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INSOL Europe news and offers
June 2018: Conference News & Updates

Dear Members

June has been a very busy and fruitful month for us. A year of work has come to fruition with our Eastern European Countries' Committee Conference in Latvia, Riga... More than 100 delegates attended this successful event. Approximately one third of the Latvian insolvency practitioners participated in the Conference and we have also seen a considerable number of bank representatives and members of the Latvian Ministry of Justice. We were fortunate enough to have as a keynote speaker the Latvian Minister of Justice, Mr. Dzintars Rasnacs, who gave a wonderful speech about the challenges that the insolvency field has faced and overcome, presenting a positive outlook on the hidden opportunities within this field. As we have seen daily in our work and also in the news a few weeks ago, being an insolvency practitioner can be particularly difficult.
 
The Conference’s dynamic technical programmme gave us a peek into the future regarding the latest developments in the adoption of the Proposal for a Directive on Restructuring, Insolvency and Second Chance and its transposition into the national law during Mrs. Salla Saastamoinen’s presentation, as she works for the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission. The speakers also examined the implementation of the new Insolvency Regulation, the Baltic insolvency law, the Personal Bankruptcy provisions across EU, comparatively, the avoidance transaction regimes in the EU, the strength of the insolvency network and a case- study on restructuring.
 
Later, on 13 June, a seminar organised by INSOL Europe, INSOL International and the Finnish Insolvency Law Association took place in Helsinki, Finland. More than 100 persons attended the stimulating programme which included themes such as the basic principles for harmonisation under the EU Draft Directive and the Nordic-Baltic recommendation, multinational enterprise groups and cross-border restructuring and insolvency issues, and other hot topics in insolvency and restructuring in the region.

We are looking forward to the 2018 INSOL Europe Annual Congress – Breaking the Chains – which will take place in Athens, Greece, from 4-7 October.

Our Annual Academic Forum Conference will also take place alongside the event from 3-4 October in the same venue. We are pleased to invite you all to attend this wonderful event!
 
Looking forward to seeing you there,

Radu Lotrean
President of INSOL Europe

 

 

Radu Lotrean
President of
INSOL Europe

 

This issue is kindly sponsored by:
 

LETT

DLA Piper is a global law
firm with lawyers located
in more than 40 countries throughout the world.


www.dlapiper.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riga 2018: A Baltic Revolution in Restructuring and Insolvency 

Latvia’s capital city, Riga, adorned with the beautiful architecture of the Art Nouveau period, played host to our 14th EECC Conference. The one-day event, on Friday 1 June, was preceded by a welcome dinner in the heart of the Old City, offering an exceptional view over the landmarks of the city centre. Also greeting the many attendees and guests was the warm weather, hitting a high of 26C in the week of the conference, quite exceptional for June in the Baltics.

Following opening remarks by Radu Lotrean (President of INSOL Europe; EECC Co-Chair), noting the important role of the EECC event in increasing awareness of European developments and reform initiatives at local and regional levels, the keynote speech was given by the Latvian Minister of Justice, Dzintars Rasnačs, who celebrated the happy coincidence in timing of the EECC event with the end of a phase of local reforms, which had taken place over a 3-year period. The Minister was confident that the current wave of reforms has left Latvian practitioners with better and improved legal frameworks for carrying out their activities.

The substantive agenda of the day saw technical sessions devoted to the Proposal for a Directive on restructuring, insolvency and second chance, theoretical and practical aspects of the Recast European Insolvency Regulation viewed through the Niki Air case-study, a Baltic and comparative perspective on transaction avoidance provisions, personal bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, seen through a case study involving the Baltic automotive supplier Sedis and, finally, the role of the practice and policy framework supporting insolvency law. To round off a long day of interesting and thought-provoking presentations, there followed a traditional networking and drinks event in the Skyline Bar affording delegates convivial company and spectacular views over the city. Photos of the event are published on our website here.

A full report will be published in the Summer edition of Eurofenix.

Annual Congress 2018, Athens: Early booking deadline

Last chance to register at the early booking rate!

Make sure you register before 1 July to qualify for the early booking discount.

Congress Accommodation

This year the Congress will be held at the Hilton Athens Hotel where we have arranged a special rate for delegates. Hilton Athens is in the centre of Athens, just a short walk from the upmarket district of Kolonaki with steps to Metro station, linking directly to the airport and beyond. There are impressive views of the Acropolis and city from many rooms and the rooftop Galaxy Bar and a Spa with fitness centre, salon, heated indoor pool and a large outdoor pool. Click here to reserve your room at the special rate.

We also have a number of rooms put aside at the Best Western Ilisia Hotel, just 2 minutes from the Hilton, at a special rate for delegates. These may be reserved by contacting ilisia@ath.forthnet.gr and quoting “INSOL Europe Congress 2018”.

Download the
Registration Brochure.

Register here!

We look forward to seeing you in Athens for our 37th Annual Congress!

 

Call for Expressions of Interest: Copenhagen Congress 2019

 

 

The Technical Committee for the INSOL Europe 2019 Congress which will be held in Copenhagen from 26-29 September 2019 invites all INSOL Europe members to express their interest to participate as speakers at our flagship event.
 
All expressions of interest should be sent to the Secretary to the INSOL Europe Conference Technical Committees, Emmanuelle Inacio, and should indicate: 

  1. the speaker’s nationality, affiliation and qualifications,
  2. the topic on which the speaker would be interested in speaking, and 
  3. a short statement as to what unique or compelling perspective the speaker would like to bring to the congress. 

The Technical Committee seeks in particular proposals from speakers who have not been speakers at the last two Annual Congresses. 
 
Expressions of interest should be sent as early as possible, and no later than 15 September 2018. All expressions of interest will be considered by the Technical Committee, although due to the large number the Committee expects to receive, the Committee likely will not be able to accommodate all, or even most, requests.

Michala Roepstorff (Plesner, Denmark) & Florian Bruder (DLA Piper, Germany)
Co-chairs of the INSOL Europe’s 2019 Copenhagen Congress

 
Special Offers for Members of INSOL Europe

We have arranged many special offers for our members, including exclusive discounts on publications and events as well as special rates for advertising in Eurofenix, our quarterly journal. These are often time limited and updated regularly on the Members Offers section of the website.

Offers are changed regularly and currently include:

  • 20% discount off selected titles from Oxford University Press
  • 10% discount off an individual subscription to Global Restructuring Review
  • A discounted 'Pro' profile on SpeakerHub
  • Practical Law - access to Global Guides
Read more

 

INSIDE Story: The development of Insolvency Law in Kosovo

Following the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, the country’s governing structures including its banking system had collapsed. The rush to establish legal frameworks and governing mechanisms caused gaps in various areas. One of those areas was insolvency proceedings. Four years after the war ended, in 2003, the provisional Self-Government of Kosovo adopted the UNMIK Regulation No. 2003/7 on Liquidation and Reorganization of Legal Persons in Bankruptcy. In 2016, this Regulation was replaced by the Law on Bankruptcy, which was adopted by the Kosovo Parliament. 

This law has been harmonized with EU Regulation 2015/848 on insolvency proceedings (recast). The new Law on Bankruptcy includes many features left out by the previous regulation. The adoption of this law was positively evaluated, as a result of which Kosovo improved its position in the World Bank Doing Business Report, jumping from 163rd to 43rd place. In addition, in March this year, the Parliament of Kosovo adopted the new Law on Business Organizations, which regulates bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings for limited liability companies, joint stock companies, the enforcement of creditor claims on a limited liability company subject to voluntary dissolution as well as protection of creditors upon a cross-border merger. Yet, the enforcement of the new laws remains questionable, leaving interested parties confronting unwritten practices in the context of different insolvency procedures.

Drini Grazhdani, Legal Specialist, USAID/Millennium DPI Partners, writes our Inside Story this month. Read the full Inside Story and other articles here.

If you would like the opportunity to have your Inside Story published in a future edition, please email Communicatons Manager, Paul Newson for details.

Council Elections 2018: Time to make your nominations
 

This is the time of year when we consider retirements from and elections to our Council.

Countries with 30 or more members are entitled to a reserved seat on Council and in October this year, vacancies will arise for the following:

France: As Marc Senechal will have completed his 2nd and final 3-year term of office.

Germany: As Frank Tschentscher will have completed his first 3-year term of office but may stand again for election against other candidates.

Spain: As Vicente Estrada will have completed his first 3-year term of office but may stand again for election against other candidates.

Members from France, Germany and Spain have been sent an email requesting nominations for candidates from their own country. 

In the meantime, one non-reserved seat vacancy on Council (which may be occupied by any country) will also become available following the appointment of Piya Mukherjee (Denmark) as Vice President in October last year. Members have been sent a form to make a nomination.

All nomination forms must be completed and signed by members wishing to stand for election and must then be proposed and seconded by two current INSOL Europe members. The proposer and seconder must complete and sign the same form in the spaces indicated and the form should then be returned to the address below or may be sent by email to carolinetaylor@insol-europe.org, to arrive no later than 21 July 2018. All nominations must be accompanied by a photograph and curriculum vitae of the candidate. The CVs of all nominees will then be circulated to the membership in order to cast their vote. 

 
Richard Turton Award 2018: Last chance to enter!

 

The Richard Turton Award provides an educational opportunity for a qualifying participant to attend the INSOL Europe Annual Congress, all expenses paid, which this year will take place in Athens (Greece) in October.

The award is open to applicants who:

  • Work in and are a national of a developing or emerging nation;
  • Work in or are actively studying insolvency law and practice;
  • Are under 35 years of age at the date of the application; and
  • Have sufficient command of spoken English to benefit from the conference technical programme.

The successful applicant will be asked to write a paper of 3,000 words on a subject of insolvency and turnaround to be agreed with the panel. This paper will then be published in summary in one or more of the Member Associations' journals and in full on their websites. 

For full details including the closing date for entries, visit our website.

 
Forthcoming Events: July 2018
 

 
 
Globalisation at the heart of the 2018 International Young Lawyers’ Congress in Brussels: The International Association of Young Lawyers – AIJA, is hosting the 56th International Young Lawyers’ Congress from 28 August to 1 September 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. Registrations are open and early bird fees are available until 5 July.
 
More than 700 young legal practitioners will gather from around the world in Brussels to discuss how globalisation is changing the practice of law. This year’s theme will be: is the dream of globalisation over? Are we heading towards or away from international integration?
 
The Congress will start with a one-day seminar on how to become an international lawyer, with the aim to explore the abilities and know-how a lawyer should have to be a truly international professional. This will be followed by several other working sessions and workshops covering a wide range of legal topics related to labour and immigration, M&A transactions, transport, real estate, technology, trade and international business. In addition to the scientific programme, AIJA has planned a variety of social and networking activities to enable you to experience the best in local Belgian food, nature and entertainment. For more information, visit AIJA's website

 
 
Best Practices in European Restructuring Contractualised Distress Resolution in the Light of the Directive Proposal of 22 November 2016

The University of Florence (L. Stanghellini / R. Mokal), the Humboldt Universität von Berlin (C. Paulus) and the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid (I. Tirado) are holding a one-day workshop in Brussels on 5 July. For further information visit: www.codire.eu.

 
 

We welcome feedback, news and story ideas for future newsletters. 

Please send your suggestions to Paul Newson, Communications Manager,
email: paulnewson@insol-europe.org.

INSOL Europe, P O Box 7149, Clifton, Nottingham. NG11 6WD. Tel/Fax : +44 115 8780584
www.insol-europe.org
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Disclaimer: This newsletter is sent to members of INSOL Europe. No responsibility legal or otherwise is accepted by INSOL Europe for any errors, omissions or otherwise. The opinions expressed in the articles that appear are not necessarily shared by any representative of INSOL Europe.