Group of companies in insolvency and restructuring proceedings: common solutions for common problems. A comparative perspective

Corporate groups regardless of their structure are a common phenomenon in conducting business activity, therefore there was a need to address the problem of insolvency of such groups by legislators. The following paper presents regulations regarding corporate insolvency provided in both supranational acts (UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Insolvency and EU Regulation 2015/848 on insolvency proceeding), as well as in national laws of four EU Member States — Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal. As shown in the study, each of the above mentioned countries allows conducting insolvency proceedings with respect to corporate groups, albeit with some differences as to its basis (legal acts or legal practise), scope (coordination, procedural consolidation or substantial consolidation) and implementation (court jurisdiction and appointment of supervisory judges or insolvency practitioners). In the paper we compare the regulations adopted by the states in question and point out some obstacles for effective proceedings. Despite some differences, we find most of the solutions similar as they allow consolidation or coordination of cases, and they are in line with the European law on insolvency.

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