DEPARTMENT PROFILE

CMS

Projects & Energy

Band 1

Central & Eastern Europe

Europe 2022 View ranking table

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What the team is known for

CMS is a longstanding leader in the region, with top-rated projects and energy teams in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria and Serbia. The law firm offers the full range of transactional, regulatory and settlement expertise to clients from the renewable energy and oil and gas sectors. CMS brings together teams from multiple jurisdictions to advise on the commercial and public law aspects of infrastructure projects, including the synchronicity of electricity and gas infrastructure. The law firm advises regional electricity suppliers on licence acquisitions in other countries.

Strengths

One interviewee attests: "They indeed have cross-border capabilities and strength in CEE."

A client highlights the practice's "in-depth knowledge of how energy businesses are run and the key factors for profitability and growth."

Work highlights

Acted for the Romanian oil company OMV Petrom on a joint venture related to a gas exploration project in Bulgaria. The mandate was led by the law firm's Sofia office.

Notable practitioners

Kostadin Sirleshtov is based in the firm's Sofia office and heads CMS's CEE energy practice. Bucharest partner Varinia Radu is also a key contact for oil and gas matters and for the CEE energy, projects and construction team.

Department Information

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Overview

Projects & Energy has been a top practice area for CMS since the company established its presence in the CEE region. For over 30 years, the practice has successfully developed its capabilities, gaining valuable experience in numerous most complex transactions and projects in the energy and infrastructure sector.

We have prominent experts specialising in all aspects of energy-related projects and infrastructure projects. CMS offers a unique platform unmatched by any of the other international law firms in the region. In each jurisdiction across CEE, we offer a specialised team of energy and infrastructure lawyers led by experienced partners. We have over 60 energy and infrastructure experts in CEE itself.

We provide our clients with comprehensive advice in the following areas:

all stages of the preparation and execution of industrial and infrastructure investment processes,
planning and construction permitting,
exploration for, and production of, energy resources and minerals,
M&A transactions and project development in the renewable energy sector,
environmental permitting procedures and disputes over environmental penalties,
carbon dioxide emissions trading, industrial emissions, environmental contamination, water and waste management and environmental impact assessments,
all aspects of regulatory and trading issues for energy companies,
project finance transactions and PPP projects,
privatisation transactions regarding public utilities owned by local governments.