EU member states’ different and unharmonized insolvency and restructuring laws have long been regarded as one of the greatest obstacles to the free movement of capital in the EU. That is within the EU in general and to cross-border investments from third countries. On 7 December 2022, the European Commission… Read More »2025-04-doc1 The European pre-pack is slowly being unpacked
Last week I reported on LinkedIn that available documents from the 17th century showed that Rembrandt used three etching presses throughout his life. In response to a question from an English artist, I addressed the etching press that (may or may not) have been part of his bankrupt estate in… Read More »2025-03-doc2 Rembrandt’s insolvency estate: the etching press?
In the European Union (EU), to have an insolvency proceeding recognised in another member state, everything comes down to having the specific proceeding listed in Annex A of the Insolvency Regulation (Recast). The system has grown to become a mockery of a sound and efficient system of European insolvency law.… Read More »2025-03-doc1 Annex A and the erosion of European insolvency law
Is continuïteit een doel van het privaatrecht? Dat is het door de jaren heen wél voor een groep van rechten-docenten van de Erasmus School of Law, Afdeling Law & Business, tezamen met een jaarlijks wisselende groep van hun master-studenten. Voor mij ligt het (alweer) zeventiende deel in de Jonge Meesters-reeks… Read More »2025-02-doc2 Doelmatig privaatrecht – Rotterdamse Jonge Meesters bundel
European policies can influence current and new initiatives for EU regulations. What does 2025 have in store? On 27 November 2024, the European Parliament voted in favour of a new College of Commissioners proposed by President Ursula von der Leyen at the start of her second term as head of… Read More »2025-02-doc1 Insolvency and restructuring: what will the European Commission be doing in 2025?
Former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi published in September 2024 his longawaited report, “The future of European competitiveness”. It sets out its already widely discussed competitiveness strategy for Europe. Draghi, who became known as the saviour of the Euro during the Euro crisis, has proposed the creation of an… Read More »2025-01-doc1 Towards a new EU-wide legal statute for an Innovative European Company
At the end of October, a Dutch court dismissed a claim by a group of affected shareholders of Brazilian oil company Petrobras, ending a case that has been spanning for some 10 years. The shareholders will not receive compensation for price drops (“koersverlies”) caused by a bribery scandal in the… Read More »2024-12-doc5 Dutch court rules on foreign directors’ liability in landmark Petrobras case
Bork and Mangano. Without a doubt, the editors of this book, Prof. Reinhard Bork (Germany) and Prof. Renato Mangano (Italy), are among the most productive European scholars in the broad field of insolvency law. I’ve reviewed several of their writings (consult my blog: www.bobwessels.nl). These are among the most instructive… Read More »2024-12-doc4 The Anatomy of Corporate Insolvency Law
Het verging mij een beetje als op een dag dat je meest favoriete ontbijtbeleg opeens in een nieuwe verpakking op tafel staat. Is de smaak nog hetzelfde? Waarom die nieuwe emballage eigenlijk? Op de Wolters Kluwer site staat dat alle delen van Tekst & Commentaar een nieuwe ‘look & feel’… Read More »2024-12-doc3 T&C Insolventierecht 14 druk 2024
Recently I received a book (232 pages), titled “Cross-Border Insolvency Proceedings”, with the subtitle “Policies and Directives in the European Union”. The publication presents in its core an analysis of the effectiveness of European Union cross-border insolvency proceedings. Evidently, its accent is on the development of cross-border insolvency proceedings established… Read More »2024-12-doc2 Cross-border insolvency through Lithuanian eyes