News

On 25 April 2019, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Planning and Construction („The Law“). The Law will enable the resolution of property-legal relations and the elimination of problems encountered in the expropriation process, as well as overcoming practical difficulties investors encounter in course of permitting procedures. The most important points are: As evidence of settled property relations in regards to the specific real estate , an investor may provide a written statement confirming that it will settle the property relations before the issuance of the usage permit, in order to obtain building permit for the particular project; In case that building permit is obtained based on such investor’s statement, the application for construction works may be submitted only for the part of the real estate for which the investor has provided an evidence of settled property...Read More

On November 13, 2018, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the new Data Protection Law that came into force on November 21, 2018, but its effective date has been postponed until August 21, 2019 (except for the clauses related to maintenance of the Central Register of Personal Databases which has already been terminated). Serbian Data Protection Law closely follows EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The new regulation establishes a higher level of responsibility for organizations that collect and process personal data. Very high fines up to EUR 20 million or 4% of the organization’s total annual turnover in the previous year are a sufficient reason for Serbian companies and public entities to immediately start harmonizing their operations with the GDPR. The new Data Protection Law applies to: Data controllers and processors in the Republic of Serbia, Data controllers and processors outside the Republic of Serbia who...Read More

On August 02, 2018, Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans Affairs and Social Affairs based on the Article 28, Paragraph 3 of the Law on Employment of Foreigners, adopted new Rulebook on Work permits („Rulebook“). The main goal of the newly adopted Rulebook is to simplify the procedure of obtaining the work permits for foreigners and to reduce the time needed for completing such procedure. The most important, newly introduced points are: In the procedure for issuing of a work permit for foreign citizen, the request for the implementation of the labor market test shall be submitted no earlier than 60 and no later than 10 days before the date of application for a work permit for the employment; The labor market test shall be conducted in 10 days (earlier it was within 30 days); After the received report on the labor market test, the employer is obliged to notify the...Read More

On June 18, 2018, law offices KNOETZL, Vienna, Austria and BIT organised joint event – Construction arbitration and DAB proceedings: Practical insights. KNOETZL partners Florian Haugeneder, Patrizia Netal and Emmanuel Kaufman together with Katarina Obradović Baklaja and Jovan Nikčević from the law firm Baklaja Igrić Tintor Law office werespeakers and panelists on topics related to construction arbitration and Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB) proceedings under the framework of the FIDIC standard form of contracts. Experts from both offices shared their extensive experience in construction arbitration and dispute boards with engineers, experts and inhouse counsel from Serbia and the CEE/SEE region. The seminar also served as an opportunity to discuss the new 2017 FIDIC Suite of Contracts launched in December 2017 and the challenges construction companies, engineers and public entities are facing with their implementation. The seminar focussed on the composition of the DAB, the newly introduced Dispute Avoidance/Adjudication Board (DAAB) and...Read More

FIDIC has launched three new agreements aimed at offering guidance and the relevant assistance to the Consulting Engineering industry on the appropriate methods for collaboration in services offered to their clients and connected parties globally. The Consulting Engineering sector has become a worldwide entity in both its business methods and ties. Systems of best practice are becoming increasingly vital, both domestically and abroad and FIDIC prepares tools and the necessary advice for its members and the consulting firms.   Firstly, the New Client/Consultant model service agreement (The White Book) is for the general use of most services offered by consulting engineers. These include pre-investment and feasibility studies, detailed design, construction administration and project management. This is suitable for both employer or contractor led design teams on any kind of design and build commissions. This agreement is equally suitable for use on both international and domestic projects. This edition of the...Read More

The first GAR (Global Arbitration Review) Live event was held in Vienna on 20th October 2017 in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Boris Baklaja, one of our partners at BIT Law firm was in attendance at the conference program as an active participant. The Global Arbitration Review ground-breaking and interactive events and are designed to include the audience as an active part of the event itself. There are various topical discussions which are debated at these events and which this year included: the enforcement of arbitral awards in the CEE region, the effects of political change on the nature of arbitral disputes, and the hot topic “Is a party appointed arbitrator ever impartial?” which was included as part of the GAR live debate. These discussions were supplemented by a symposium session with set questions and the live debate. Some of the most prominent figures in international arbitration gather in major...Read More