Environment
Our Environment related experience pools together a significant group of expert lawyers. The legal services we provide in the environmental sector extend to every aspect of environmental law, from performing extensive environmental analysis together with well known international environmental auditors and regulatory counselling, to assisting and negotiating the transfer of environmental liabilities from past polluting activities, assisting our clients in the issuance of complex environmental operating permits, authorizations and licenses for their industrial projects.
We are committed to assisting our clients with the challenges posed by ever-stricter national and European environmental regulation. During the last decade, we have gathered significant expertise in the environmental sector, as many foreign and Romanian companies moving to consolidate and expand their operations are bound to comply with the new Romanian environmental requirements following the massive regulatory changes that took place in the last few years as result of transposing EU environmental legislation. Our team brings substantial expertise and higher level of technical understanding to this complex and rapidly changing area of law. Our lawyers are recognized lecturers, trainers and speakers in various conferences, seminars, workshops and roundtables organized on environmental issues.
We are committed to assisting our clients with the challenges posed by ever-stricter national and European environmental regulation. During the last decade, we have gathered significant expertise in the environmental sector, as many foreign and Romanian companies moving to consolidate and expand their operations are bound to comply with the new Romanian environmental requirements following the massive regulatory changes that took place in the last few years as result of transposing EU environmental legislation. Our team brings substantial expertise and higher level of technical understanding to this complex and rapidly changing area of law. Our lawyers are recognized lecturers, trainers and speakers in various conferences, seminars, workshops and roundtables organized on environmental issues.
Our recent instructions include:
- Advising Enel Distribuzione SpA on the successful EUR 112,000,000 privatisation of two subsidiaries of Electrica S.A. - Electrica Banat S.A. and Electrica Dobrogea S.A.. We advised Enel on all environmental legal matters related to the transaction, including proposals for the material amendments of the current environmental legal framework in the energy sector.
- Advising Gabriel Resources, a major Canadian mining group, in relation to the exploration and exploitation of the biggest gold and silver mining site in Europe: Rosia Montana. The development of the Rosia Montana mining project is one of the biggest foreign investments in Romania, the value of the direct investment until exploitation amounting to over USD 750,000,000 while the total investment is expected to amount to over USD 3,000,000,000. We advised our client on all environmental legal matters arisen from the project including permitting and past pollution issues, as well as on the most extensive Environmental Impact Assessment process being performed in Romania.
- Assisting Sagacarbon S.A., a subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations France, in connection with the implementation of the first transactions in Romania under European Union Emissions Trading Scheme concerning greenhouse gas emission allowances for 2008-2012. Advising on relevant national and EU legislation in connection with the EU-ETS trading scheme, providing legal opinions on transactions validity and capacity of Romanian counterparts and participating as speakers in joint conferences on implementation of the trading scheme and the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol in Romania.
- Advising Nova Imobiliare S.R.L. on environmental legal matters related to the development of a EUR 500,000,000 real estate project comprising commercial and residential areas and infrastructure enhancement.
- Assisting Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation (U.S.), one of the largest independent oil and gas producers in the world, in connection with its bid for the privatization of the National Oil Company Petrom S.A. (the biggest oil company in Romania). We advised our client on all environmental legal matters arisen from the project (including permitting, UE regulation impact, past pollution coverage, third parties liabilities etc.).
- Assisting Strabag AG, a leading construction company active in all fields of the construction industry works, in connection with a soil contamination with volatile organic compounds.
- Advising S.C. Electrolux S.A., the Romanian subsidiary of the world’s largest producer of appliances and kitchen equipment, in connection with the disposal of oil-related waste, ecological works and decontamination of places affected by deposition of wastage into inadequate places.
- Advising Halliburton, one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the oil and gas industry, in connection with a contemplated acquisition of a division of a major Romanian oil company.
- Advising General Electric Corporation in connection with their joint venture with Turbomecanica S.A.. We advised the environmental specialists of G.E. in the extensive environmental due diligence performed on the relevant site and supervised the activity of the international environmental auditors appointed by the client to make the technical inspections of the site. We also assisted our client in the negotiation of past pollution liabilities and issuance of the necessary environmental permits.
- Advising Arcelor Mittal (former Mittal Steel), on all the environmental legal matters related to the acquisition of Mittal Steel Galati S.A. (former Sidex S.A.), the largest Romanian steel producer, well known as the Romanian company with one of the biggest past pollution liability.
- Retained by GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical producers, for an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with the acquisition of the largest private pharmaceutical groups of companies in Romania.
- Assisting Royal Dutch Shell and Shell Exploration Romania, two major companies in the oil industry, for an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with the implementation of the Oil Agreement concluded with the Romanian Government.
- Retained by the Romanian Government for an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with the privatization of National Air Company Tarom S.A., the largest Romanian aviation company.
- Retained by the Romanian Privatisation Authority for an extensive environmental due diligence (including review of the regulatory framework) in connection with the privatization of SN Tutunul Romanesc S.A..
- Retained by Suez Lyonnayse Des Eaux (ONDEO), the largest France based company for water distribution, for an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with the privatization of Public Water Corporation.
- Assisting Transgold S.A., the operator of a gold facility production in Baia Mare, in connection with an extensive environmental due diligence and advice on various environmental related matters.
- Retained for the performance of an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with the privatization and private sale of Azochim S.A. Savinesti, Astra S.A. Ploiesti and Sofert S.A. Bacau, three major state owned companies specialized in chemical production.
- Retained for the performance of an extensive environmental due diligence in connection with Ulcom International S.A., the largest and most successful privatization in sunflower oil industry to date.
