East Legal Team

Different legal environments. One approach. One practice.

East Legal Team – European Economic Interest Grouping (ELT) is an alliance of independent law firms from the Central and Eastern European region with the main purpose of providing their clients a wealth of advantages arising from our interdisciplinary professional cooperation, as well as from their ability to provide unified services at regional level.

East Legal Team EEIG was established in March 2008 by founding members Balazs & Hollo Law Firm and Stratula Mocanu & Asociatii and is subject to the provisions of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2137/85 of 25 July 1985 on the European Economic Interest Grouping. Over the years, new law firms have become part of our alliance, and since 2014 ELT has its seat in Bucharest, Romania. It covers the area of the following Central and Eastern European countries:

  • Albania
  • Austria (observer)
  • Belarus
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria (founding member)
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus (founding member)
  • Czech Republic
  • Greece
  • Hungary (founding member)
  • Macedonia
  • Moldova
  • Montenegro
  • Poland (founding member)
  • Romania (founding member)
  • Russian Federation
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia (founding member)
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine

In addition to the directly covered countries by its Statutes, ELT also welcomes any law firms who want to join us as associate members or observers and who share our values and principles and want to be professionally active in the ELT’s region, be it from Europe, the USA, or from any other corner of the world. Our current observers come from Austria and Italy.

All current ELT members are business law firms with a remarkable reputation in their countries of origin, sharing not only sound ethical values and principles but also a rich, business oriented legal practice as their main business card.

ELT aims to provide at an international level the same top quality and integrated legal services each of the members offers in its home jurisdiction, both to international clients who seek to enter the region, as well to those who want to expand their already existent business to more than one country in this area.

On a business market under continuous expansion and intensification, mainly due to the accession to the European Union of the countries in the region, ELT aims to reconcile the paradox most investors face when, although they act on highly similar business markets, they are at the same time subject to considerably differentiated legal systems.

Thanks to the cohesion and unified practice among the ELT members, our clients are kept safe from the many encumbrances usually faced when entering a new market, thus being able to better and more profitably pursue their business pursuits.


News

  • Mr. Sorin Stratula is elected President of East Legal Team, European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) May 2019
    East Legal Team Different legal environments. One approach. One practice. East Legal Team – European Economic Interest Grouping (ELT) is an alliance of independent law firms from the Central and Eastern European region with the main purpose of providing their clients a wealth of advantages arising from our interdisciplinary professional cooperation, as well as from… Citeste stirea..
  • Immigration options available in Romania for non-EU citizens July 2015
    The visa application has to be submitted to the diplomatic missions or the consular offices of Romania from abroad. The request to be granted a visa must be accompanied by documents to justify the purpose and conditions of the travel and by proof of sufficient means of subsistence during the stay in Romania as well as for departure from the territory of Romania. Other types of long-term visas, depending on the purpose of which they are issued, may be: employment, study, family reunification, religious or humanitarian activities, scientific research activities, diplomatic and official visa, or other purposes.
  • Immigration options available in Hungary for non-EU citizens July 2015
    The conditions to enter Hungary depend on the length of stay, the main destination of the visit and the purposes of the visit. Short stay uniform visa authorizes its owner to a single, double or multiple entries to Hungary. In case of an uninterrupted stay, such visa enables its holder to reside in Hungary during 90 days maximum. Uniform visa applications have to be submitted to the competent Hungarian representations (embassies, consulates) in the country of origin. Seasonal employment visa entitles the holder to single or multiple entries in case of employment for a period between three months and six months. The visa is valid for maximum one year. The applicant has to possess a seasonal work permit issued by the competent Hungarian Employment Office.
  • EU Funding – legal situation in Cyprus May 2015
    Unlike the other EU funds which are directly offered to EU citizens by the EU, ESIF are specific funds that have been allocated to Cyprus under the EU Multiannual Budget. Cyprus co-finances certain projects with the help of the EU for what have been decided as the ‘priority sectors’ of the Cypriot economy. Therefore, it can be argued that legal issues may arise regarding European Union co-financed programs as their application, management and regulation is left to the hands of individual member states. Cypriot authorities must follow and implement the EU Parliament and Council Regulations, the EU Commission Delegated Regulations and the EU Commission Implementing Regulations that exist on the matter of ESIF.
  • How can we submit a petition to request an aid from the funds of the European Union in Hungary? May 2015
    In accordance with the petition for aids of the funds of the European Union an ordinance Nr. 272/2014 has been issued by the Hungarian government for the period between 2014 and 2020 which regulates the procedure of the payment of the aids of the European Union. We would like to highlight the most important characteristics of this procedure in our article. The companies are entitled to submit a petition for the aids in relation to the following funds of the European Union: European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, Cohesion Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, European Network Financial Fund, Youth Employment Affairs, Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.
  • EU Funding and artificial conditions – the legal situation in Romania May 2015
    Beneficiaries of EU funds have encountered unpleasant surprises from the European Commission. Many of them have been accused of creating artificial conditions to receive funding, paradoxically by the same authority who previously approved their projects and payments on the basis of a serious documentation and after many checks. The accusation was accompanied by the issuance of the finding minutes of irregularities and establishing budgetary claims, through which the financing contracts were cancelled and the EU funds received became directly, from non-refundable, budgetary claims subjected to forced execution in case of nonpayment within the term of approximately 30 days, term given by the contracting authority.