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CEE Legal Matters | 17 May 2024

The co-Head of the Real Estate and Construction practice at CMS Belgrade and CMS Podgorica, Marija Marošan, has been promoted to Counsel after more than 12 years of advising international companies on real estate and construction law matters. Marija Marošan started her legal career after obtaining her master’s degree in Land Management from Kunglinga Tekniska Högskolan in Stockholm, in a reputable law office in Belgrade. Since joining the team of CMS in Belgrade in 2013, she has been providing legal support to pre-eminent clients on some of the largest and highly complex and sensitive real estate and energy projects both in Serbia and in Montenegro. Her extensive experience includes advising clients on the property development, sales and acquisitions, leasing, construction (including zoning, permitting, FIDIC and other forms of construction contracts), conversion, etc.  Marija also has an extensive track record with renewable energy and infrastructure projects both in Serbia and in Montenegro and has advised numerous clients regarding real estate and regulatory aspects of the development, operation, and financing of renewable energy and infrastructure facilities, energy efficiency projects, PPPs. Her admirable work and dedication to providing excellent service to clients and her outstanding expertise have led to her becoming the co-Head of the Real Estate and Construction practice at CMS Belgrade and a very prominent member of the Energy and Climate Change team. She shares her expertise and know-how and provides invaluable support to the CMS team in North Macedonia in advising on complex matters of law relevant to various renewable energy projects. We are proud to announce this new step in Marija’s career and wish her continued growth and success within the CMS family!  

Published on 12 November 2022UGT Renewables, one of the largest US solar energy and storage developers, has signed an agreement on cooperation with Montenegro’s EPCG. They will jointly develop a large-scale solar energy project in Montenegro. In this and other projects, UGT Renewables will be assisted by its strategic partner Hyundai Engineering, the South Korean engineering, procurement and construction company that is expanding from the conventional energy sector to the renewable energy sector. CMS Podgorica and Belgrade team has been supporting UGT Renewables in this project and has provided advice on all legal aspects relevant to the joint development agreement with EPCG in Montenegro. The agreement was signed by Adam Cortese, the CEO of UGT Renewables, and Milutin Djukanović, the President of the Board of Directors of EPCG. The signing ceremony in Podgorica was attended by outgoing Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović, US Ambassador to Montenegro, H.E. Judy Rising Reinke, and many others. The core CMS team assisting UGT Renewables with this green energy project in Montenegro consisted of senior at­tor­neys Tamara Zejak and Tamara Samardžija, headed by Managing Partner Radivoje Petrikić.

The conference "Serbian Companies on the Changing Power Market" organised by Balkan Green Energy News gathered together numerous players in the renewable energy market. An industry meeting of regional importance On 22 February 2022, leading electricity market experts from Serbia and abroad met in Belgrade to discuss key issues in the Serbian energy sector. The topics were relevant for the entire region. The experts provided insights into both the way the Serbian electricity market would likely develop in the coming years and the opportunities available to various market participants. The conference offered an analysis of the most important challenges facing companies in the course of the energy transition. CMS also relies on innovative advisory products to help its clients benefit from the energy transition. The conference was opened by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović and Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Artur Lorkowski. CMS was a sponsor and participant of this crucial event for the energy sector and was delighted to be represented onsite by its lawyers Ivan Gazdić, partner CMS Serbia, Georg Gutfleisch, lawyer CMS Austria, and Tamara Kosi, lawyer CMS Slovenia, and Maja Živanović, Business Development Country Head, CMS Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.  One step ahead in the energy crisis The 2021 energy crisis has continued into 2022 causing unprecedented increases in electricity prices across Europe. The Serbian government has put up a rescue parachute for companies and capped the electricity price at EUR 75 per MWh for the period until June 2022. However, it remains to be seen how electricity prices will develop in the medium and long term. In the coming years, the Serbian electricity market will – like the entire region – be affected by other important changes too: decarbonisation and the need to align its business with the Green Agenda; the projected growth in solar and wind capacity; the increasing attractiveness of customers producing their own energy onsite; and the carbon cap tax on exports to the EU. The conclusion was: “The event ‘Serbian Companies on the Changing Power Market’ provided an excellent opportunity for the exchange of information and ideas that are urgently needed to better understand trends in the power market and to remain competitive". The CMS Energy and Climate Change Sector Group provides leading advice products on all aspects of innovative energy, climate change and ESG.

To date, renewable energy projects in the Balkans have been supported by traditional feed-in tariff subsidy schemes (FiT). Certain Balkan countries (e.g. North Macedonia and Bulgaria) have begun to implement...