Is bad stronger than good? It is a fact that people are far more inclined to remember negative criticism or comments, than praise. It takes so many positive events to make amends for just one negative event. The Court of Justice of the European Union issued a Press release on October 3, concerning judgement in the case in which Mme Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek sued Facebook Ireland before the Austrian courts. She requested the removal of the notably harmful comment by a Facebook user which Austrian courts found insulting and defaming. The news immediately hit the headlines! The plain and simple truth […]
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Singapore – the Ceremony At the beginning of August, the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the “Convention”) was signed in Singapore. The Convention signed by 46 states shall enter into force 6 months after ratification in at least three signatory parties. The primary concern addressed by the Convention is how to motivate companies involved in cross-border projects and transactions to rely on the mediation process as a means of alternative dispute resolution, bearing in mind that it cut costs both in terms of time and material resources. Application and Benefits of the Convention The scope […]
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Alea iacta est! Serbia is in line for a new State Aid Control Act. Ten years ago, when enacted, the first (and still the only) act was welcomed as a long-awaited and indispensable piece of legislation. Today, and following ten-years’ implementation, we are about to get a new one. What lessons have we drawn from implementation of the current act (apart from the fact that we need a new one)? The reasons for adopting a new act, according to its drafters, are as follows: Harmonization with the EU acquis – Well, that’s a turn-up for the books! Can you think […]
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On July 22, 2019, the European Commission (“Commission”) reported that it has adopted a new Notice on the Recovery of Unlawful and Incompatible State Aid (the “New Notice”), in order to take stock of the Commission’s decisional-practice and case law of the Union courts. The New Notice came about as a result of a public consultation targeting main stakeholders such as public authorities, citizens, companies and organizations. Member States and the EFTA Surveillance Authority also contributed to the document. Compared to the previous 2007 Recovery Notice, the New Notice explains in greater detail how the Commission may assist Member States when implementing recovery […]
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Every country in the world strives to attract as much foreign investment as possible. And when it comes to foreign investment, greenfield foreign direct investments are where it’s at. “Ah, yes, greenfield investments…yup, they’re great…nice…and green…like dollars…alright, I’ve no idea, enlighten me! someone may say. Greenfield investments (GI) refer to a type of foreign direct investment (FDI) where a parent company establishes a subsidiary in a foreign country, building its operations and facilities from the ground up, which includes the building of new distribution hubs, offices and living quarters. This kind of investment is riskier and calls for a heavy […]
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The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia recently passed the Enforcement and Security Interest (Amendment) Act (“Act”) which is set to be enacted on August 3, 2019 and come into force as of January 1, 2020. The Act contains a series of amendments to address shortcomings and resolve issues that have arisen in practice, and to ring the changes with the introduction of electronic filing of motions for enforcement, an electronic bulletin board, electronic public auctions, expedited enforcement proceedings etc. However, much controversy surrounds the fact that Article 170 prescribes that the Act shall come into force as of […]
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July 3, 2019 is the day that triggered change in Serbia. “What change?”, one may ask. A big one! Let us take you back to our article “Amendments to the Serbian Criminal Code: Restrictive Agreements” from 2017, where we discussed Serbia’s decision to add a new criminal offence to the Criminal Code regarding restrictive agreements, which entered into force on March 1, 2018. This should have stamped out cartels and levelled the playing field, right? Well… no such luck. It’s been a year since restrictive agreements were criminalized and not one charge has been brought on these grounds. Until now […]
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“I want to get away, I want to fly away”, Lenny Kravitz sang. Ok Lenny, but which airline will you choose? The cheapest one? Way to go! But let’s check something first. Have you noticed the disparity in ticket prices between EU and non-EU airlines, which in turn has a knock-on effect on who you chose to fly with, Lenny? Oh, so, you haven’t noticed? Who cares, right? You usually take to the skies in your private jet so matters as trivial as these don’t concern you. Well, guess what Lenny – THE EU CARES! Aviation is widely regulated throughout […]
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Had a missed call on WhatsApp recently? Only days after the story broke of Russia allegedly spying on Norway with the help of a charming white beluga whale, we are again witnessing a similar threat, albeit this time much more serious. The Financial Times (“FT”) reported recently that a vulnerability was discovered in the WhatsApp messaging app, which enabled attackers to transmit a malicious code named Pegasus to a target’s device by calling him/her. The scary part? One did not even have to receive or click on the phone call – the code transmitted itself without any action on behalf […]
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Gecić Law has been highly commended, taking second place in all of Europe in the “European competition or anti-trust deal of the year” category at The Lawyer European Awards 2019 held in London. The awards and recognitions are bestowed on Europe’s preeminent law firms for their accomplishments in the legal industry, and the 2019th edition celebrated the 10th anniversary of this prestigious annual awards ceremony. The Gecić Law team, headed by Bogdan Gecić, was recognized at the awards ceremony for its work in successfully advising and representing Serbia in landmark antidumping proceedings against Serbia before the European Commission. The proceedings […]
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