IntroductionThe Act of 31 January 2009 on the Continuity of Enterprises entered into force on 1 April 2009 (the “Act”). The disappointing results of the Act of 17 July 1997 on Judicial Composition Proceedings (‘gerechtelijk akkoord’ / ‘concordat judiciaire’) led the Belgian legislature to reform the framework of measures available to undertakings encountering (financial) difficulties (of the type where Chapter 11 is used in the USA) ...
Last year, the European Commission initiated an inquiry into the pharmaceutical industry, claiming that there were indications that competition in the industry was not working as well as it should. Although responses to the preliminary report have been rather critical, from both the legal community and the industry itself, there are a few conclusions worth noting ...
In two recently published decisions, the College of Prosecutors (‘Auditorat’) ruled on requests for interim measures from Belgian Posters and Clear Channel against the granting by the Brussels-Capital Region of a public tender contract to JC Decaux (‘JCD’). Belgian Posters and Clear Channel claimed that JCD had a dominant position (or even a monopoly) in the market for theprovision of so-called ‘urban advertisement furniture' (e.g ...
Whether you are interested in purchasing assets or a going concern, bankruptcy court can be a land of opportunity. Assets may be sold by a trustee, or someone the trustee retains, in a Chapter 7 liquidation, or by a Debtor-in-Possession (a “DIP”) in a Chapter 11 reorganization case. In either case, you should expect a competitive bidding process ...
The codification of directors' duties under the Companies Act 2006 has brought directors' exposure to liability into sharp focus. This, along with extended rules on corporate governance, recent legislation, and increased shareholder awareness, means directors must evaluate the liability protection that is available to them. A company cannot, of course, indemnify directors against their own wrongdoing ...
Contents Can an employer trim its costs by changing one element of its employees’ remuneration ? Entering the “Zone of Insolvency“ - What to do ? Ecomonic slowdown - Some concrete financing indications and how to react CAN AN EMPLOYER TRIM ITS COSTS BY CHANGING ONE ELEMENT OF ITS EMPLOYEES’ REMUNERATION ? Valérie Korozs vkorozs@lavery ...
Basic Legal Aspects Portugal is a member of the European Union since 1986, being integrated in the Euro-Zone since its implementation. Hence, its national law, notably its business law, is in line with the European applicable common norms, namely those deriving of the freedom of establishment of undertakings. rights ...
Carmen Verdonck and Stefanie Vyncke wrote the chapter onBelgian Law in the 2009 edition of 'Getting The Deal Through: VerticalAgreements'. This updated edition examines the regulation of distribution practices in jurisdictions worldwide.Antitrust law1 ...
auto">On January 25, 2009, a new Bolivian constitution was approved by binding referendum. This new text comprises the seventeenth constitution enacted during the country’s 184 years of republican life. The new constitution brings forth a whole new system of government with changes both of form and substance ...
Many companies’s apply employment terms – either in a general commission plan or in the individual employment contract – which can entail major unforeseen costs in the form of retroactive claims from employees for holiday pay or pension payments. There are certain differences in judgement between companies which are bound by collective bargaining agreements and those companies which are not ...
Important changes in, inter alia, the Rights of Priority Act (Sw. förmånsrättslagen) entered into effect on 1 January 2009. For example, it becomes possible to use personal property of the business as collateral security for loans in businesses. Elisabeth Söderholm, associate at Delphi Lawfirm, Gothenburg, reports on the new rules ...
A new act on a European order for payment procedure has entered into force. The new rules are based on an EC regulation and apply side by side with the Swedish procedure for order for payments. The difference is that the European order for payment procedure applies in cross-border cases, i.e. when the claimant and the alleged debtor live in different member states ...
In the current market, it is important that creditors and debtors in difficult financial circumstances exploit the opportunities offered by corporate recovery. Delphi’s corporate recovery group mainly advises lenders and creditors, but also shareholders, boards and management teams ...
In June 2008 the Protection of Trade Secrets Committee, presented to Beatrice Ask, the Swedish minister of justice, their findings, Enhanced protection for trade secrets, SOU 2008:63. Delphi’s Henrik Bengtsson was an expert on the committee. Since the Act (1990:409) on the Protection of Trade Secrets (TSA) came into force almost twenty years ago, the conditions for enterprise have changed in many ways ...
It has now been clarified that a consultancy, which is not itself active on a certain market, can be found guilty of participation in an anti-competitive cooperation. This was decided by the Court of First Instance in a judgment from 8 July, 2008, T-99/04, AC-Treuhand AG v the European Commission. The judgment is unique in that it is the first time this principle has been upheld in any of the community courts ...
On 1 November 2008, a number of major changes were introduced to the Swedish code of judicial procedure, the law that regulates legal proceedings in court. The majority of the changes are aimed at speeding up the proceedings with the aim that the state will save costs for the legal system. The changes are referred to as "A more modern trial" in the committee report ...
Mind Your Belgian Distributor! FAQ on the Belgian Law of 27 July 1961 on the Unilateral Termination of Exclusive Distribution Agreements of Indefinite Duration. Belgium is one of the very few countries in the world with a specific legal regime for the termination of certain distribution agreements, in addition to a law on agency contracts ...
The amendments to Russian Federal Law “On the insolvency (bankruptcy)”, adopted and came into force in January, 2009, affected both general and procedural provisions of the Law. We at ALRUD Law Firm provide full professional service at the highest level for our clients therefore we ought to analyze the impact and the consequences of these substantial changes of the procedure of bankruptcy ...
The general increase of commercial disputes caused by the global economic crisis has resulted in growth of litigations involving debtors domiciled or with assets abroad. Though there are certain similarities between countries in the enforcement of judgment procedures, the creditor has to take state differences into account as well ...
Six months on from the implementation of sections 20 and 21 of the Road Safety Act 2006, and occupational road safety remains a significant cause for concern for employers. The Act introduced two new offences of causing death by careless driving and causing death whilst unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured, with offenders finding themselves facing up to five years’ imprisonment for what could be a momentary lapse of concentration ...
China's Anti-monopoly Law ("AML") became effective on 1 August 2008. This new piece of legislation has attracted attention worldwide because of its potential impact on foreign investments in China. This article will outline the key activities prohibited by AML and explain how AML will affect foreign investors. Three main types of activities are specified under AML, namely (1) monopoly agreements, i.e ...
The Bank of Portugal set up a regime to govern the advertising of the banking products and services that come under its supervision in Regulation No. 10/2008, of 9 December, which came into force on 1 January 2009. The Regulation builds on the general regime laid down in Articles 77 and 77-C of the General Credit Institutions and Financial Companies Regime (the RGIC), as most recently amended by Article 2 of Decree-Law 211-A/2008, of 3 November ...
In response to the current global financial crisis, on 9 October 2008, the Chairman of the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Supervisory Board (BAPEPAM-LK) issued a new regulation on buybacks of shares by public companies (Decree No. Kep-401/BL/2008 or Regulation No. XI.B.3). This new regulation provides fewer requirements than the previous regulation issued in 1998, Regulation No. XI.B.3 which remains valid ...
