Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații advised MOL Romania Petroleum Products S.R.L. on all legal matters regarding the design, authorisation and execution phase of the service stations located on the A2 Motorway. The MOL Murfatlar stations are part of the service concession contract concluded with the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration (CNAIR) at the beginning of 2021.

On 26 July, MOL Romania Petroleum Products S.R.L. opened its first two service stations located on "Autostrada Soarelui"/A2 Motorway at km 186+090 (A2 Constanța-Medgidia), respectively km 186+580 (A2 Medgidia-Constanța) in the presence of Camelia Ene (CEO MOL Romania), Robert Pitt (MOL Group Retail SVP), representatives of CNAIR and of the local authorities.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații advised MOL Romania Petroleum Products S.R.L. on all stages of the project, starting with the preparation of the tender and the preliminary market consultation, the conclusion of the service concession contract with CNAIR, continuing with the design, authorisation and execution phase of the services spaces taken under concession and will further assist the company in relation to the operation phase of said services spaces.

The legal team consists of Șerban Pâslaru (Partner), Iuliana Leon, (Managing Associate), Șerban Sârbu (Associate), lawyers with extensive expertise in PPP/PFI projects.

The services spaces located on the A2 Motorway (km 196+940 Murfatlar town, Constanța County) are the first two from a series of services spaces granted under concession by CNAIR, located on Nădlac - Sibiu and Pitești - București (A1 Motorway) and Cernavodă - Constanța (A2 Motorway), which will be open to the public in the following period.

The team specialising in public procurement, concessions & public-private partnerships (PPP) is one of the best known in Romania, according to international legal guides – Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and IFLR – who place Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații first in the ranking of law firms specialising in investment projects. Thus, the law firm is renowned "for the advice it provides on various complex PPP projects", and it is "one of the firms with most awards, excelling in particular in the PPP field" (Chambers Europe). Also, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații "has a reputation as the firm with the most PPP projects and proven efficiency in this regard". In particular, the clients recommend the firm for its "safety, skill, ability to advise both governmental authorities and private companies" (Legal 500).

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Electrica S.A. has recently informed shareholders and investors about the signing, as buyer, with Mr. Vlad-Mihai Ungureanu and Mr. Tudor-Nicolae Ungureanu, as sellers, of a shares sales and purchase agreement ("SPA") in one project company having as main object of activity the production of energy from renewable sources.

Green Energy Consultancy & Investments S.R.L. develops the photovoltaic project "Vulturu", with a designed installed capacity of 12 MWp DC (peak power at the panels level) and 9.75 MW AC (power authorised for delivery into the grid), located near Vulturu locality, Vrancea county.

The SPA concerns the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Green Energy Consultancy & Investments S.R.L., wholly owned by the sellers, for an estimated total price of EUR 600,000. The final price will be determined by adjusting the total estimated price depending on the production capacity, based on a contractually established calculation formula.

The SPA stipulates the acquisition in the next period following the signing of the sale and purchase agreement by Electrica of the company's shares and the payment of the corresponding price in two steps, structured according to the development stage of the project and the fulfillment of certain conditions precedent.

The transaction in question is in line with 2019-2023 Electrica Group strategy, which envisages the expansion in the value chain of electricity, especially in the power production from renewable energy sources.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații advised Electrica S.A., addressing the full range of legal issues relating to this transaction, including assistance in the negotiation and signing of the sales and purchase agreement for the acquisition of shares in Green Energy Consultancy & Investments S.R.L. The team was led by Partner Sorin Vlădescu, backed-up by Managing Associates Nisa Jecu and Raluca Mișu.

More details can be found here.

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The iconic office building America House has undergone a full refurbishment and modernisation process since its take over by Morgan Stanley in 2019.

The refurbishment was focused on both technical and aesthetic aspects of the building. This was followed by the upgrades of the exterior ground floor area including the extension of the terrace's premises, adding green areas, dramatic lighting for the green spaces, extending the sidewalk for the benefit of the pedestrians, changing the flooring, and unifying the retail signage.

From a legal standpoint, the entire process was overseen by a team of lawyers from Èšuca Zbarcea & AsociaÈ›ii headed by Partners Răzvan Gheorghiu-Testa and DragoÈ™ Apostol, as well as Managing Associate Raluca MiÈ™u.  

America House spreads over 3 underground floors, ground floor and nine above ground floors, with a total leasable surface of 28,806 sqm of Class A prime office space, including 3,675 sqm in commercial space. America House provides 368 parking spread over three underground levels parking lot, the largest number of parking space units for a Class A office building in Bucharest CBD.

The building offers generous office spaces on each floor - 3,250 sqm (the largest FLOOR PLATE in the CBD area). The office spaces have abundant natural lighting, access to two premium lobby areas and the high-end technology for building access, both in the pedestrian area and in the underground parking lot.

AMA Design studio, led by Anda Manu, oversaw the new modern and stylish design while Vitalis Consulting was appointed as project managers while Project1, Cos and Terano were the general contractors involved in the works.

They were continuously and diligently assisted by Fortim Trusted Advisers, America House property management company.

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Reputable publication Global Arbitration Review has recently launched its 2022 edition of the "GAR 100", a guide to specialist arbitration firms worldwide. This year once again, Țuca Zbarcea & Asociații has been included amongst the elite of law firms with a leading practice in international arbitration.

Țuca Zbarcea & Asociații remains one of the best law firms worldwide for international arbitration (IA) work, according to the latest edition of "GAR 100". The editors point out that the firm's lawyers are skilled at handling an extraordinarily wide range of IA cases with current value of pending counsel work reaching US$4.5 billion. Three of the firm's leading practitioners in this area are singled out: Florentin Țuca, Levana Zigmund, Cornel Popa. With 25 years of practical experience, they have an in-depth working knowledge of various arbitration procedural rules such as ICC, ICSID, GAFTA, the Romanian International Chamber of Commerce and UNCITRAL.

Anca Pușcașu (Partner), Cornelia Tăbirță (Managing Associate) and Ruxandra Niță (Managing Associate) are also part of the firm's IA team.

As a matter of fact, Țuca Zbarcea & Asociații has a leading practice in Dispute Resolution, the firm's pre-eminence in this area being already acknowledged by renowned international publications, such as Chambers & Partners and Legal 500. More so, the firm is a recipient of the 2020 and 2021 "Law Firm of the Year in Romania for Dispute Resolution" Award by Benchmark Litigation Europe (a publication of Euromoney Legal Media Group), one the most coveted and prestigious international accolades for law firms specialising in litigation and arbitration.

Global Arbitration Review is the leading resource on international arbitration news and community intelligence. Its flagship publication - "GAR 100" - is a benchmark for the most skilled and successful international arbitration practitioners from all parts of the world. Firms are stringently researched and assessed to ensure that only the elite are listed.

For further details, please refer to the following link.

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Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax will host yet another Tax Hot Spots 2022 seminar focused on the main fiscal topics of the moment. Highly-experienced speakers will closely analyse the tax inspections which have been carried out lately, and will discuss about the most suitable approach from the perspective of a taxpayer in relation thereto, while also pointing out to the topics or areas of activity of interest for the tax authorities in the next period, and the most important tax procedure aspects that taxpayers need to consider during a tax audit.

Our experts will give recommendations and examples of good practice on this subject and they will also review the most relevant legislative news.

The Tax Hot Spots 2022 seminar will take place on 26 May at the Courtyard Bucharest Floreasca Hotel (2A Dimitrie Pompeiu Boulevard), Alpha Hall.

Main topics and event agenda:

09.00 am - 10.30 am - Session I

• Statistics on tax inspections and litigation. Current trends in the controls of tax authorities.
• Digitization of ANAF and the problems it creates (SPV, SAF-T, E-Invoice, E-Transport).
• Preparation and good practices for tax inspections, documentary checks and unannounced / Anti-fraud checks.

10.30 am - 10.45 am - Coffee break

10.45 am - 12.25 pm - Session 2

• Proposed solutions for the most important issues that arise during tax inspections (eg intra-group services, applicability of VAT exemptions, transfer pricing, tax requalifications, marketing campaigns to stimulate sales, fixed / permanent headquarters, etc.).

12.25 pm - 01.10 pm - Lunch

01.10 pm - 03.00 pm - Session 3

• Tax procedure tools that can be used in tax inspections and disputes (previous opinions, views submitted at the initiative of the taxpayer, final discussion and written point of view, requesting the taxpayer's file, oral support of the appeal, request for review of the solution to the appeal, mediation, forensic tax expertise).
• Other tools that can be used as part of the defence strategy (CJEU, SFIA, APA, MAP, etc.).
• Prevention of cases of fraud and other aspects of criminal law with an impact on the tax area.
• Legislative news. Tax facilities on equity, tax facilities on sponsorships, international tax issues, etc.
• Conclusions

Speakers:

• Alexandru CRISTEA - Tax Partner, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Ramona CHIȚU - Tax Partner, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Narcisa ICHIM - Tax Director, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Cristian VELCU - Tax Director, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Alexandra BARBAIANI - Tax Manager, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Vlad TĂNASE - Tax Manager, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax
• Corina MIRON - Tax Manager, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax

For more information regarding registration please download the attached file.

The full agenda is available here.

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The Romanian Rugby National Team has qualified for the Rugby World Cup to take place in France in 2023, following a decision of an independent panel appointed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, together with the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, advised the Romanian Rugby Federation on the proceedings before an independent panel appointed by World Rugby, which found that the Spanish Rugby Federation had violated the eligibility rules regarding the residence criteria of a player who appeared for Spain in two matches during the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship counting for the qualification for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

As a result of this decision, the Romanian team qualifies directly for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații fielded a team led by Partner Cornel Popa (international arbitration) and Partner Dan Cristea (sports law), and the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer team consisted mainly of Rhodri Thomas (Partner) and Felix Schaaf (Senior Associate).

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații wishes Romania's national rugby team "Stejarii - The Oaks" the best of luck at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and in their preparation ahead of the forthcoming rugby world championships!

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The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 edition covers the contentious and non-contentious work of the leading law firms from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and is also a benchmark for the most skilled and successful lawyers across the EMEA region.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații leads the top echelon of the Romanian legal market, receiving Band 1 rankings in 12 areas of practice: Corporate and M&A; Banking and finance; Dispute resolution; Employment; Energy and natural resources; EU and competition; Intellectual property; PPP and procurement; Real estate; Restructuring and insolvency; Tax; Telecom, media and technology (TMT).

In the opinion of the Legal 500 EMEA editors, the firm "is a market leading presence both in terms of quality and scale" and "has a second to none commitment to its clients and an interdisciplinary team that stands out for its passion". 

Also, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații receives praise for the firm's expertise in Capital markets; TMT - Gambling law and White-Collar Crime.

The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 edition features a record number of lawyers or tax advisors from Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații and Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații Tax, as follows: 12 were recommended as "Leading Individuals", 7 were named "Next Generation Partner", 10 were selected as "Rising Stars" and 23 were ranked under the "Other Key Lawyers" lists. Also, two of the firm's Founding Partners earned a well-deserved place in The Legal 500 "Hall of Fame" for being amongst the elite leading lawyers in Romania.

According to the editors, the 2022 edition is the most comprehensive guide so far, with more than 2,700 ranked law firms from over 80 countries. Since 1991, The Legal 500 has been providing readers with an annually updated, impartial, third-party opinion on the leading law firms and lawyers in countries across the region. Each year, the Legal 500's researchers contact over 300,000 clients globally to obtain feedback on which law firms meet the criteria required by today's in-house counsel and business leaders.

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