The Legal 500

The Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (hereinafter the „Office“) issued the historically first decision concerning domestic cartel among suppliers competing for public contract (bid rigging) case. The case is interesting not only because it is the first such case in the Czech Republic, but could indicate how the Office will proceed in such cases and in the proving of such cartels.

Three new laws re-codifying Czech private law are set to change the country's current legal order entirely. The current order (i.e. Act No. 40/1964 Coll., Civil Code; Act No. 513/1991 Coll., Commercial Code; Act No. 97/1963 Coll., on International Private Law) will be abolished entirely and replaced with new laws of symbolic numbers: Act No. 89/21012 Coll., New Civil Code; Act No. 90/2012 Coll.; on Corporations; and Act No. 91/2012 Coll., on International Private Law. As one of the largest legal overhauls of the Czech Republic's laws in recent decades, this development is indeed an admirable achievement. Of course, nothing new comes into this world without difficulties.

Starting from 1 January 2013 the amendment to Act No. 406/2000 Coll., on Energy Management, as amended, has increased, to a significant extent, the obligations of developers, building owners, associations of housing unit owners and housing unit owners as well (i.e. owners of flats and non-residential premises) relating to the issue of so-called energy performance certificates. This instrument, which was first introduced in 2009 for new constructions or large scale reconstructions, should provide simple and transparent information about the energy consumption of a building by classifying it in a respective energy performance class, such asweknowit in the case of electrical appliances.

The Act No. 373/2011 Sb., on Specific Health Services, became effective on 1 April 2012.

On November 23 2012 a seminar on competition law enforcement in the energy sector held at the Energy Community Secretariat in Vienna saw the creation of the Energy Community Competition Network. Competition authorities from Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Armenia, as well as representatives of the Energy Community Secretariat, signed a joint declaration on the etablishment of the network at the Energy Community. 

The forthcoming amendment to the Act on the Protection of Competition will make several changes to Competition Authority practices. Among other things, the amendment will introduce prioritisation into its practices, allowing the authority to decide not to initiate administrative proceedings following certain alleged breaches of the act where those breaches have a minor effect on competition. The authority will also be able to legally prioritise the investigation of some alleged infringements over others.

The construction of new buildings or the reconstruction of existing buildings, especially in dense urban areas, is almost always connected with the risk of causing damage to third parties. It is therefore important for the builder (contractor or property developer) as well as subjects exposed to potential damages (especially owners and users of adjoining buildings) to know the statutory conditions of liability for damages and related rights and obligations(1).

This guide provides corporate counsel and international practitioners with a comprehensive worldwide legal analysis of the laws and regulations of mergers and acquisitions. This article appeared in the 2013 edition of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Mergers & Acquisitions; published by Global Legal Group Ltd, London. www.iclg.co.uk.

This guide provides the international practitioner and in-house counsel with a comprehensive worldwide legal analysis of the laws and regulations of real estate. This article appeared in the 2013 edition of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Real Estate; published by Global Legal Group Ltd, London. www.iclg.co.uk )

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by Kristýna Oberfalcerová, Attorney-at-Law, Randa Havel Legal