ITALY

BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA SpA

Monte dei Paschi di Siena (“Monte Paschi”) founded in 1472 and said to be the oldest bank in the world is, at the time of publication, in a race against the clock to raise EUR 5 billion in capital by the end of December to avoid either a state bail-out or potentially being wound down by the European Central Bank (“ECB”).

Major legislative changes

Reform of English corporate insolvency framework

The Insolvency Service is reviewing responses to its consultation on significant reforms designed to improve the restructuring tools available to companies. These include:

ECJ decides that rights in rem should be interpreted in accordance with German law, despite insolvency proceedings having been opened in France

In the recent case of SCI Senior Home (in Administration) v Gemeinde Wedemark, Hannoversche Volksbank eG, the Court of Justice of the European Union handed down judgment on the question of whether a right in rem created under national law should be considered a "right in rem" for the purposes of Article 5 of the Council Regulation (EC) 1346/2000 on insolvency proceedings (the "Insolvency Regulation").

La sentencia de 10 de noviembre de 2016 de la sala cuarta del TJUE se ha pronunciado sobre los requisitos que deben reunir las prendas de cuenta corriente para quedar cubiertas por el régimen de garantías financieras de la Directiva 47/2002.

El TJUE ha respondido a las cuestiones prejudiciales elevadas por el Tribunal Supremo de Letonia sobre el ámbito de aplicación de la Directiva, después de que los órganos de primera instancia y de apelación letones desestimaran la demanda interpuesta por una compañía letona frente a una entidad financiera.

Fraud victims and their legal counsel have gained an important, new tool for reaching across the Continent with a single ex parte order that will freeze bank accounts in multiple EU countries:  the new European Account Preservation Order. Under the EAPO, with a single freeze order, courts in any member state may, as part of any civil or commercial proceeding, freeze a debtors’ bank accounts up to a specified amount, EU-wide, with the except

Year in Review - Italian Law in 2016

Since the European Commission adopted the recommendation on restructuring and second chance in 2014, it has been working on the evaluation of its initiative and the introduction of a European legal framework. In 2015 the Capital Markets Union Action Plan included the announcement of a legislative initiative on early restructuring and second chance. Finally, on 22 November 2016, the European Commission published its proposal for a European Directive on preventive restructuring frameworks and a second chance for entrepreneurs.

On 22 November 2016, the European Commission announced a draft directive on insolvency, restructuring and second chance in the EU in the form of the EU Business Restructuring Directive (the “Proposed Directive“) which can be read here.

The European Commission has for the first time put forward its proposal[1] for a set of mandatory European Rules on business restructuring and insolvency. The proposal’s key objective is to reduce the significant barriers to the free flow of capital stemming from differences in member states’ restructuring and insolvency frameworks.

German insolvency law contains provisions that allow for the challenge of payments/securitisation of certain shareholder loans in insolvency proceedings. The reason for this is that under German insolvency law, a loan repayment claim of a shareholder against ‘his’ corporation is subordinated by law (sec. 39 para. 1 no. 5 German Insolvency Code).