Author: Veronika Cukrov

At a time when companies across Europe are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence, regulation is becoming one of the most critical business priorities.

This underscores the significance of the accolade presented to Veronika Cukrov at the Leaders in Law Global Awards 2026. She has been named AI Expert of the Year in Slovenia & the EU for her outstanding work in implementing European artificial intelligence regulations.

“The greatest risk today is not that a company doesn’t use AI. The risk is using it without rules, oversight, and clear accountability,” emphasizes Veronika Cukrov.

This issue is becoming increasingly critical with the enforcement of the EU AI Act, Europe’s first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence. While certain obligations are already in effect, a substantial portion of the requirements for high-risk AI systems will become mandatory on August 2, 2026. Non-compliance carries severe penalties, with fines reaching up to €35 million or 7% of a company’s global annual turnover.

According to Veronika Cukrov, the most successful organizations in the long run will be those that deploy AI responsibly—backed by clear internal policies, proper oversight, and strict regulatory compliance.

This award recognizes her years of expertise in AI law, European regulation, data protection, and technology risk management, as well as her vital contribution to shaping responsible AI practices within the business sector.

At the recent 2nd Conference on Public Procurement in Practice, organized by Tax-Fin-Lex and held on May 11 and 12, 2026, in Portorož, our law firm actively participated with a specialized presentation. In the lecture titled Artificial Intelligence in Public Procurement: Where We Are Today and Where We Are Going, we addressed a highly topical and pressing issue that is rapidly reshaping the modern legal and business environment. The integration of advanced technologies poses numerous complex questions, which we already deal with extensively and in depth within our daily legal practice, ensuring our clients receive expert guidance through all contemporary challenges in the field of public procurement.

In 2025, we as a law firm achieved a great deal:

• four victories before the Constitutional Court in the field of real estate,
• several wins in multimillion-euro compensation disputes,
• victories before the National Review Commission for Public Procurement,
• and successes that cannot be measured solely by court decisions.

The legal profession is not a contest of strength. Victories are won by the mind.
A mind that sees wider.
A mind that stays calm when everyone else doubts.
A mind that protects, guides, and never gives up.

I am proud of our team — not only for the results, but also because with unseen dedication they carry the weight of other people’s stories and turn them into solutions.
And I am grateful to our clients for their trust, for sharing their hardest moments with us.

The year 2025 proved that the greatest battles are not won loudly.
They are won with the mind, with heart and with unwavering persistence.

As we enter 2026, we do so with a clear goal: to continue delivering results that speak for themselves.

Vesna Cukrov, attorney and director of Cukrov Law Firm

𝐋𝐀𝐖 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌 𝐂𝐔𝐊𝐑𝐎𝐕

Multiple-time winner before the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia and in the most complex commercial disputes. With personal experience from supervisory boards, chairing the National Review Commission, managing companies, acting as a court expert, and other key functions – opens doors to the selected within the CUKROV ACADEMY.

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Vesna Cukrov guides her practice and leadership of the law firm through the core principles of loyalty, precision, and professional perseverance, firmly believing that close attention to detail and dedicated advocacy are what shape legal outcomes and build lasting trust. This commitment to exceptional standards and results drives her approach both in courtrooms and at the negotiating table, where success is never a matter of chance, but the direct result of hard work and expertise.

Furthermore, August 11th serves as an important historical reminder, marking exactly 80 years since Slovenian women gained the right to vote. This milestone remains a lasting testament to the importance of courage and equality, values that we actively uphold and champion every day, both in society and within the legal profession.

The Team of Cukrov Law Firm

With immense pride, we announce that the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia has sided with the Law Firm Cukrov and annulled the provisions of spatial plans that unlawfully changed the designated use of land from building to agricultural.

With this decision, on behalf of SDH, d.d., Mercator, d.o.o., Rovanova, d.o.o., and Roltek, d.o.o., we have secured the protection of legal certainty, proportionality, and private property, as the municipality had altered land use without an adequate professional basis.

📽️ Watch the video in which Vesna Cukrov, founder of the Law Firm Cukrov, court expert in law, and former president of the National Review Commission, explains the significance of these decisions and their impact on future cases!

The European Commission has initiated an infringement procedure against the Republic of Slovenia under case number INFR(2025)4011. The procedure concerns the alleged non-compliance of provisions in the Pharmacy Services Act with Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement.

The amendments to the Pharmacy Services Act reportedly allow public pharmacy institutions to procure medicines without using public procurement procedures. The European Commission considers such regulation a breach of fundamental EU law principles, particularly the principles of transparency, competition, and efficiency in the use of public funds.

As part of the initiated procedure, Slovenia has received a formal notice and must respond within two months. If the Commission is not satisfied with the response, it may issue a reasoned opinion as the next step in the preliminary procedure before a potential lawsuit before the Court of Justice of the EU.

Yesterday, we attended the charity event organized by the Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija at Križanke as donors. Once again this year, the event was carried out with great dedication and warmth, under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, who emphasized the importance of human connection and helping those in greatest need.

This year’s focus was on the mental distress of young people – an increasingly pressing issue that is still too often overlooked.

Sincere thanks to the Lions Club Ljubljana Ilirija for your annual efforts and for your continued commitment to bringing people together and helping others.