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2019 was for many a year of waiting…we waited, and waited and indeed still wait…for Brexit. That inevitably has had an impact on the property world and in particular the investment market experiencing a degree of inactivity. Somewhat ironically though Brexit has given us one of several important decisions in 2019 relevant to the Real Estate Disputes world.

The Belgian legislature once again recently improved the statutory framework for business restructuring. Thus, any business - a broad concept that covers not only companies and non-profits but also independent contractors - in financial difficulty may request the opening of judicial reorganisation proceedings (procédure en réorganisation judiciaire), commonly referred to by insiders as "PRJ".

In BTI 2014 LLC v. Sequana SA & Ors [2019], the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court decision that dividends can be challenged as transactions defrauding creditors under the Insolvency Act 1986.

In BTI 2014 LLC v. Sequana SA & Others [2019], the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the High Court that dividends can be challenged as transactions defrauding creditors under section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the '1986 Act').

The first instance decision:

The Dutch Supreme Court today confirmed the decision of the Amsterdam Court of Appeals which found that the bankruptcy of Russian oil company Yukos cannot be recognised in the Netherlands because it came about in a manner which violates Dutch public policy. Today's decision marks the end of a court battle that lasted more than a decade. 

Claiming damages for the loss/harm sustained by a lessor as a result of the lessee’s insolvency (i.e. ”loss owing to vacancy” [leegstandschade]) is an issue that comes up again and again. The Dutch Supreme Court has rendered a series of rulings on this matter, the most recent of which dates from 17 February 2017. On 3 July 2018, the Court of Appeal in The Hague delivered its judgment after the case had been referred back to it.

We summarise the key legislative changes planned by government relating to insolvency and corporate governance and focus on what they mean for investors, including the private equity community

On 18 January 2017, EU Regulation n°655/2014 establishing a European Account Preservation Order ("EAPO") procedure became fully applicable in all Member States, with the exception of Denmark and the United Kingdom.

De Raad voor Onroerende Zaken ("ROZ") heeft op 4 juni 2018 een nieuw model voor de bankgarantie gepubliceerd. Het model voor de bankgarantie en de handleiding daarbij zijn te downloaden via de website van de ROZ.

Over the past few years, the Belgian legislature has consolidated various pieces of legislation regulating businesses into a single instrument: the Code of Economic Law (Wetboek van economisch recht/ Code de droit économique). Insolvency law has not escaped this trend. In the summer of 2017, the Belgian Parliament enacted Book XX of the Code of Economic Law, entitled "Insolvency of Undertakings" (hereinafter the "Insolvency Code").