CMS Keeps Lead in M&A Transactions in Europe and CEE

CMS was again ranked among the top advisors in mergers & acquisitions by Bloomberg and Mergermarket. The international law firm recently presented further proof of its leading expertise: together with DealWatch, it published “Emerging Europe: M&A Report 2013/14”.

This year again, CMS confirmed its top position in the M&A sector. In CEE, the firm heads the 2013 rankings of the renowned intelligence and news services Bloomberg and Mergermarket and also scored first place in the categories “Europe” (Bloomberg) as well as “German-speaking countries” (Mergermarket).

Results for CMS as of December 2013

Bloomberg M&A Legal Advisory League Tables

(ranked according to number of transactions)

• first place in CEE, all transactions
• first place in Europe, all transactions

Mergermarket

(ranked according to number of transactions)

• first place in CEE, all Transactions
• first place in German-speaking countries, all transactions

Emerging Europe: M&A Report 2013/14

The survey looks at M&A activities concluded in 15 Central and Eastern European countries in 2013 and offers forecasts for this region. The transaction volume of M&A deals in CEE/SEE remained largely unchanged in 2013, although transaction values showed a slight decline from EUR 138 billion in 2012 to EUR 112 billion in 2013. The (mining) industry, including oil and gas production, was the leading sector in terms of deal value at over EUR 23 billion, accounting for almost a quarter of the overall market.

Roughly 31% of all transactions in the investigated region in 2013 were concluded in Russia, followed by Poland at 14% and Turkey at 13%.

“Dealflow in CEE/SEE will be driven by the increased appetite of foreign investors. The moderate valuation of some target companies, high-volume takeovers as well as sales by private equity firms will also play a role”, predicts Peter Huber, Managing Partner and M&A expert at CMS in Vienna.

The “Emerging Europe: M&A Report 2013/14” is available for free download here.