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+386 (0) 8 20 59 630

tajnistvo@cukrov.eu

Law firm Cukrov

Tivolska cesta 48, 1000 Ljubljana

Co-authors of the Chambers Global Practice Guides 2026.
In 2025 alone, we achieved four landmark victories at the Constitutional Court of Slovenia.

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Founder Vesna Cukrov

Founder and Managing Director of Cukrov Law Firm

She knows the law from every side of decision-making.

President of the National Review Commission (DKOM). Chair of the HSE Supervisory Board. Co-author of the ZJN-3 commentary. Attorney and court-appointed expert. Judiciary and prosecution service.

Vesna Cukrov is the founder and managing director of Cukrov Law Firm. Her career connects the judiciary, state administration, law-making, decision-making on legal protection in public procurement procedures and corporate governance in the energy sector. As President of the National Review Commission for Reviewing Public Procurement Award Procedures and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o., she has served in positions where law meets responsibility for decision-making, the public interest and strategic business decisions.

Her involvement in drafting legislation, her co-authorship of the commentary on the Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3) and her work in a range of institutional settings give her a breadth that goes beyond knowledge of the rules. She understands how legal rules are made, how they are applied and how they affect decisions in practice. Today she brings this understanding to her work as an attorney, combining legal precision, strategic perspective and consistent representation of her clients’ interests.

International professional references

In 2026, together with Veronika Cukrov, she co-authored the Slovenian chapters of the Chambers Global Practice Guides 2026: International Arbitration – Law and Practice and Trends and Developments.

International awards

In 2021 and 2025, she received two awards from the international legal organisation Leaders in Law: “Global Awards 2021 winner” and “Public Procurement Expert of the year in Slovenia”.

Career

Judiciary and prosecution service

Vesna Cukrov began her career in the judiciary, at the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Ljubljana and the Higher Court in Ljubljana. Her knowledge of how the prosecution service and the courts work is an important part of her professional foundation and complements her understanding of legal proceedings, judgment and decision-making.

Ministry of Justice

From 1998 to 2004 she served at the Ministry of Justice, first as State Undersecretary and then as Secretary, heading the Logistics and Investment Sector for Judicial Bodies throughout. She took part in drafting legislation and designing legal solutions, and dealt with questions of the organisation and functioning of the judicial system. In this way she was directly involved in shaping the rules and solutions that govern how state institutions operate.

National Review Commission

Before her appointment as President, Vesna Cukrov was a member of the National Review Commission for Reviewing Public Procurement Award Procedures (DKOM). In 2008 the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia appointed her President of the Commission, which she led until the end of her term.

At DKOM she was also involved in drafting public procurement legislation. Her work combined deciding on legal protection in public procurement procedures with direct involvement in shaping the legal rules that govern the field. This combination of legislative and adjudicative experience is an important part of her expertise in public procurement and concessions.

Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o.

Vesna Cukrov was a member, Deputy Chair and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o., and Chair of the Supervisory Board’s Restructuring Committee.

Her work on the supervisory board of one of Slovenia’s key energy companies deepened her understanding of corporate governance, strategic decisions, the responsibilities of management and supervisory bodies, and the legal and business challenges of the energy sector.

Business and academia

She also worked at DDC, today DRI – Investment Management, Infrastructure Development Company, and at the School of Economics and Business of the University of Ljubljana.

Her career connects the judiciary, state administration, legislation, public procurement, business, infrastructure and energy. It is the breadth of this experience that allows her to assess legal questions from the perspective of the rules as well as from the perspective of decision-making, business objectives and practical consequences.

Core practice areas

In her practice, Vesna Cukrov focuses on legal questions where regulation, the public interest, complex investments and business decisions intersect.

  • Public procurement and concessions – advice and representation in complex public procurement procedures, review procedures and concession relationships.
  • Infrastructure – legal support for infrastructure projects and investments, and resolution of complex legal issues related to their planning and implementation.
  • Energy and healthcare – advice on legal and regulatory issues in the energy and healthcare sectors.
  • Commercial law – advising companies on important business decisions, complex legal relationships and the management of legal risks.

Publications and professional work

Vesna Cukrov is co-author of the commentary on the Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3), published in 2016 by Tax-Fin-Lex. She also took part in drafting legislation at the Ministry of Justice and the National Review Commission.

She lectures occasionally and takes part in professional conferences in the fields covered by Cukrov Law Firm. She is also a member of the editorial board of TFL, a professional journal for law, taxation and finance.

Education and professional qualifications

  • She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, where she followed the international law track.
  • She passed the state bar examination.
  • She is entered in the register of court-appointed experts of the Ministry of Justice for law – public procurement.
  • She holds a certificate of competence for members of management and supervisory boards of commercial companies.

Memberships and professional affiliations

  • Bar Association of Slovenia
  • Slovenian Directors’ Association
  • Managers’ Association of Slovenia (Združenje Manager)
  • Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija
  • AEA International Lawyers Network
  • Editorial board of TFL – law, taxation and finance

Languages

English, German, Croatian and Serbian.

Personal

Vesna Cukrov inherited her love of law in childhood from her mother, Marjana Lubej, Master of Laws from the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana and former director of several major companies, including Tkanina d.d.

While studying at the Faculty of Law she worked for the news programme of RTV Slovenija. In her free time she devotes herself to painting and charity work, including as a member of the Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija.

Vesna Cukrov

About us

We know the law from every side of the table.
We understand decision-making.
We set the framework.
We do not collect cases. We choose them.

Cukrov Law Firm

Tivolska cesta 48, 1000 Ljubljana

+386 (0) 8 20 59 630
We receive clients by prior appointment.

+386 (0) 8 20 59 631

tajnistvo@cukrov.eu

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Odvetniška družba Cukrov o.p., d.o.o., Tivolska cesta 48, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia · Court register: Srg 2013/1898 · Share capital: EUR 7,500 · VAT ID: SI 81931506 · Registration no.: 6297242000 · Activity code: 69.101
EnglishSlovenia

Constitutional law

Here, more is decided than the individual case. The ruling sets the standard by which all later cases will be judged.

We represent clients in precedent-setting constitutional matters that influence the development of the standards of legal judgment.

This is a field of rare cases with the widest reach, where a decision extends beyond the client and shapes the law going forward.

In 2025, the Constitutional Court published four landmark decisions in our clients' favour, finding municipal spatial plans unconstitutional and significantly strengthening the protection of private property against arbitrary interference by municipalities and the state, in the cases of SDH (U-I-265/22), Mercator (U-I-218/22), Roltek (U-I-268/22) and Rovanova (U-I-269/22).

Four decisions in a single year – at the highest level of judicial review.

EU law

More and more of the rules that matter to Slovenian companies are made not in Ljubljana, but in Brussels and Luxembourg. And we know how to act there.

We advise and represent clients in matters with an EU-law dimension, from the interpretation of directives and regulations to proceedings before the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

For us, European law is not a distant framework but the working environment in which we actually operate.

The field is led by Veronika Cukrov, who pursued further studies in European law at the Academy of European Law (ERA) and, as part of a wider team, took part in an action before the Court of Justice of the EU.

An understanding of EU law connects all our practice areas, from public procurement and competition to artificial intelligence.

Regulation and the Competition Protection Agency (AVK)

The market has its own rules and its own guardian. Those who understand both are never caught off guard when it matters most.

We conduct regulatory proceedings across various fields and advise on competition law and on matters with an impact on the market, including allegations of cartel conduct and questions of exposure to competition.

Our track record speaks for itself.

In the matter of alleged cartel conduct in the construction of UKC Maribor, we secured the annulment of the AVK's decision before the Administrative Court, after which the Agency discontinued the proceedings.

For Slovenske železnice – Tovorni promet we successfully conducted a procedure in which the AVK found that rail freight transport in Slovenia is directly exposed to competition.

We pursued the matter all the way to the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the most heavily regulated systems in the country, and one in which legal decisions have a direct impact on people.

We address systemic questions of healthcare, regulation and the organisation of health services, including relations with the sector's regulators and agencies.

We work on matters involving the sector's key regulators, including JAZMP, the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices.

We understand healthcare as a system, not as a series of separate cases.

Energy

Energy is not merely an industry. It is critical infrastructure on which the functioning of the state depends.

We advise on regulation, energy systems and critical infrastructure, where legal questions intertwine with the public interest, security of supply and long-term investment cycles.

We know the sector from the inside: Vesna Cukrov served on the supervisory board of Holding Slovenske elektrarne, one of the largest companies in the country – as a member, deputy chair and chair.

Veronika Cukrov is also a PhD candidate in energy law.

We do not advise the energy sector from the outside, but with an understanding of how such a system actually works and makes decisions.

Vesna Cukrov, public procurement lawyer and former President of the National Review Commission (DKOM)

Infrastructure and investment

Projects of national importance leave no room for improvisation. Every mistake costs years and millions.

We specialise in infrastructure, investment delivery and construction, acting for both contracting authorities and bidders.

We advise contracting authorities at every stage of investment preparation: from land acquisition, building permits and project documentation to contract drafting, with one aim: to prevent disputes before they arise.

We help bidders win contracts, prepare and review contracts, and protect their interests.

Where a dispute cannot be prevented, we represent clients in court proceedings and in claims for damages.

We have been involved in most major infrastructure investments in Slovenia, including projects of national importance on the largest scale.

These are environments where law, economics and the public interest are interwoven.

Advising supervisory and management boards

Decisions at the top cannot be undone.

We provide management and supervisory boards with dedicated strategic legal advice on decisions involving significant responsibility and long-term consequences for the company.

We understand board members' responsibility, risk assessment and the weight of a resolution from first-hand experience, not only from the law that governs them.

This field is led by Vesna Cukrov, who served a full term on the supervisory board of Holding Slovenske elektrarne – as a member, deputy chair and chair – and who holds a certificate of qualification for members of management and supervisory boards.

The advice you receive comes from someone who has sat in that chair, not from theory.

Vesna Cukrov, public procurement lawyer and former President of the National Review Commission (DKOM)

AI and European regulation

Artificial intelligence does not wait for the law to catch up. We anticipate where the law is heading.

We lay the legal foundations for the responsible and compliant adoption of artificial intelligence within the framework of European regulation, from risk assessment and AI governance to the implementation of the AI Act in everyday business practice.

The field is led by Veronika Cukrov, recognised by Leaders in Law in 2026 as AI Expert of the Year in Slovenia & the EU, for her work at exactly this intersection of artificial intelligence, its governance and European regulation.

She speaks regularly on these questions at home and across Europe, in the forums where European law is still being shaped.

We do not just help clients comply with yesterday’s rules. We show them where regulation is heading.

Veronika Cukrov, public procurement and artificial intelligence (AI) legal expert, Law Firm Cukrov
AI Expert of the Year in Slovenia & the EU

National Review Commission (DKOM), public procurement and concessions

Public procurement is a discipline in which every detail can be decisive, and successful representation in minor-offence proceedings calls for highly specialised expertise.

Vesna Cukrov chaired the National Review Commission, is the co-author of the commentary on the Public Procurement Act (ZJN-3), published in 2016 by Tax-Fin-Lex, and is a court-appointed expert in law and public procurement.

For this field, Odvetniška družba Cukrov received recognition from the international organisation Leaders in Law in 2021 and 2025: "Global Awards winner" and "Public Procurement Expert of the Year in Slovenia".

We represent both bidders and contracting authorities at every stage of public procurement and concession-award procedures: in preparing tender documentation and bids, in negotiations and the conclusion of contracts, in requests for review and legal opinions in complex cases, and in proceedings before the National Review Commission.

We are particularly successful in minor-offence proceedings in this field and in defending against allegations of criminal fraud affecting the EU's financial interests.

We do not just read the commentaries on public procurement law. We helped write them.

Vesna Cukrov, public procurement lawyer and former President of the National Review Commission (DKOM)