itself often does not have the necessary expertise in a certain field. Even in the […]
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From October 11, 2020, the Serbian Business Registers Agency (“SBRA”) will start keeping the Register of Healthcare Institutions (“Register”) as a single record of healthcare service providers, in accordance with the Healthcare Act (“Act”). The Register is a unified record of healthcare service providers, which includes data about healthcare institutions and private practices throughout the Republic of Serbia. Therefore, data about public and private healthcare institutions have been consolidated in the Register. Before the introduction of the Register, healthcare institutions had to register with the competent commercial courts. Now, the Register, as an electronic, central, public database of registered healthcare […]
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The new Decree on Conditions for Issuing Extracts from the Ordnance Survey, Real Estate and Land Registry Information System, by Notaries Public and Surveyors (“Decree“) cuts through another piece of red tape – the need to apply exclusively to the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority for folio extracts. However, the Decree is a source of some controversy in terms of application. Will the Decree see us spend even more time queuing at counters and in consultation with experts? The main innovations under the Decree are: When disposing of real estate and concluding other transactions before notaries, parties will no longer have to obtain a folio […]
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The New Public Procurement Act (“new Act”) was adopted in December 2019 and came into force on January 1, 2020. The key objectives of the new act are increased transparency within the public procurement procedure, elimination of the administrative burden and increased competition between the participants in the procedure. If conducted legally, the public procurement process should result in the acquisition of the highest possible quality of goods or services for the lowest possible price. However, collusion between bidders, i.e. “bid-rigging”, eliminates genuine competition and hinders the interests of both purchasers and taxpayers. Bids can be rigged through secret coordination […]
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The development of the judiciary is one of the key priorities for the Republic of Serbia. It is a permanent process of modernization and harmonization of the judiciary with the needs of the state and society, in order to ensure rule of law and enhance legal certainty. In line with this, on July 10, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, adopted Judicial Development Strategy for the time period between 2020 and 2025 (“Strategy”), as well as the revised Action Plan for the Chapter 23 (“Action plan”). We would also like to point out that AmCham Serbia, of which Gecić […]
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