Order no. 2014-326 dated 12 March 2014, applicable as of 1 July 2014, amends the rules on the prevention of business difficulties and on insolvency. The key highlights of the reform include:

•  power to issue an alert by the President of the Civil Court

New §L. 611-2-1 of the Commercial Code permits the President of the Civil Court (Tribunal de grande instance) to use, as can the President of the Commercial Court (Tribunal de commerce), the alert mechanism.

A codification of existing legislation, the French Code of Civil Execution Procedures entered into force on 1st June past, both as regards its legislative provisions (Order 2011-21895 of 19 December 2011), and regulatory provisions (Decree 2012-783 of 30 May 2012).

The notorious law 91-650 of 9 July 1991 reforming civil execution procedures, together with its implementing decree 92-755 of 31 July 1992, were abrogated.

(Cass. Com, Feb. 19, 2013, no. 12-13.662)

In the instant case, a lessee had been placed into receivership on September 27, 2010, and then into court-ordered liquidation on November 8, 2010. Subsequently, on December 28, 2010, the lessor had served the liquidator with notice of termination for nonpayment of the rents accrued since the opening of insolvency proceedings.