Crowell & Moring Creates EU Central & Eastern European (CEE) "Accession Team"

Washington, D.C. – June 1, 2004: Crowell & Moring LLP announced today that it has created a specialist EU Accession Team to advise on the commercial impact and consequences of the enlargement of the European Union with a particular focus on the eight Accession States from Central & Eastern Europe. The team will be based in Crowell’s London and Brussels offices, and will be advising companies doing business in and with the Accession Countries who will be facing significant changes in the local and international legal and regulatory regime in which they operate.

To ensure an integrated service at both local and pan European level, Crowell & Moring has entered into co-operation arrangements with three leading law firms in the region:

Czech Republic/Slovakia: Peterka & Partners v.o.s., one of the largest independent law firms with offices in Prague and Bratislava.

Poland: Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka, one of the leading law firms with over 80 lawyers and offices in Warsaw , Posnan, Wroclaw and Szczecin

Hungary: Hayhurst Robinson, based in Budapest with over 30 lawyers and offices in Bucharest , Sofia and Belgrade

The other six Accession Countries will be covered by existing referral arrangements with law firms in each state.

Whilst the precise consequences and potential exposure caused by the wholesale introduction and implementation of EU law in the Accession Countries will vary from business to business, all companies will be effected by taxation, employment and environmental legislation. Crowell & Moring believe specific challenges will be faced by companies in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, chemicals, energy, telecoms, IT/software, advertising, food and retail sectors

The Accession Team will offer clients a monitoring service to advise on the implications of the Accession on an industry sector basis; an analysis service to examine the effects on business planning and a full compliance service to ensure clients avoid potential conflict with EU regulators.

“Since last year we have been approached by an increasing number of US and international clients with business in the CEE who were concerned about the legal implications of Accession. As well as our own leading regulatory practice in Brussels , it was a natural extension to bring together the local knowledge and skills of major independent law firms in the region to offer a seamless analysis and compliance service to clients in these key markets” said Nick Towle, Crowell’s London partner and head of the Accession Team.

About Crowell & Moring

Crowell & Moring is an international law firm based in Washington DC and with offices in London , Brussels and Irvine , California . The firm has over 300 lawyers worldwide and has targeted growth in its European offices as a priority, in order to provide a full service to its international clients throughout Europe and elsewhere. Crowell & Moring’s client list contains over half of the current Fortune 100 companies.