Schoenherr advised Vehis Finanse, a prominent car leasing company from the Enterprise Investors portfolio, a leading PE fund in Poland, on two public offerings of debt securities.

Schoenherr advised OMV Slovensko, s.r.o. ("OMV Slovakia"), a subsidiary of Austria's OMV group, on the acquisition of a network of 27 filling stations operated under the Benzinol brand. Most of them are located in western and north-central Slovakia.

The European Union (EU) is updating its regulatory framework governing payment services by introducing the "Payments Services Package". In June 2023, the European Commission published a set of legislative proposals designed to modernise and enhance the digital financial landscape within the EU.

A judgment of the Austrian Supreme Court of Justice published on 26 April 2024 (6 Ob 210/23k) requires website and platform providers to review their processes under the DSA.

Both Austrian national designs as well as Registered Community Designs with EU-wide protection can initially be filed without disclosure (i.e. secret applications). This means that their publication will be deferred. Secret design applications generally make sense if the applicant is interested in keeping a design undisclosed for as long as possible. The precise national and EU-wide regulations are not completely uniform.

Along with the NIS2 directive, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)[1] is an essential piece of European legislation aiming to bolster cybersecurity within the EU. Unlike the NIS2 directive, DORA aims specifically at enhancing the operational resilience of the financial sector, while establishing a comprehensive framework to ensure that all financial entities regulated under DORA can withstand, respond to, and recover from disruptions and threats related to information and communications technology (ICT).

In 2023 we advised a client in connection with the issuance of the first sustainability-linked bond by an Austrian corporation placed among international institutional investors as well as Austrian retail investors. Its main feature is that the coupon for the last year of the term will increase if one or both predefined step-up events linked to the issuer's sustainability targets occur.

A 2020 review of the Consumer Credit Directive (2008/48/EC) ("CCD I") by the European Commission (EC) found that CCD I has been only partially effective in ensuring a high level of consumer protection.

In our practice, we have found that the most common reason for distressed companies to initiate reorganisation measures is a severe liquidity squeeze.