Recently, the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice introduced a draft amendment to the Commerce Act (the "Amendment"). Amongst other proposed changes, the Amendment introduces a procedure for the reorganisation of companies, prior to their entering into an insolvency procedure.
A number of changes have been made to insolvency procedure to remove various discrepancies and controversial practices:
The general legal framework of existing Bulgarian insolvency law covers the core features recognised by the international insolvency community and takes account of EC Regula-tions and Directives. On the other hand, it does not always achieve the proper balance between the need to address the debtor’s financial difficulty as efficiently as possible and the interests of the creditors.
This article highlights some inefficiencies of the existing Bulgarian insolvency regime compared with international best practices.
Scope
The collection of the insolvency estate is one of the important phases of insolvency proceedings. The Bulgarian Commerce Act (Issue No. 48 dated 18 June 1991, as amended) (the “Act”) provides certain tools to facilitate the collection of funds and other assets in order to “maximise” the insolvency estate. One such tool is the ability of the insolvency administrator, or the creditors to the insolvency estate, to challenge the validity of acts and transactions performed by the insolvent company after the insolvency trigger date.
Under Bulgarian law, security interests over assets can be created by way of a pledge (залог) of chattels and receivables or a mortgage (ипотека) over real property.
The means of obtaining information on a person’s creditworthiness were broadened in 2011 by launching a pending execution proceedings register kept by the Bulgarian Private Bailiffs Chamber.
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.
Es exclusiva la competencia de los tribunales del Estado miembro en cuyo territorio se ha abierto un procedimiento de insolvencia para conocer de una acción revocatoria por insolvencia ejercitada contra un demandado cuyo domicilio se encuentra en otro Estado miembro.
Proposed amendments to the Recovery and Restructuring of Credit Institutions and Investment Intermediaries Act, effective as of 14 August 2015 (“Recovery and Restructurings Act”) provide that stress tests should be carried out for insurers and reinsurers. If approved by the Parliament, the changes will necessitate the organising and performing of stress tests for insurers and reinsurers within a tight timeframe, by the end of 2016.
A proposal to alter the guaranteed recovery of payments due to employees and workers when their employer becomes insolvent has been filed with Parliament.
The Labour and Social Policy Commission’s proposal aims to increase the protection for some employees and make it easier for them to recover any pay they are owed.
At present, the guarantee extends to all current and former employees and workers (whose contract was terminated during the last 3 months prior to insolvency), but is limited to 3 months’ earnings in the 6 months prior to insolvency.