Wessels Insolventierecht

Mercon Coffee Corporation and some of its international subsidiaries entered Chapter 11 in New York in December 2023, while its Netherlands-registered arm Mercon BV, the parent to some of the group debtors, launched WHOA proceedings in Amsterdam. With the New York court, Mercon drafted up a protocol based on the JIN Guidelines with some special provisions applicable to the case,… Read More »2024-04-doc3 The US-approved Mercon protocol and the Dutch courts / Part One

In the Netherlands, in a letter dated April 15, 2024 to the House of Representatives, Minister of Legal Protection Mr Weerwind (in outgoing /’demissionair’) addresses ‘Developments in insolvency law’. The ‘recalibration’ program (see https://bobwessels.nl/blog/2019-07-doc1-insolvency-legislative-developments-in-the-netherlands/) has ended, but for Dutch national insolvency several other themes need to be further investigated. The minister indicates that the ‘coming period’ (my impression from the… Read More »2024-04-doc2 Are the Dutch following the Model Law? Or: does the snail move?

Ensuring smoother electronic communication in cross-border judicial cooperation in civil, commercial and criminal matters is the aim of a recently-published regulation on the digitalisation of cross-border judicial cooperation and access to justice: Regulation (EU) 2023/2844. Among other things, the new regulation amends the EU’s Insolvency Regulation (EIR 2015). Published at the end of 2023, the Regulation 2023/2844 (with its accompanying… Read More »2024-02-doc2 EU embraces digitisation of national legal systems

In Europe, the availability of the EU Insolvency Regulation (Recast) (EIR 2015) serves as a solid rock in EU-related cross-border insolvency matters. The last five years, case law has been rather scarce. But in international insolvency practice the Regulation plays its role as tool to include when weighing options to arrive at pragmatic solutions. A first step in harmonising substantive… Read More »2024-02-doc1 Where is EU Insolvency Law heading in 2024?

A Dutch court’s approval of Diebold Nixdorf Dutch Holding BV’s WHOA scheme recently allowed it to achieve and implement a parallel restructuring plan in the United States. On 7 August, the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered the recognition and enforcement of Diebold Nixdorf Dutch Holding BV’s WHOA agreement, marking the first time a foreign judge… Read More »2023-12-doc1 The Dutch WHOA scheme as a successful tool in international restructurings

Under international law, a presumption of immunity applies to goods of a foreign state, which makes them untouchable by seizure. This rule has an exception in the event it has been established that the goods in question are being used by the foreign state, or are intended to be used, for purposes other than public ones. It is up to… Read More »2023-11-doc1 Sovereign Wealth Fund shares – Immune from execution?

On 29 August, Global Restructuring Review (GRR) reported that the Zeeland-West-Brabant District Court in the Netherlands had given its reasons for granting a “worldwide stay” (“Dutch court issues reasons for unprecedented Ch11-style stay”). To avoid confusion, what the Dutch court granted is a stay in the meaning of the local legislation of the WHOA (“afkoelingsperiode”). It is not an “automatic… Read More »2023-10-doc1 Who it the “foreign representative” under the Model Law (MLCBI)?

A recent case in April 2023 before the Netherlands Commercial Court attracted attention from lawyers all over the globe. The topic in simple words: can digital data be owned? Can it be the subject of property rights and, if so, can it be transferred to another party or be the subject of a security right? From the outset it should… Read More »2023-09-doc1 Can digitaldata be the subject of property rights?