Dessislava Lukarova focuses her practice primarily on Mergers and Acquisitions, Competition, Procurement, Banking and Finance, Private Equity Transactions and Corporate Governance matters.
She advised numerous multinational and local companies in connection with negotiated acquisitions and dispositions, including mergers, tender offers, purchase and sale of securities, assets and business units.
Dessislava has a strong and successful practice covering all areas of antitrust and competition law, including merger control, cartel investigations, abuse of dominant position, unfair competition, establishment and operation of distribution systems, antitrust disputes, compliance and counseling, sector regulation and state aid. She has successfully represented both defendant and plaintiff sides of antitrust and competition matters in many landmark cases before the antitrust authority and the courts.
Dessislava has extensive experience in the field of public procurements. She advises both – private business clients tendering for contracts and contracting authorities awarding procurements on all aspects of procurement law in connection with the awarding of works, delivery and service contracts. She assists private clients in connection to their participation and appeal of the award procedures and the contracting authorities on the structuring of the procurement tenders, including on joint procurement awards and intra-group outsourcing and on the elaboration of the tender conditions and documents.
Dessislava has also substantial expertise in the field of banking and finance law. She advices local and foreign clients operating in the finance sector in the course of their domestic and cross-border transactions, project financing and investment initiatives. Her experience includes assistance for establishment and licensing of credit and non-banking financial institutions and branches, banking regulatory compliance advice, assisting in the securitization of loans extended to borrowers, elaboration of GTCs, consumer and corporate contractual lending documentation of credit and financial institutions.
In 2005, Dessislava interned with the renowned French international law firm – Gide Loyrette Nouel, where she gained additional qualification and to get an insight into the international experience in the field of PPP projects in particular concession and privatization procedures as well as public procurements and project finance.
Dessislava Lukarova joined the team of Arsov Nachev Ganeva in 2003 and was admitted as a partner in 2017.
Membership/Admissions
Bulgarian Bar Association
Qualification and education
Sofia University, Faculty of law
Qualification training program with the Arbitration Court at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Complementary specialization in the area of EU law, Competition and Public Procurements
Languages
English
French
- assisted the successful completion of the merger between the Bulgarian affiliates of Renault Trucks Commercial France SAS, France and Volvo Lastvagnar Aktiebolag, Sweden;
- advised Sodexo – a key player in the service vouchers and cards business, in a consolidation transaction involving a local company, operating in the meal vouchers market;
- advised Société Générale on the acquisition of a key Bulgarian banking institution, First Investment Bank AD;
- advised Swissport in connection with the sale of equity shares from its Bulgarian subsidiary and creation of a joint venture with the biggest Bulgarian group in the aviation business;
- advised the French chain sport goods Decathlon in the course of its expansion on the Bulgarian market;
- successfully represented Sodexo Pass Bulgaria before the Bulgarian Antitrust Authority and the Supreme Court in a procedure for alleged violation by Sodexo and other companies of the antitrust rules consisting in prohibited concerted practices (cartel);
- advised Expur in the obtainment of a concentration clearance from the Bulgarian antitrust authority, required for execution of the acquisition by Expur of assets of Cargill Oils SA in the oil sector;
- introduced a new distribution model in Bulgaria of Limagrain Group – leading European company, specialized in seeds and cereals products;
- advises on a regular basis Reckitt Benckiser on various competition law issues;
- advises Swissport Bulgaria AD in a competition case concerning abuse of dominant position by Sofia Airport as well as in a competition case against Goldair Handling for price dumping policy based on an infringement of the Council Directive 96/67/EC;
- Advised Eurocopter (Airbus Helicopters) in its participation in a public procurement contract award procedure for technical and logistic servicing of AS 532 AL COUGAR helicopters;
- advises Sodexo Pass Bulgaria on all aspects of its participation and appeal of procurement award procedures in the field of food vouchers and social benefits delivery;
- Advised Veolia Energy, in relation to the structuring of the procurement tenders, assessment of the possibilities for joint procurement awards and putting in place of a central purchasing body, intra-group outsourcing of services etc.;
- advised the Bulgarian branch of SADE – Compagnie Generale de Travaux d'Hydraulique SA, France relating to its participation in various public procurements in Bulgaria for execution of construction activities in the water sector;
- assisted numerous renewable energy projects inducing due diligence, acquisition, construction and development of wind, hydro and solar power plants across the country.