soukeník — štrpka Successfully Represented the Slovak Republic in Court Proceedings against Interblue

Law firm soukeník — štrpka successfully represented the Slovak Republic, acting through the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic (MoE), in court proceedings against Interblue Group (Europe) AG. The legal team, led by the firm’s partner Lukáš Štefánik and senior attorney Barbora Ivanová, achieved a significant success in litigation that had been ongoing since 2016.

The dispute concerned an action brought by the Swiss company Interblue seeking EUR 34.6 million plus accessories in connection with the sale of greenhouse gas emission units (AAUs). The complexity of the dispute lay primarily in the need to analyse specific legal issues, including the question of cross-border legal succession and the subsequent validity of the cross-border transfer of rights and obligations.

The proceedings, in which both the court of first instance and the appellate court fully accepted our argument that the action was unfounded, were concluded by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic. The Supreme Court dismissed the claimant’s appeal on points of law and confirmed the correctness of the decisions of the lower courts. Taking into account the amount of the claimed principal and default interest, the Slovak Republic thus successfully defended itself against the claimant’s total claims exceeding EUR 65 million.

This success represents not only a major victory for the Slovak Republic, but also the successful culmination of nearly eight years of work by our law firm. The defence of the public interest in an internationally followed dispute confirmed the ability of the soukeník — štrpka team to address complex legal issues with a high degree of expertise and precision. Thanks to the client’s trust over almost eight years in entrusting us with representation in the litigation, the strategic approach adopted, and the consistent argumentation of our colleagues throughout the proceedings, it was possible not only to protect the interests of the Slovak Republic, but also to contribute to the development of legal certainty in the field of cross-border trading in emission units.

More information can be found at the following links:

Ministry of the Environment – Taraba Announced Slovakia’s Final Victory in the EUR 35 Million Case against Interblue

tasr.sk – Taraba: Environment Ministry Wins Lawsuit against Interblue Group

SME – Slovakia Won the Court Dispute with Interblue Group and Will Not Lose Millions, Says Taraba

TREND – The Ministry of the Environment Won the Dispute against Interblue Group

aktuality.sk – Interblue Case: The Ministry of the Environment Won the Dispute over Millions of Euros