NOVEMBER 2020 Corona: directors’ duties and restructuring options in the BeNeLuCh Corona: directors’ duties and restructuring options in the BeNeLuCh I Introduction The rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is leading to far-reaching health and safety measures all around the world. For people at home, but also for businesses, this creates a situation of great uncertainty. Certain governments have taken (extensive) measures to help businesses and its employees.
On October 27, 2020, the National Labor Council (NLC) adopted a new set of recommendations (Advice no. 2.184 – you can find the full text here). These recommendations result from and are in line with the agreement reached by the social partners on December 17, 2019 (see our Alert of January 14, 2020).
The Court of Cassation recently delivered an important decision regarding the accounting and tax treatment of debt restructuring operations performed by way of a debt-equity swap. Although the decision has the merit of being clear, its effective consequences are that tax will remain a key consideration for deciding whether to perform such operation. One may wonder whether that is sensible at a time when company groups may have to envisage such operations to save related entities from bankruptcy.
Debt waiver - Basic principles
It is generally accepted that the last quarter of 2020 will be a risky period for many businesses. The reason for this is not far-fetched, although it is maybe a little too easy to put all the blame on Corona. In any case, it is no longer a disgrace to have to admit problems to pay all suppliers.
During lockdown period, many companies were still able to survive with the special government coronacrisis measures. But now, as these measures are being systematically phased out, risk of bankruptcy has increased.
Algemeen wordt aangenomen dat dit najaar een gevaarlijke fase wordt voor vele ondernemingen. Naar de reden daarvoor hoeven we niet ver te zoeken alhoewel het misschien een beetje te gemakkelijk is alle schuld in de schoenen van Corona te steken. Het is in alle geval al lang geen schande meer om te moeten toegeven dat het soms moeilijk is om alle leveranciers te betalen.
On entend de manière générale que cet automne sera une période dangereuse pour de nombreuses entreprises. Et il n'est évidemment pas nécessaire de chercher bien loin pour en connaître la raison, bien que la situation économique difficile actuelle ne trouve pas sa cause unique dans la crise subie suite au Coronavirus. En tout cas, il n’y a rien d’honteux à admettre que l’on peut avoir du mal à payer tous ses fournisseurs.
Restructurings, especially those involving multiple jurisdictions, are invariably complex matters. This CMS Expert Guide provides an overview of the various restructuring possibilities available in a large number of countries, allowing you to compare how the options are deployed in these jurisdictions.
We intend to update it periodically to reflect important changes as they happen.
If you need more information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
This guide provides a comparative analysis of certain key areas of law and procedure for those involved in or affected by financial distress of a corporation and the trading of distressed debt across Europe.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the way financial institutions address organizational and legal challenges. FIs are in a rush to address the impact – both current and emerging.
Our tracker contains an overview of changes made in light of the Covid-19 outbreak which impose restrictions on creditor rights, relax debtor obligations to file for insolvency or concern other insolvency-related issues. As you will appreciate, this is a dynamic situation, and both the measures announced and applicable legal framework will continue to evolve in the coming days, weeks and months