Belgium had accumulated a significant legislative backlog within insolvency law. The European Directive 2019/1023 on restructuring had to be transposed into national law by the member states by 17 July 2022 at the latest. The Belgian government did not submit a draft bill to this effect until 20 March 2023. This draft has since been voted into law and will enter into force on 1 September 2023.

Several amendments are being made to (among others) Book XX of the Belgian Economic Law. The main amendments are briefly discussed below.

The European Court of Justice’s (“ECJ”) Plessers judgment seemed to cause a serious threat for the applicability of the Belgian reorganisation procedure by transfer under judicial supervision, and the right of the interested buyer of the debtor’s activities to choose which particular employees it would take over (see hereand

On 11 November 2021, the CJEU (C-340/20) ruled that the freezing of assets and economic resources under the EU restrictive measures (economic sanctions) precludes protective measures by creditors. Therefore, creditors should proactively seek protective measures or rely on a sanctions regime’s exception.

Restrictive measures

This article reflects on some of the options offered under Belgian law by the actio pauliana, commonly referred to in English as the 'clawback' rules (for further details please see "Reservation of title: legal guidelines and practical tips" and "

Introduction

A previous article discussed the effects of a company's insolvency on its administrators (for further details please see "The personal bankruptcy of company administrators"). This article examines the effects of a bankruptcy between spouses and focuses on the waiver of remaining debts after the closure of the bankruptcy.

Introduction

Introduction

In an insolvency situation, the fate of ongoing contracts is something to be discussed. Such contracts are often closely linked to the essence of a company's business. For example, for (commercial) leases, the lessor's bankruptcy or the tenant's judicial reorganisation will probably result in discussions about the agreement, its (forced) execution and rental payment.