This article first appeared in The Lawyer magazine With Europe facing significant political headwinds including elections and a new US administration, will buyers and sellers become risk-averse? And why have international law firms dominated M&A tables for so long? The Lawyer’s CEE experts discuss.

Direct One, a Romanian-owned company that has developed its own nationwide high-capacity fibre optic network, announced the completion of the transaction to acquire Netcity telecom’s infrastructure from UTI Group.

Romanian independent outfit Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații has made up three Partners and several others Senior Associates in its annual round of promotions. The appointments are effective from January 1st, 2017. Romanian independent law firm Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații has announced that several lawyers have been promoted to various roles as part of its annual performance review. The firm has added three Partners to its ranks, while promoting several other lawyers in its Bucharest office in a bid to further strengthen the firm’s Banking and Finance, Litigation and Arbitration, as well as Corporate and Commercial, Real Estate, and Employment Law practice groups.

Romanian independent outfit acted for Unicredit Bank in relation to a EUR 50 million financing granted to Forte Partners, a Romanian developer, with a view to developing the first phase of The Bridge, an office project in Bucharest.

Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații is at the forefront of the financial and corporate arena, according to the latest rankings of IFLR 1000. The firm achieved tier one rankings in all five areas of practice undergoing research this year: Banking, Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Project Finance and Energy & Infrastructure.