Status as of 3/11 11:40 am CET               

Table of content

The highly anticipated Supreme Court decision in Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (in Liquidation) v Michael J Lonsdale [2020] UKSC 25 has endorsed the use of adjudication in the context of insolvency set off, substantially reversing the decision of the Court of Appeal.

Suppliers are now prevented from terminating many contracts and supplies of goods or services if the customer is subject to a ‘relevant insolvency procedure’ (such as going into administration, CVA, or appointing a provisional liquidator).

This follows the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, which came into force on 26 June. Although Coronavirus has accelerated the passing of the Act, these are set to be permanent changes.

What can’t suppliers do?*

DAC Beachcroft's GC Horizon Scanner is a selection of legal and regulatory developments that we consider are the most interesting and relevant to General Counsel, senior managers and professionals, allowing them to keep abreast of issues which are likely to impact their business, prepare for opportunities and mitigate risks.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 came into force on 26 June bringing in measures to alleviate the burden on businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and allow directors to focus their efforts on continuing to operate. In this article we consider the temporary changes to the wrongful trading regime and other key changes introduced by the Act.

Temporary wrongful trading relaxation

The Government of Hungary has proposed an amendment to Act XLIX of 1991 on bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings (Insolvency Act) aiming to modernise the procedural rules of insolvency proceedings, for example by introducing communication via email and video conferences.

Technical reliefs

The first tentative steps are now being taken to ease the lockdown restrictions imposed on the nation as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and thoughts are turning to how we can return to “normal”. The construction sector is no exception but finds itself in a slightly different position to many businesses as sites were never required to close (provided that work could carry on “safely”). Nevertheless the impact of COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the finances of the construction sector and the viability of current and future projects.

Status as of 09/06 12:00 CET

Table of contents

On 28 May 2020, the Hungarian Government adopted amendments to the laws on company liquidation and forced deletion procedures to cushion the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

1. Changes related to liquidation

Liquidation is initiated when a company is unable to meet its financial obligations and pay off its debt. However, in Hungary, the courts do not apply an actual insolvency test before ordering liquidation but check only whether certain criteria have been met.

Status as of 16/09       

Table of Content