European Corporate Insolvency Law: an analysis of the corporate rescue laws of France, Greece and the United Kingdom

摘要

The thesis focuses on European corporate insolvency law by reference to the laws as developed of three different jurisdictions, namely France, Greece and the United Kingdom. The thesis is aimed at providing an analysis of the insolvency laws of the three jurisdictions, while the main focus is on the corporate rescue mechanisms that are available in the three jurisdictions. Although the thesis provides an overview of the historical background of the insolvency law regime in each of the three jurisdictions, it, particularly, focuses on reforms introduced within the last decade, namely from the early 2000s. The key concern of this research is to provide an account of the similarities of and differences between the French, Greek and the United Kingdom’s insolvency laws and with the use of comparative law to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each system and to assess the effectiveness of the reforms recently introduced in each jurisdiction. Although the thesis acknowledges the evolution of convergence between the insolvency law regimes of the three jurisdictions, it does not aspire to propose substantive harmonisation of cross-border insolvency. Furthermore, the thesis offers a conceptual analysis of the legal concept of corporate rescue, and identifies the underlying factors in relation to the insolvency and rescue laws of the three jurisdictions, such as their social, political and legal cultures. Additionally, the thesis provides an analysis of the role of certain key ‘actors’ which are affecting the outcome of rescue proceedings, such as the management of a distressed company, the courts, insolvency practitioners and creditors. The consideration of such contextual factors enables one not only to identify and understand the differences between the rescue laws of each jurisdiction but also to assess the influence of the insolvency laws of other jurisdictions, such as the United States, on the shaping of a corporate rescue culture in the three European states. By way of consideration of the wider European context the thesis also discusses the European Regulation on Insolvency Proceedings. This Regulation is of note as an indicator of European Union policy, which has been to harmonise conflict of laws procedures but to leave the member states to develop for themselves insolvency procedures that they consider to be most suitable.