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Competition Newsletter – Czech Republic (Autumn 2025)
Our valued clients and industry contacts remained firmly in mind as the Czech Competition team put together this autumn 2025 edition of our Competition Newsletter. The aim here is to offer a clear and engaging look at what has been happening in Czech competition law in recent months. The Newsletter covers key legislative developments as well as the most noteworthy decisions from the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (the “Authority”) and the courts, offering readers a concise guide to the current Czech competition-related legal landscape. 1. Major legislative reforms on the horizon The Authority has announced comprehensive amendments to the Czech Competition Act, with the requisite legislative
Kinstellar advises Mitiska REIM on EUR 22.2 million sale of Retail Park Strakonická to Fio Real Estate Fund
Kinstellar has successfully advised Mitiska REIM, the specialist investor in European convenience real estate, on the sale of Retail Park Strakonická in České Budějovice to Fio Real Estate Fund for EUR 22.2 million. The transaction marks the completion of a value-add redevelopment project originally acquired in December 2022 on behalf of the FRI 2 fund in partnership with Asset Services. We were very pleased to be able to assist our client during the full life-cycle of the investment, starting from the acquisition through development and leasing and ending with successful disposal.Klára Štěpánková, Partner at Kinstellar Czech Republic Kinstellar advised Mitiska REIM alongside CBRE and
AI automation: The buzzword behind the layoff waive?
Layoffs have reached historic highs this year, and the AI arms race could be partly to blame. In the United States, over one million jobs were cut between January and October, up 65% from the same period in 2024, according to a report by outplacement specialists Challenger, Gray & Christmas. From Amazon and UPS to Microsoft and Meta, a growing number of companies are restructuring their workforce as they adopt AI at scale. These decisions raise a broader question: how far and how fast can companies go when replacing human work with artificial intelligence? While automation at scale is not a one-size-fits-all solution, the hard truth is that the skills and jobs needed in the future of work are still largely unknown. As
Kinstellar advises on local aspects of Unilever’s demerger of The Magnum Ice Cream Company in preparation for its listings on the Amsterdam, London, and New York Stock Exchanges
Kinstellar, in collaboration with Linklaters, has advised Unilever and The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) on the local legal and regulatory aspects of the formation of TMICC, its separation and demerger from Unilever, and its subsequent listings on the Amsterdam, London, and New York stock exchanges. This transaction represents one of the largest and most complex global carve-outs in recent years. It follows Kinstellar’s previous involvement, alongside Linklaters, in Unilever's other major global carve-out, the US$7bn sale of its global spreads business to KKR. Kinstellar’s team provided comprehensive support throughout the entire project, from initial planning to execution, including the legal and operational
Kinstellar advises Enery on the acquisition of one of the largest BESS projects in Central and Eastern Europe
Kinstellar has successfully advised Enery on its acquisition from Most Energy of a battery electricity storage system (BESS) project in Bulgaria, with a total installed energy capacity of 600 MWh - one of the largest such projects under development in Bulgaria and Central and Eastern Europe. Enery is an independent power producer engaged in acquisition, development, construction, and operation of large-scale renewable and storage assets, and multi-market trading activities across Central and Eastern Europe. Our Sofia team supported the client throughout the entire transaction, providing advice on energy regulatory, real estate, and construction matters, as well as corporate, tax, antitrust and competition issues
Romania Case Law Highlights #1: Recent decisions on dismissal and suspension of employment contracts in cases of maternity risk leave
In a legal landscape marked by inconsistencies and uneven practices in labour law, the correct application of legal rules is becoming an increasingly difficult goal to achieve. However, Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice (“ICCJ”) has recently intervened with a series of key decisions that not only provide important clarifications but also reconfigure principles of Romanian labour law, addressing issues of utmost importance, such as: prohibition of dismissal during sick leave; the procedure for reinstating an employee who has been unlawfully dismissed; suspension of individual employment contracts in cases of leave of absence for maternity risk. These decisions
Major tax and procedural changes in Romania
On 15 December 2025, the Romanian Parliament adopted Law no. 239, which will enter into force on 18 December 2025. The law introduces significant amendments to the Fiscal Procedure Code, the Fiscal Code, and other related regulations. The main changes are presented below: Legislative updates regarding legal entities As of 1 January 2026, taxpayers which had in the previous year a turnover below EUR 50 mil. (note: those not subject to IMCA), incurring expenses related to intellectual property rights, management, advisory from non-resident affiliated parties, where such expenses exceeded 1% of the total expenses according to 2024 accounts, may deduct these expenses, in the current tax year, up to 1%
New obligations for companies: what you need to know about the second 2025 Tax Package
The law recently published in the Official Gazette no. 1160 of 15 December 2025 brings important changes to tax and corporate legislation. Obligation to hold a bank account All legal entities will be required to open a payments account in Romania for the entire duration of carrying out their activity; This formality must be completed within 60 days since incorporation, for companies established after the entrance into force of the law; Sanctions: Penalties ranging from RON 3,000 to RON 10,000. Being declared inactive by the fiscal authority. Companies organised and functioning as provided by Law no. 31/1990 that remain inactive for more than
New pressure, new delays: the EU’s double move on AI
Europe has just introduced two significant developments that will directly affect how companies build, deploy, and oversee AI in 2026. One strengthens reporting. The other reshapes key compliance deadlines. 1. The AI act whistleblower tool is live—and it changes the game The EU’s new AI Act Whistleblower Tool is officially online, allowing any individual professionally connected to an AI model provider to flag risky or unlawful practices linked to general-purpose AI models and certain regulated AI systems. Reports can be submitted anonymously, in any EU language together with supporting documents via a secure inbox that also supports follow-up questions. While the AI Office will maintain strict
Austria’s Crypto Reporting Act: Clear rules and tax transparency for investors
With the new Crypto Reporting Act ("Krypto-Meldepflichtgesetz" – Krypto-MPfG) effective from 1 January 2026, Austria aligns with international standards for transparency and tax compliance in the digital asset space. This reflects the EU’s broader push for harmonised regulation under DAC8 (the eighth amendment to the Directive on Administrative Cooperation in Direct Taxation, which mandates the automatic exchange of information on crypto-asset transactions between the Member States), the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework ("CARF"), and the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation ("MiCAR"). The new legislation implements international standards and sends a clear message: the regulatory net is tightening
Kinstellar and Strategy Council deliver the 4th Defence Tech Forum in London
In a recent event held at the Royal United Services Institute, Kinstellar and the Strategy Council, working in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom, co-organised the 4th Defence Tech Forum in London, Financing Joint UK-Ukraine DefenceTech Development and Co-production. Following opening remarks by Stephen Butler, Managing Director of Strategy Council, Daniel Bilak, Partner at Kinstellar Ukraine, framed the event’s two-fold purpose: first, to highlight the significant step-change in UK-Ukraine private sector defence cooperation over the past year under the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership; second and equally important, to present the investment potential of Ukraine’s defence-tech sector to
Kinstellar advises DAX-listed GEA on Romanian legal aspects of joint venture with RebelDot
Kinstellar, in cooperation with Noerr as lead counsel, has advised GEA Group, a DAX-listed company and one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, on the Romanian law aspects of its joint venture with RebelDot, a leading Romanian technology company based in Cluj-Napoca. GEA operates in over 150 countries and provides cutting-edge solutions through its industrial cloud platform, GEA Cloud®. The company is listed on the DAX and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index. RebelDot, headquartered in Cluj-Napoca, is a fast-growing technology firm specializing in delivering innovative software solutions, including web, mobile, and AI services, primarily to industrial