AUSTRIA
Goodbye Official Secrecy – Hello Transparency!
The Freedom of Information Act (“Informationsfreiheitsgesetz”, “IFG”) entered into force in Austria on 1 September 2025. The IFG has abolished the duty of official secrecy and replaced it with a constitutional duty to publish information proactively, coupled with a new constitutionally guaranteed right of access to governmental and certain corporate information.
BULGARIA
Legislative Amendments Reshape Arbitration Framework in Bulgaria
On 1 August 2025, amendments to the International Commercial Arbitration Act (now the Arbitration Act) entered into force, with certain provisions scheduled for phased implementation. The reforms introduce significant changes to the arbitration landscape in Bulgaria, with the aim being to improve transparency and strengthen judicial oversight.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Taxation of income from the sale of shares in companies
From 1 January 2025, new Czech legal regulations introduced changes in the taxation of income from the sale of securities, including shares in joint stock companies, and shares in limited liability companies.
HUNGARY
Hungary’s FDI Regime: A Summer of Shifting Rules
During the summer of 2025, Hungary’s foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regime underwent a series of rapid and significant changes. These developments reflect the government’s evolving approach to more closely controlling foreign investment in Hungary. Here is what businesses and investors need to know.
ROMANIA
The New Corporate Order: Navigating Romania’s Fiscal Package II
Romania’s recently unveiled Fiscal Package II is more than a technical adjustment of tax codes, it represents a fundamental reset of the way companies are expected to operate, finance themselves, and engage with the state. Proposed in the context of a growing budget deficit and EU pressure for fiscal consolidation, the measures strike directly at the structural foundations of corporate compliance.
SLOVENIA
Amendment to the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act
The Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 48/22, as amended, hereinafter the "Act") was amended and supplemented by the Act Amending the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 56/25, hereinafter the "Amendment"). The Amendment entered into force on 9 August 2025 and aligns Slovenian law with Directive (EU) 2024/1640 of 31 May 2024.