From an economic perspective, especially in the current business environment, contractual freedom is the best legal method to satisfy the legitimate interests of individuals and to ensure the general benefit and, consequently, social progress. From this point of view, in any activity, every business is seeking to make a profit. Achieving this depends on a series of determinant factors as well as a certain number of risks which any business should assume when implementing its objectives.
The Romanian legal framework on insolvency procedure has been consistently improved following the enactment of Insolvency Law no. 85 (Law 85), which entered into force on 21 July 2006.
Background
Since the enactment of the new insolvency law in 2006, its proceedings have been amended many times to improve and simplify bankruptcy. In the past few years, the economic downturn has caused more and more companies to request court protection with the hope of undergoing reorganisation, realising that insolvency need not be the death of the company but, rather, a second chance.
In the case, the insolvency proceedings had not been used for the purposes provided by Law 85/2006 on insolvency proceedings (Law 85) but for other purposes.
In May 2011 the Law on Consensual Financial Restructuring of the Companies (the Law) was enacted, bringing what appeared to be a new way out for the companies facing financial difficulties.
As of 13 August 2014, the amendments and supplements to the Insolvency Act [Zakon o stečaju] are in force, published in the Official Gazette of RS no. 83/2014 ("New IA").
The New IA shall not be implemented retroactively, and those insolvency proceedings that were ongoing on the day the New IA entered into force will be continued under the previously valid rules.
In general, the New IA has not introduced fundamental changes in the field of insolvency law.
A creditor may take security over a debtor’s assets under Serbian law in several ways.
Recent amendments to the Enforcement Procedure and the Interim Protection Act facilitate repayment in enforcement proceedings.
Introduction
Bills of exchange are mostly regulated by the sector specific act of 1946 (based on provisions of three 1930’s Geneva conventions). Provisions of other acts (eg, Obligation Code; Obligacijski zakonik) are used secondarily if the Bill of Exchange Act (Zakon o menici) does not contain applicable provisions.
The economic crisis presents a real-life test for the Slovenian insolvency legislation, unequalled in its young history. Numerous insolvency proceedings against Slovene companies have revealed several serious flaws of the Insolvency Act and forced the legislator into continuous amendments.
The Slovenian legislation includes the following types of in rem securities relating to: (i) real properties – mortgage (hipoteka), land debt (zemljiški dolg), real encumbrance (stvarno breme); and (ii) movables and property rights, respectively – pledge (zastavna pravica), retention of title (pridržek lastninske pravice), transfers by way of security (prenos v zavarovanje), and assignment by way of security (odstop v zavarovanje).