Insolvency litigation witnessed intriguing developments across multiple aspects in Hong Kong in 2023, ranging from the court’s updated Practice Direction on Bankruptcy and Winding-Up Proceedings to on-going debate surrounding the interplay between insolvency proceedings and arbitration clauses. In this Legal Update, we examine major developments that unfolded. The key takeaways are: 1.
Under the Polish Restructuring Law, in principle an arrangement covers all claims against the debtor except for those expressly identified in the law as outside the arrangement. But sometimes it is not necessary to reach an agreement on all the debtor’s obligations in order to carry out an effective restructuring. This happens when the debtor only has difficulty servicing selected obligations that are otherwise essential to operation of its business. For such situations, parliament introduced the institution of a partial arrangement.
Executive Summary Executive Summry ○ 4월 총선에서 여당이 승리할 경우 상속/승계 세 부담 완화와 기업활동 지원을 위한 규제 완화에 속도가 붙을 것으로 전망됩니다. 반면 야당이 승리할 경우, 노동, 환경, 조세 분야 규제 강화를 위한 입법이 예상됩니다. 금융사고, 불완전 판매, 초과이익 등 금융회사 규제 강화는 여야 공통기조인 만큼 총선 이후에도 지속 추진될 전망입니다. ○ 11월 미국 대선에서 바이든-트럼프 간 재대결이 유력한 가운데 트럼프 당선 시 ▲대중 강 경노선 및 보호무역주의 회귀 ▲화석연료 중심의 에너지 정책 전환 ▲反이민정책 기조 등 미국의 통상·외교정책에 대대적인 변화가 예상됩니다. ○ 국내 전기차·배터리·반도체·신재생에너지 기업들의 대미(對美)·대중(對中)투자, 합작법인 설 립, 외국정부·기업과의 통상분쟁 이슈가 증가할 가능성이 있습니다. ○ 금융부문의 사회적 책임 이행에 대해 국회와 정부도 공감대를 가지고 있어, 은행 수익의 사회 환원을 위해 횡재세뿐만 아니라 상생금융 조성, 취약층 이자감면 등 다양한 방안이 마련될 것으로 예상됩니다.
Following the entry into force of the law of 7 August 2023 (the New Insolvency Law), the Luxembourg district court sitting in commercial matters (the Court) issued on 22 November 2023 the first decision opening judicial reorganisation proceedings (JRP) (Numéro du rôle: TALCH02/01416).
By Order no. 35527 of 19 December 2023, the Italian Court of Cassation ruled on the dismissal of a working mother ordered as a result of the cessation of the employer’s business activity following a declaration of bankruptcy, holding it to be void and ordering the employer to reinstate the employee and pay financial compensation.
The facts of the case
一、船舶留置权在破产程序中的行权基础
随着近年航运业的周期性下行，涉及航运企业的破产案件逐渐增多，部分海事海商领域的特殊权利在破产程序中的处理成为日渐重要的问题，船舶留置权便是其中之一。在航运企业破产案件中，通过留置船舶担保破产债权是船厂等保护自身利益的重要手段，遵循留置权规则与破产程序是船舶留置权实现的必须路径。
（一）留置船舶与交付破产财产
不论是特别法下的船舶留置权，还是一般法下的留置权，均以占有留置物为权利成立的前提。然而，《企业破产法》第17条规定，在破产案件受理后破产财产的持有人应将破产财产交付给管理人。如将作为破产财产的留置物交付给管理人，则留置权人不再直接占有留置物，留置权的成立因此收到挑战。
目前庭外债务重组的表决程序尚没有明确的强制性规定，其实质是债权人和债务人之间的协商合意，在债务人与债权人“单对单”的重组场景下，由债务人和债权人协商重组条件、签署重组文件，相关重组文件可以发生对债务人和债权人的约束。但在大型企业整体债务重组中，涉及较多的债务重组主体和数量较多的债权人。在各债权人存在不同诉求的情况下，可能无法达到百分之百债权人同意方案、签署重组协议，故如何高效、快速地完成整体重组方案的表决，以及表决通过的重组方案对投弃权票甚至明确反对的债权人是否有约束力，是债务重组实践中债务人和债权人均会关心且经常面临的实际问题。
一、庭外债务重组方案表决的程序探讨
（一）重组方案的表决程序概述
On 1 November 2023, the Luxembourg law of 7 August 2023 on business preservation and modernisation of bankruptcy law (the Restructuring Law) entered into force. Despite the new restructuring framework introduced thereby to provide relief to debtors in financial difficulties, the security interests granted under the Luxembourg law of 5 August 2005 on financial collateral arrangements (the Financial Collateral Law) remain a rock-solid tool offering legal certainty to lenders and practitioners.
HFW DISPUTES DIGEST 2023
Welcome to the second annual Disputes Digest, in which we collate our 2023 global HFW LITIGATION and International Arbitration publications in one place.
This edition includes updates from across our Disputes arena, including England and Wales, BVI, AsiaPac, and the Middle East.
As we turn to a new year, my wife and I like to reminisce about our best days and milestones of the prior year (for 2023, it was a huge celebration with our best friends for my wife’s birthday, an epic bike ride with our kids on a beautiful day in Kiawah, and seeing “the Boss” in concert in Greensboro). Professionally, I find myself thinking about my friend and mentor, George Cauthen, who reached a milestone and retired from the active practice of law in 2023.